All content for Remarkable Retail Podcast is the property of Michael LeBlanc, Steve Dennis and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
This bonus episode of The Remarkable Retail Podcast closes Season 11 with a discussion on Amazon’s grocery strategy and early impressions of the new Dallas Netflix House, before turning to a review of the second half of Steve Dennis’s 2025 retail predictions. The conversation assesses department store performance, Target’s leadership changes, store closures versus openings, muted dealmaking, and the real impact of GLP-1 drugs.
This episode breaks down the week’s key retail and economic developments—including interest rate uncertainty, mixed earnings results, tariff pressure, and leadership changes at Lululemon—before moving into Part 1 of a perennial favorite episode: Steve’s annual review of his retail predictions. The conversation connects current headlines to bigger retail forces, from the continued dominance of super-scale retailers to evolving technology, returns challenges, and shifting consumer behavior.
Mark Zandi, Moody's Chief Economist joins us to decode the widening K-shaped economy, the surprising fingerprints of AI on youth unemployment, and the mounting risks of tariffs on prices and growth. We balance his macro insights with our take on early holiday results, the stampede to value and its implications, and the latest on Macy’s turnaround efforts. We wrap with our stories we found remarkable and key things on our radar screens including Netfix's foray into experiential retail.
Jason Buechel, CEO, Whole Foods Market and Vice President of Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores joins the pod to outline Amazon’s bold grocery ambitions. In the news segment, hosts Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc kick off this episode analyze early holiday results, the explosive rise of agentic AI, and a new CEO appointment at Kohl’s amid continued poor results. They also dig into the rewiring of e-commerce and Google's new Gemini release.
Steve and Michael kick off the episode with a dynamic review of a blockbuster week in retail—Walmart’s continued dominance, Target’s seemingly endless struggles, the flight to value in apparel, and rate-locked consumers impacting home-improvement demand. They then revisit an encore interview with Artemis Patrick, President & CEO of Sephora North America, whose personal story, leadership approach, and insight into Sephora’s innovation, commitment to diversity, and new store investments provide great insight and inspiration.
The hosts break down a big week in retail: the U.S. government shutdown finally ends, shoppers keep spending despite uncertainty and headwinds, AI-powered shopping conversion jumps 16%, and Doug McMillon shocks the industry with his Walmart exit. In the interview segment Julie Bornstein, Founder & CEO of Daydream, whose AI-driven fashion search platform partners with 10,000+ brands and has raised $50MM, discuses the agentic commerce opportunity. Julie shares her journey and why taste-based AI is retail’s next frontier.
Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc sit down with David Lafitte, President & CEO of Tecovas, to explore how the Austin-based western lifestyle brand is redefining retail through craftsmanship, authenticity, and what Lafitte calls radical hospitality. From the brand’s digital-native roots to its expansion into Soho and beyond, Lafitte shares lessons on scaling thoughtfully, empowering teams, and maintaining focus. The hosts also unpack major retail news—from wobbly unicorns to luxury bifurcation to Amazon’s automation powered future.
Guest co-host Ben Miller, Shoptalk's VP of Original Content and Strategy joins to dive into major retail news, including Amazon's strong earnings and the acceleration of AI-driven commerce with Chat GPT. The interview segment features Puck's fashion correspondent Lauren Sherman, who provides incisive analysis on the luxury market's "reset." She discusses the post-COVID boom, the significant slowdown in Chinese spending, the rise of DTC, the resilience of the top 1% consumer, and how resale is fundamentally changing the shopping journey.
This episode unpacks a week of turbulence and transformation across the retail landscape, before a deep dive on Steve's groundbreaking new Blank Canvas Strategy framework, designed to help retailers escape incrementalism and chart bold new futures.
In this episode, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc sit down with David Boone, CEO of Michaels, for a dynamic discussion on transformation, creativity, and bold retail decision-making. Boone unpacks how Michaels is capitalizing on category white space left by JoAnn’s and Party City, accelerating innovation, and re-energizing its stores and digital ecosystem. In the news, Steve and Michael explore the implications of Walmart’s OpenAI partnership, Aritzia’s breakout quarter, Levi's DTC driven results, and fresh insights from the luxury and apparel sectors.
In this new episode hosts Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc break down the latest forces reshaping retail including Nike's tarrif-driven price increases, the potential shadow on retail spending due to the U.S. government shutdown. and holiday online sales predictions. Then they dive deep into the agentic AI revolution with guest Scot Wingo, serial entrepreneur and co-host of The Jason & Scot show who reveals why agentic commerce could disrupt search, reshape marketplaces, and reignite innovation across retail.
