Executive Summary

• This week’s note “From the Desk of Deborah Weinswig” discusses FGRT’s top digital retail trends for the holiday season.
• US retail sales climbed 1.6% in September as reconstruction and cleanup efforts in hurricane-devastated areas likely boosted demand for building materials and motor vehicles. Sales were also buoyed by a surge in receipts at service stations, which reflected higher gasoline prices after Hurricane Harvey disrupted production at oil refineries along the Gulf Coast.
• French supermarket giant Carrefour has launched a new app that allows customers to deliver orders to other customers. The app is called Merci Voisin, which is French for “Thanks, neighbor.”
• Indian ride-hailing company Ola announced that it has closed $1.1 billion in fresh financing, led by Tencent. The funding round is the largest in the company’s six-year history and its first major raise since November 2015.