Executive Summary

• This week’s note “From the Desk of Deborah Weinswig” discusses the spate of attacks on retailers and consumers by the hacker group known as Magecart.
• Walmart has overtaken Apple to become the No. 3 online retailer in the US. While Amazon still leads by a wide margin, accounting for 48% of e-commerce sales in 2018, Walmart is poised to capture 4% of all online retail spending in the US by year-end.
• British online supermarket and technology firm Ocado is focusing on new expansion possibilities in Europe and in markets such as Japan, South Korea and Australia as it looks to strike deals with established grocers and venture into other categories.
• American consumer retail company Williams-Sonoma and Reliance Industries subsidiary Reliance Brands recently announced a partnership that aims to bring Williams-Sonoma’s Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids and West Elm brands to India.