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
257 episodes
EP 257: How to Build a Retail Media Empire
Spoiler alert: The physical store is an experiential platform that can tap into retail media network ad spending projected to reach $100 billion by 2026. In a digital marketplace, dynamic advertising platforms leverage AI-powered analytics to c...
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25:11
EP 256: Primark Sets Its Sights on the States
Primark's strategic U.S. expansion started 10 years ago and is a master plan in calculated retail growth that could fundamentally reshape America's affordable fashion landscape. Primark has 450 stores worldwide and 33 in the States. It has ambi...
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23:43
EP 255: Why Retailers Are Becoming Political Casualties in Culture Wars
Crisis management has become a requisite strategy in today’s fractious marketplace. The socio-political landscape has become a minefield for retailers where one misstep can trigger unprecedented consumer backlash and boycotts. In today's hyperc...
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27:00
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EP 254: Ace Hardware Knows How to Build Community
How do you make yourself matter to your local community? If you’re a hardware retailer, what you have to offer is more than nice; it’s a necessity. Ace Hardware gets it. They are innovative players in the retail media landscape with RedVest Med...
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21:04
EP 253: An Inside Look at The Honest Company’s Transformation
Some turnarounds make for epic legends. How do you rebuild a brand and transform it dramatically in two years? The Honest Company, co-founded by Jessica Alaba in 2011, is experiencing a renaissance with double-digit revenue growth and the highe...
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26:51
EP 252: Blunt Talk About Retail News Headlines
Provocative, controversial, and blunt observations about what’s making retail news headlines. Shelley and TRR contributor Mark Cohen, who is an industry veteran and former director of retail studies at Columbia Business School, explore a few of...
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40:17
EP 251: Surprises About Rising Food Costs
While consumers fixate on tariffs as the primary force behind rising food prices, the reality is far more complex and revealing. Regulatory changes, labor costs and operational expenses coupled with new tariff pressures on some food categories ...
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36:02
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EP 250: AI Alert: The Retail Workforce Is About to Change
The retail industry stands at a crossroads where artificial intelligence threatens to eliminate millions of jobs while simultaneously creating new opportunities—but only for those retailers smart enough to adapt. Rather than competing with AI, ...
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36:39
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EP 249: Why the Fed’s Policy Paralysis Threatens BTS and Holiday
The Federal Reserve's policy paralysis is creating a perfect storm for retailers heading into the most critical selling season of the year. Inflation is still threatening, labor markets are more fragile than they appear, and tariff-driven price...
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24:10
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EP 248: Stop Chasing Normal: Disruption Is Your Opportunity
The retail apocalypse isn't coming—it's here, and survival depends on adaptation, not market dominance. Consumer behavior has fundamentally shifted beyond price sensitivity to a complex value equation encompassing convenience, curation, and exp...
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35:03
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EP 247: Watch What Your Customers Do, Not Say
Do you know how to unlock the hidden opportunities in what your customers aren’t telling you? Traditional consumer research captures what customers say they want but misses the subconscious decisions driving 85 percent of purchasing behavior. E...
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30:03
EP 246: The Retail Marketing Test: AI or Human?
Special Guest: Greg Licciardi, Vice President of Sponsorships and Partner Programs at the Association of National Advertisers; Adjunct Professor of Marketing at Fordham and Seton Hall Universities. AI may replace some market...
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33:38
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EP 245: Wholesale Isn't Dead, It’s Revitalizing Growth
The traditional wholesale model isn't dying—it's evolving into something far more strategic and profitable than many executives realize. The widespread belief that direct-to-consumer channels automatically deliver superior margins is a myth. Su...
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25:51
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EP 244: Market Chaos Demands New In-Store Retail Strategies
Special Guest: Nikki Baird, VP of strategy and product at AptosThe retail landscape is facing unprecedented disruption as traditional profit centers collapse, and new opportunities emerge from the chaos. This isn't just anot...
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24:32
EP 243: Marketing Newsflash: Demographics Are So Over
Special Guests: Lisa Holland, Executive Head Enterprise Analytics at Albertsons CompaniesDan Bonert, Senior Vice President of Retail Media, Merchandising Analytics and Collaborations at NIQWendy Liebman, CEO and...
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1:05:43
EP 242: Trump Majeure Surprise: Tariffs Trigger Retail Collaboration
Special Guest: Arick Wierson, Emmy-winning producer and TRR contributor The retail apocalypse isn't coming from Amazon or an economic recession—it's being manufactured in Washington through tariff policy that defies basic bus...
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30:26
EP 241: Reeling from Tariff Whiplash
Special Guests: Sonja Chapman: Associate Professor in the Department of International Trade and Marketing at SUNY Fashion Institute of TechnologyKen O’Brien: CEO and President of Gemini Shippers Group...
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39:06
EP 240: How to Bridge the Retail Tectonic Shift
Special Guest: Jan Kniffen, CEO of retail consultancy, J Rogers Kniffen Worldwide Today's retail industry faces unprecedented transformation driven by three major forces: tariff restructuring affecting global supply chains, A...
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42:50
EP 239: The Tariff Storm: Navigating the Harsh Inequity of Global Trade
Special Guest: Maytee Pereira, Managing Director in PwC’s US Customs and International Trade practice Regardless of the flipflops of the Trump administration’s trade policies, retailers are operating in the middle of a tariff...
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27:50
EP 238: Luxury in Flux: LVMH's American Gambit
Guest: Marie Driscoll, a retail analyst, consultant and TRR contributorThe luxury market finds itself at a critical inflection point with industry titan
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29:28
EP 237: How Chewy Is Reimagining Veterinary Care
Guest: Mita Malhotra, President of Chewy HealthPets are big business; 66% of U.S. households are pet parents. Chewy has been a pioneer in online pet care and is now transforming in-person veterinary care by seamlessly integr...
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31:05
EP 236: How Forever Chemicals Are Reshaping Retail's Future
Guests:Michelle Bellanca, CEO and co-founder of Claros Technologies Arick Wierson, Emmy Award-winning producer and TRR contributorThe retail industry faces a transformative reckoning beyond tariffs and supply ch...
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39:49
EP 235: How Flow Fashion Could Save Our Planet and Your Wallet
Guests: Ann Cantrell, small business owner and FIT associate professorLiz Alessi, retail supply chain expertWe’re celebrating Earth Day Week early! The fashion industry has an environmental crisis on its hands. ...
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26:34
EP 234: Retail Media Redefines Customized Marketing
Special Guest: Dominick Miserandino, CEO of Retail Tech Media NexusConsumer attention is the ultimate currency in today’s disruptive marketplace. Retailers are becoming publishers as a strategy to forge deeper connections with cus...
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26:24
EP 233: Store Closures and Lease Structures Are Reshaping Commercial Retail
Guest: Stephanie Cegielski, VP of Research at ICSC The retail marketplace is in the throes of transformation. Despite the popular narrative of a retail apocalypse, commercial spaces are undergoing a renaissance. If developers and re...
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28:54
