Executive Summary

• This week’s note “From the Desk of Deborah Weinswig” discusses the likelihood of Amazon becoming a majority marketplace, in terms of share of unit sales, in the fourth quarter.
• Black Friday deals have not varied much in the past several years. Ads and circulars for retailers such as Target, Walmart and Best Buy look almost identical this year to how they looked in past years, featuring nearly the same discounts on the same products.
• German grocer Lidl is set to sell online in Spain, following similar moves in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. A company representative stated that Lidl will not be able to neglect the digitalization trend, but that it will always aim to “guarantee quality at the lowest price.”
• Walmart is relaunching its hypermarket concept in Brazil, with the opening of Walmart Tamboré in São Paulo and the rebranding of Big Novo Hamburgo in Rio Grande do Sul and Big Santa Felicidade in Parana as Walmart outlets. The company is investing R$1 billion (US$309 million) over the next three years in the rebranding of the Big supermarkets and in the relaunch of the hypermarket concept.