Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report
Welcome to Retail Unwrapped, a podcast from The Robin Report.
Join Shelley E. Kohan as she shares insights and unpacks issues at the core of retail and consumer products. The conversations are lively and the opinions are honest.
New episodes every Friday.
Episodes
218 episodes
EP 218: The Next Frontier: Agentic AI Smart Shopping
Guests: Bridget Johns, co-founder and CEO at To&From, John Andrews co-founder and CEO of Cimulate.The future of retail is being fundamentally transformed by artificial intelligence, moving far beyond basic search functionality to cr...
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33:53
EP 217: Denise Incandela, Walmart Fashion EVP: A 2024 Crave Retail Radical
In a bold reimagining of mass-market fashion, Walmart is spearheading a transformation that challenges traditional retail paradigms. A 2024 Crave Retail Radical, Denise Incandela, EVP of Walmart Fashion U.S. declares, "Disruption enables breakt...
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22:03
EP 216: John Venhuizen, President and CEO of Ace Hardware: A 2024 Crave Retail Radical
John Venhuizen’s leadership and radical innovation over the past decade have fueled Ace Hardware’s growth. His strategy is a masterclass in scaling up while maintaining brand integrity and strong community ties. His success in attracting experi...
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22:50
EP 215: The AI-Powered Merchant: Creativity Meets Retail Technology
Guest: Ken Pilot of Ken Pilot Ventures, a retail advisory and technology investment firm. The convergence of traditional retail expertise with technological innovation is at a critical juncture for industry leaders. The retai...
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31:12
EP 214: The Future of Retail Returns: Automation Meets Human Intelligence
Special Guest: Tim Fehr, COO of Happy ReturnsThe complexities of modern returns management include processing hundreds of thousands of SKUs and demand both technological precision and human insight. As retail continues to evolve, ...
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21:27
EP 213: Why Circular Store Design Will Redefine Resilient Retail
Special Guest: Rebekah L. Matheny, NCIDQ, IIDA, Associate Professor | Interior Design | Department of Design, The Ohio State University; Founder & Director | REBEL Sustainable Futures LabThe retail industry stands at a pivotal...
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32:00
EP 212: Post-Election Recap for Retail
Special Guest: Arick Wierson, Emmy award-winning television producer, political analyst and Robin Report ContributorThere is much speculation about how the recent election will impact the economy, shape the future of America and d...
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29:28
EP 211: De-Risking the Intelligence Gap in Retail Analytics
Special Guest: Jay Hakami, CEO and Founder, Skypad, CEO, SkyIT Group What’s a retailer’s worst nightmare? Not having the right retail insights and analytics to manage inventory. In an era where retail success hinges on...
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17:47
EP 210: Retail Store Transformation and Holiday 2024
Special Guest Tom McGee, President and CEO of ICSC, the International Council of Shopping Centers Physical stores still function as strategic assets in today’s era of retail store transformation. New research from...
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24:11
EP 209: How Two Giants Are Disrupting Circularity with Sustainable Fashion Initiatives
Guests: Kim Kitchings - Senior Vice President, Consumer Marketing, Cotton IncorporatedAnna Copilevitz – Lead Program Manager, Zappos for GoodIn a global consumer marketplace where sustainability is no longer optional, two ...
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28:07
EP 208: What's the Port Strike Impact on Retail?
Guests:Jonathan Gold, Vice President, Supply Chain and Customs Policy, National Retail Federation.Sonja Chapman, Associate Professor International Trade and Marketing at Fashion Institute of Technology.What’s the aborted p...
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24:46
EP 207: Home Furnishings Trends: Why 2025 Will Re-energize the Industry
Guests: Warren Shoulberg, TRR contributor, award-winning journalist, consultant for the retailing and home furnishings industries.Brian Delp, President of Sales and Licensing, Himatsingka America.The pandemic reshaped the h...
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42:28
EP 206: Mastering the Circular Economy in Retail
Guest: Rebekah L. Matheny, NCIDQ, IIDAAssociate Professor | Interior Design | Department of Design and Founder & Director | REBEL Sustainable Futures LabSavvy retailers and brands already have a strategy to respond to the...
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26:06
EP 205: Rewriting the DEI Rules in Retail
Guest: Kimberly Minor, CEO of Women of Color Retail AllianceThe growing significance of the multicultural population, which will become the majority in the U.S. by 2050, will drive brands to integrate DEI authentically into their practic...
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33:20
EP 204: Behind the CEO Curtain: What Modern Leadership Really Looks Like
The C-suite is undergoing a transformation with modern leadership becoming digitally savvy and keyed into the importance of customer behavior and mindsets. Join special guest Brenda Malloy, CEO of Herbert Mines Associates, and Shelley as they s...
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26:20
EP 203: The Importance of Retail in Urban Development
Special Guests: Jennifer Peterson Community Engagement Chief at Edwards Companies and Brian Bernstein, Principal of REALM Collaborative Mixed-use spaces have been reshaping urban development, and retail plays an essential role in t...
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31:39
EP 202: Our Guest, CEO of Ace Hardware, John Venhuizen
Ace Hardware is on a roll. It just debuted its new store concept Elevate Ace, designed on input from its suppliers, store owners, and shareholders. Reflecting shifts in consumer shopping behavior, the new store focuses on e...
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23:50
EP 201: From CX to EX: The Retail Revolution Starts with Your Employees
Are you ready to revolutionize your approach to employee engagement and customer loyalty? A new wave is growing of the critical importance of focusing on employee experience (EX) as the foundation for creating exceptional customer experiences (...
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29:53
Ep 200: Saks-Neiman Marcus Merger: No Merchant Leadership, No Success
Guest: Mark A. Cohen, former Director of Retail Studies at Columbia Business School and former CEO of Sears Canada. What’s the back story on the Saks-Neiman Marcus merger? Will it survive? Could it be retail’s next colossal failure?...
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24:37
Ep 199: The 2024 Election Will Impact Retail. Here’s How.
The results of the national election will impact retail in a multitude of ways: immigration policies, economic stability, labor markets, new regulations, and trade and economic policies. Join TRR reporter Arick Wierson and Shelley ...
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35:31
Ep 198: How Spatial Intelligence Accelerates Retail Decision-Making
Special Guest: George Shaw, CEO and Founder, Pathr.aiSpatial intelligence is supercharging merchandise and marketing teams. How? By transforming data into dollars. In-store teams are still at a disadvantage when it comes to k...
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26:52
EP 197: Supply Chain Becomes the Cool Kid in Retail
Our Special Guests, MG2 Principals Melissa Gonzalez and Matthew Goelzer, AIA, LEED APConsumers now expect seamless, unified commerce experiences where they can access products and information anytime, anywhere. This f...
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32:21
Ep 196: Why Ulta Beauty’s Joy Project Is Important
Special Guest: Michelle Crossan-Matos, Chief Marketing Officer, Ulta BeautyWe’re experiencing a deficit in joyfulness; 85 percent of people wish they felt a high level of joy in their lives, but only 58 percent report ...
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30:04
Ep 195: Lenovo’s CMO on Building a Community of Committed Fans
As the world’s number-one PC manufacturer, Lenovo’s mission is to deliver smarter technology for everyone. The company journey has transformed from a wholesale business to a DTC model supported by rich data and analytics delivering world-class ...
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Episode 195
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21:27
Episode 194: Bayard Winthrop, Founder and CEO American Giant
Special guest Bayard Winthrop, Founder and CEO of AmericanGiant has spent the last 13 years on a mission to change the world with American made high-quality sportswear and strengthening small-town manufacturing communities. Bayard ...
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29:49
