Executive Summary

• This week’s note “From the Desk of Deborah Weinswig” discusses Alibaba’s recent entry into the seemingly crowded intelligent digital assistant space.
• Nike confirmed that it will finally start selling its products directly on Amazon.com. The partnership with Amazon is in its early stages and involves only a limited selection of Nike products for now.
• German discount grocery chain Aldi North is planning to spend more than €5 billion (US$5.7 billion) to revamp its stores worldwide, pending approval of one of the three foundations that control the company.
• Beauty products giant L’Oréal has signed a contract to sell The Body Shop to Brazilian cosmetics maker Natura Cosméticos for a reported €1 billion (US$1.1 billion), subject to clearance by antitrust authorities, notably in Brazil and the US. The deal is expected to close during 2017.