In this episode, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc explore Birkenstock’s remarkable evolution with David Kahan, President & Managing Director of Birkenstock Americas. David shares how the 250-year-old brand stays authentic while captivating new generations—from the red carpet to the yoga studio. He reveals how unwavering commitment to the brand’s DNA, “engineered distribution,” and purpose-led leadership drive success. Additionally, Michael and Steve discuss major retail news, including new tariffs, TikTok, and shifting economic winds, ahead of the holiday season.
In this special fifth-anniversary edition of the Remarkable Retail Podcast, we welcome back Seth Godin. Seth unpacks the essence of remarkability in today’s crowded marketplace, the danger of confusing “better” with “remarkable,” and how AI unlocks new creative frontiers. Alongside fresh insights, we revisit unforgettable moments with past guests including Scott Galloway, Artemis Patrick (Sephora), Hal Lawton (Tractor Supply), Chris Nicholas (Sam’s Club), Joe Kudla (Vuori), and Neil Blumenthal (Warby Parker).
With a return edition of "The Analysts," we welcome Forrester VP & Principal Analyst Sucharita Kodali and GlobalData Retail's Managing Director Neil Saunders. Together, they explore surprisingly strong U.S. sales numbers, the gap between consumer sentiment and spending, tariff impacts, and the state of iconic bran retail turnaround stories. The panel also tackles AI’s evolving role in retail, Amazon’s logistics dominance, and what to expect for holiday 2025.
Lauren Steinberg, Loblaw's EVP & Chief Digital Officer discusses the transformation journey at Canada’s largest retailer. Lauren shares how Loblaw is integrating AI, loyalty, and retail media to create seamless customer experiences, while shaping the future of personalization. In the weekly news of the week segment the hosts unpack tariffs, inflationary pressures, RH’s bold reinvention, and Sam’s Club’s digital leap.
Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc unpack the week's retail headlines—tariffs, India sanctions, de minimis shifts, consumer confidence, and labor market turbulence—before an insightufl inteview featuring Amit Kaswani, Chaloub Group's Chief Omnichannel Officer , and Stacie Henderson Capece Minutolo, To'ds Chief Marketing Officer, Americas. They explore how AI, loyalty innovation, omnichannel design, and customer-obsessed strategies are redefining luxury. The guests also share insights ahead of speaking at the upcoming Shoptalk Luxe event in Abu Dhabi this January.
Season 11 kicks off with our first ever guest co-host: Ethan Chernofsky, CMO of Placer.ai, the fast-growing advanced location analytics company. Get ready for a wide-ranging conversation on the turbulent retail landscape. From tariffs and pricing power to Target’s leadership and performance challenges, Walmart’s surge, Amazon’s same-day grocery delivery push, and evolving mall dynamics, the trio breaks down where the industry is headed. They also spotlight branding missteps, AI trust issues, and what to watch next in a bifurcated retail economy.
With the pace of disruption continuing to accelerate, with more and more power being concentrated in the hands of only a few mega-retailers, with consumer needs and wants being constantly reshaped, and with the global impact of tariffs still far from certain, how do you make sense of what to do and, most importantly, gain the confidence to aim higher, move faster and act more boldly. That's where the industry leading, award-winning Remarkable Retail Podcast comes in. The all new season of the Remarkable Retail podcast launches Tuesday, September 2nd. We hope you’ll join us.
In our final summer bonus episode, we sit down with two remarkable leaders shaping Tapetry's future: Pooja Chandiramani, who helps drive marketing analytics and transformation for the holding company that owns Coach and Kate Spade, and Avinash Kaushik, best-selling author and digital marketing pioneer. Together they share how the multi-billion dollar global fashion powerhouse is driving brand transformation through analytics, creative pre-testing, and cultural alignment. They also reveal how expressive luxury, intent-centric marketing, and AI are shaping the future of consumer connections.
Our guest this week is Lauren Price, Senior Vice President, E-Commerce & Digital Marketing, COS North America. Lauren shares her career journey from luxury e-commerce pioneer to driving growth for the H&M-owned fashion brand and reveals how COS engages Gen Z through authenticity, quality storytelling, and TikTok virality, while preparing for the next wave of AI-driven discovery. Lauren also offers timely holiday strategy advice—focusing on agility, rapid data analysis, and making the most of short, high-impact shopping windows like Black Friday.
