I discussed a few weeks ago changes in the strategic landscapes which I thought I had detected. I indeed was drawing a parallel between new ventures launched by established businesses in various industries: Casino (the French retailer) which launched a Nespresso-compatible coffee capsules, the FNAC stores which were about to launch their own gift cards to compete with their own suppliers and, more astonishing, the oil group Total which set up its own supermarket.

Located a few hundreds meters away from my office in Brussels, this prototype supermarket may be the announcement of a new strategy for Total (and perhaps for oil producers in general). In that sense joint-venture with retailers such as Carrefour would be doomed to disappear.

Next step … get in and make some pictures.