Remarkable Retail Podcast

Chairman of IKEA, Lars-Johan Jarnheimer, shares insights on leading with purpose and kindness, IKEA's sustainability commitment, and adapting to smaller store formats. President of January Digital, Sarah Engel, discusses evolving digital landscape and global brand strategies. The episode also covers retail news highlights, interest rate cuts, digital trends, and competitive dynamics in the footwear industry.

In the first of several episodes brought to you by Bambuser and recorded at Shoptalk Europe, we did our first full episode in front of a live audience.Our topic may at first seem counter-intuitive given the dramatic and continuing growth of e-commerce. But in a world where the role of brick-and-mortar locations has evolved significantly and shopping journeys are often split between jobs and joys, errands and experiences, it's never been more important to be sure that brands' physical store investments deliver great customer relevance and powerful differentiation.So we go deep on how the role of stores (and shopping centers) have changed, how some retailers adapted quickly, and others failed to seize the opportunity, and what it takes to makes sure physical retail is contributing to remarkable performance.As usual, we start by unpacking the most important retail news of the week with a focus on the good, bad, and somewhat promising earnings reports from Abercrombie & Fitch, PDD Holdings, Dicks Sporting Goods, Kohl's, Gap, and more. We also explore the lingering impact of inflation in services and the continued expansion of Vuori, one of our favorite remarkable brands.Buying vs. Shopping episodeJoe Kudla interview Join us at the CommerceNext Growth Show in New York June 23rd and 24th with this exclusive discount code for 10% off general admission tickets and FREE retail tickets:  Your code is "REMARKABLE" .  See you in the Big Apple! About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast.  He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.  

James Reinhart, CEO of ThredUp, discusses the re-commerce market, ThredUp's differentiation, and moving towards sustainable profitability. They also explore Shein's strategies, retail earnings reports, and ThredUp's impact on secondhand retail.

Azita Martin,  Vice President and GM of AI for Retail, CPG and QSR at NVIDIA is our very special guest. She joins us to discuss the ways AI is beginning to transform the retail landscape, and how NVIDIA is helping accelerate retailers' journeys.We start off by discussing how NVIDIA has grown to become the third most valuable company in the world, before focusing in on how they leverage their hardware and software solutions to power retail innovation. We dig into where GenAI is gaining the greatest traction and where new use cases are emerging that save retailers money and drive great effectiveness. In particular, we explore how "digital twins" can unlock previously unimaginable value.But first we give our hot takes on the week in retail news, including a bit of good news on the grocery inflation front and strong quarterly results from Walmart and one of our favorite emerging remarkable brands On Running. But the earnings news is far less favorable for JC Penney and Home Depot. We end with a discussion of Wayfair's first big (and overdue) foray into physical retail.Presented by Celonis.Information from NVIDIA:https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/lp/industries/state-of-ai-in-retail-and-cpg/https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/industries/retail/driving-agility-in-retail-with-ai-ebook/https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/industries/retail/About AzitaAzita leads the Retail team at NVIDIA. She is responsible for global go-to-market strategy in the vertical. She advises senior executives on best practices of leveraging AI to improve operational efficiencies and identify new revenue streams. Prior to NVIDIA, Azita was the Chief Marketing Officer at Maana, an AI software platform used by industrial companies to accelerate building AI applications. Azita has been working with the Chief Digital Officers and heads of analytics/AI of F500 industrial companies and is intimately familiar with the top AI use cases that are demonstrating business value. Join us at the CommerceNext Growth Show in New York June 23rd and 24th with this exclusive discount code for 10% off general admission tickets and FREE retail tickets:  Your code is "REMARKABLE" .  See you in the Big Apple! About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast.  He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.  

Chris Riccobono, Founder & Executive Chairman of UNTUCKit, discusses the brand's success through online, wholesale, and retail strategies. He shares insights on navigating the COVID crisis and future plans for expansion and international growth. The podcast also analyzes retail industry trends, including Peloton acquisition talks and Saks & Neiman Marcus merger speculations.

Our guest this week is Nancy King, until recently SVP, Product Engineering at Target whose interview from 2022 we are reprising.This episode provides a deep-dive, insider's perspective on how Target has embraced the blur of modern retail and put their stores at the center of the guest experience. We get a fascinating behind the scenes look at how the application of agile methodology, combined with digital technology and a willingness to experiment aggressively, has driven break-through results. We also explore how Target knew to invest in these areas ahead of the COVID crisis and what their plans are to stay in sync with ever escalating customer needs and wants.  Nancy has just been named Chief Technology Officer for RB Global, Inc, the trusted global marketplace for insights, services and transactional solutions for commercial assets and vehicles. Congrats Nancy, and best of luck in the new gig!As usual we open with the week in retail news, including weaker than expected US job growth, blockbuster earnings from Amazon, and a not so buzzy report from Starbucks. Walmart announced it was pulling the plug on it's healthcare foray while at the same time launching a new grocery private label line called bettergoods. Then it's a return to the Wobbly Unicorn Corner and another rough quarter from both Peloton and Wayfair. We end with happier news as Ross Stores announces plan to open more than 2 million square feet of new retail space.  Join us at the CommerceNext Growth Show in New York June 23rd and 24th with this exclusive discount code for 10% off general admission tickets and FREE retail tickets:  Your code is "REMARKABLE" .  See you in the Big Apple! About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast.  He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.  

Experienced retail executive Billy May discusses DTC evolution, e-commerce, and harmonized retail essentials. News on bankruptcies, luxury brand performance, UBS predictions, and economic uncertainty. Insights on building successful retail brands, customer-centricity, and retail evolution leadership.

We have an fantastic episode for you featuring the virtual launch event for Steve's brand-new book, Leaders Leap, recorded Monday April 22nd.Steve is joined by a panel of extraordinary guests, all of whom are leaders in their respective fields. We have the privilege of hosting best-selling author and friend Seth Godin, an entrepreneur and speaker who has not only launched one of the most popular blogs in the world but has also written 21 best-selling books. We also have Bridget Brennan, acknowledged as the leading authority on the world's most powerful consumer market: women. She is the author of the books, "Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World's Most Powerful Consumers" and "Winning Her Business: How to Transform the Customer Experience for the World's Most Powerful Consumers" and is the Founder & CEO of Female Factor consulting firm. Sally Elliott, the co-leader of Spencer Stuart's global Retail Practice based in London, and Hal Lawton, President & CEO at Tractor Supply Company, also join us.We'll be back next week with our regularly scheduled programming, including top retail news and an exclusive interview with the one and only Billy May, CEO of Brooklinen, live from the Bambuser podcast studio at Shoptalk in Las Vegas.Presented by Celonis.  Join us at the CommerceNext Growth Show in New York June 23rd and 24th with this exclusive discount code for 10% off general admission tickets and FREE retail tickets:  Your code is "REMARKABLE" .  See you in the Big Apple! About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast.  He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.  

Melanie Brown, VP of Orange Apron Media at Home Depot, delves into the company's unique retail media journey. They discuss Amazon's shareholder letter, Rent the Runway's positive outlook, Allbird's delisting risk, and Home Depot's innovative approach to retail media network monetization.

David J. Katz, EVP & CMO at Randa Apparel & Accessories, shares his expertise in the fashion world. He delves into the ongoing wholesale vs. direct-to-consumer debate and explores how customer data can fuel growth. Katz discusses the future of department stores against the backdrop of evolving shopping habits and examines Shein's explosive growth within fast fashion. He also highlights the impact of Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology and how economic trends shape the retail landscape today.