Marc Lore, who led Walmart’s digital counter-attack against Amazon, announced that he was stepping down from the world’s biggest physical retailer, picking up some of his responsibilities picked up by Casey Carl, recently appointed Chief Omni Strategy Officer at Walmart, putting the wind up the entire industry.

Alibaba and jd.com are best placed to make money online, pouring money into upgrading supermarkets, with more than 200 stores that enable shoppers to use apps to learn what they are buying, to eat in-store, and to have their groceries carried home. Also expected in North America and Europe, as supermarkets strive for scale to confront the likes of Amazon and Walmart.