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
204 episodes since 2020
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...
September 13, 2024
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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...
September 06, 2024
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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...
August 30, 2024
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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 (...
August 30, 2024
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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?...
August 16, 2024
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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 ...
August 09, 2024
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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...
August 02, 2024
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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...
July 26, 2024
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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 ...
July 19, 2024
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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 ...
July 12, 2024
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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 ...
July 05, 2024
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29:49
Episode 193: Nexite’s Breakthrough Innovation
Data rules in the ecommerce digital world but is more challenging to collect in the physical world. But tracking millions of pieces of merchandise across your store floors so your customers and staff can find any product in real-time is now a r...
June 28, 2024
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27:18
Episode 192: VF, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch: Three Major Strategy Shifts, Only One Homerun!
What does it take to turn around an iconic brand that started with humble beginnings? Creating a new vision may not be the best road to take and reinvigorating a brand may not be enough. The traditional checklist is outdated: cutti...
June 21, 2024
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32:37
Episode 191: Succession Planning in Retail…Pepsi Has It Right
There was a time in retail when the route to the C-suite was from the sales floor, and future leadership was carefully groomed at companies like Lord & Taylor, Abraham & Strauss, and Macy’s. With many companies downsizing a...
June 14, 2024
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31:07
Episode 190: Nordstrom's The 123 year-old Startup
Nordstrom’s core mission is to make customers feel good and look their best. And the retailer is legendary for listening to the customer and delivering customer service that “is not defined by us based on our legacy practices. It’s defined by c...
June 07, 2024
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29:30
Episode 189: The Retail Industry Revolution
Top headlines in retail reinforce the seismic shifts in the industry, including vertical integration, aligned brand platforms, private branding, new department store models, and updated workplace policies. It has all turned retail operations on...
May 31, 2024
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33:10
Episode 188: Why REI Is Committed To Developing Its Minority-Led Partners
Special guests Susan Vison, VP and executive director of REI’s Path Ahead Ventures, and Ed Chang, co-founder of Varlo, join Robin and Shelley to discuss how big companies can help elevate and support underrepresented BIPOC brand owners....
May 24, 2024
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30:48
Episode 187: The Chairman and CEO of Sezzle Discusses Buy Now Pay Later.
Special Guest: Charlie Youakim, Chairman and CEO, SezzleThe BNPL market has exploded over the past two years as consumers have ramped up this fintech alternative to credit cards. Competition is heating up; will only the strong survive?
May 17, 2024
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31:57
Walmart and Amazon Quit Healthcare
If Walmart, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JP Morgan Chase can’t figure out how to make healthcare work, then there is something seriously wrong with today’s U.S. retail healthcare model. In 2018 Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JP ...
May 10, 2024
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22:30
Avery Dennison on Frictionless Shopping
The evolution of frictionless shopping in self-checkout continues to meet customer expectations and enhance the in-store experience. What’s behind the technology? Join Robin and Shelley to reveal the expanding role of RFID across ...
May 03, 2024
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38:14
Blue Skies Ahead: Weather Analytics and Retail
Weather analytics and retail are connected. The most basic connection is seasonal changes prompt seasonal sales. But there’s more to it. Special guest Evan Gold, EVP of Global Partnerships & Alliances at Planalytics joins Robin...
April 26, 2024
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26:58
AI-Driven Results Your CFO Can Believe In, with Purva Gupta, Co-Founder and CEO, Lily.ai
The state of AI in retail today can be as confusing as it is exciting. But it is a board mandate for retail, without question. The opportunity to drive higher productivity and profitability is massive, yet it’s still a technology that needs to ...
April 19, 2024
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31:24
Are We in for Luxe Boom or Bust?
Recent failures of Matches, FarFetch, and Net-a-Porter has left Mythersea as the last luxe multi-brand standing. High spenders prefer to buy directly from brand companies like LVMH, Christian Dior, Gucci, and Hermès. And these luxe majors would...
April 12, 2024
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23:39
Luxury or Exclusivity Extortion? Hermès Sales Tactics Go to Court
Consumers are speaking out. A class action lawsuit has been filed by two Hermès shoppers in Northern California who are fed up with sales tactics used by this luxury powerhouse. They allege that the French luxury brand violates fed...
April 05, 2024
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40:28
Content Creators Are Cultural Leaders of the 21st Century
Don’t dismiss the power play of the growing community of content creators, recognized as the cultural leaders of the 21st century. Proof? The creator economy market is expected to double to $480 billion by 2027. Join Julian G...
March 29, 2024
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26:13