Executive Summary

• This week’s note “From the Desk of Deborah Weinswig” discusses Apple’s recent announcement of its two new smartphone models—the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X.
• Amazon’s splashy takeover of Whole Foods Market, complete with deep price cuts, did more than bring a surge of publicity to the chain: it boosted customer traffic by 25% week over week.
• Footfall at British stores fell by 1.2% year over year in August. The decline was slightly greater than July’s 1.1% decrease. High street footfall declined by 2.6% and shopping center footfall fell by 0.8%.
• UrWork, the unicorn that is competing with WeWork in China, is following its American rival’s lead by extending its reach in Southeast Asia. The move follows UrWork’s participation in a
  $3 million funding round for Indonesia-based ReWork.