Amazon posts numbers that should worry every competitor. Shopify keeps surging. Luxury proves anything but evenly distributed. Steve and Michael break down Wayfair's turnaround, Warby Parker's mixed quarter, tariff rebates, and whether live selling has finally found its moment. Plus: live from the CommerceNext Growth Show, Wharton's Kartik Hosanagar argues AI isn't a new channel, it's a new customer — and why retailers have to pick between efficiency and meaning and not get stuck in the murky middle.
Aug 11
56 min
Recorded live at the CommerceNext Growth Show in New York, Ulta Beauty Chief Retail Officer Amiee Bayer-Thomas explains why stores are queen, how 47 million loyalty members shop, and what a Gen Alpha study reveals about AI natives. Plus: a new tariff regime, strong June retail sales, grocery's unit decline, Albertsons' 20% stock drop, Wayfair's store expansion, Shein's Hong Kong IPO, and why flat population growth turns retail into a share fight.
Jul 28
59 min
Recorded live at the CommerceNext Growth Show in NYC, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc welcome Jason LaRose, CEO of Bombas — the mission-driven brand behind more than 200 million essential clothing donations. LaRose shares how quality, comfort, and mission (in that order) power profitable growth across DTC, wholesale, stores, and international. Plus the news: Nike stalls, Levi's and Aritzia soar, Uniqlo marches on, Costco keeps winning, and Kroger buys Giant Eagle — scale play or relevance problem?
Jul 14
1 hr
Recorded live on the CommerceNext Growth Show main stage in NYC, Steve Dennis sits down with Kimberley "KG" Gardiner, Chief Marketing Officer of Tractor Supply Company, to unpack the "Life Out Here" strategy, and the AI-plus-human balance. Then Michael LeBlanc and Steve dig into fuel-surcharge fallout, Mark Zandi's K-shaped economy, grocery's collapsing middle, Walmart's Vibe.co buy, Starbucks' convenience pivot, and a World Cup that isn't living up to the hype.
Jun 30
55 min
The Analysts are back. Forrester's Sucharita Kodali, Guggenheim's Simeon Siegel, and GlobalData's Neil Saunders join Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc to make sense of a contradictory earnings season: strong results, miserable sentiment. The panel digs into the K-shaped economy, GLP-1's halo across apparel and beauty, the resets at Lululemon and Nike, Macy's fragile turnaround, the wholesale comeback, AI's reality check, and why scaled value players keep winning.
Jun 16
41 min
On this episode of the Remarkable Retail podcast, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc break down a packed earnings season—and what it reveals about who's winning, who's stalling, and who's running out of road. They size up Macy's, Kohl's, JCPenney, Victoria's Secret, Gap, and Costco, plus the off-price sector's continued surge. Steve brings back retail observations from his trip to Portugal and Spain, while the duo digs into the race to the doorstep, Saks Global's bankruptcy exit, and what mounting geopolitical uncertainty means for retailers worldwide.
Jun 9
40 min
Sam's Club is "people-led and tech-powered" — and Chris Nicholas, now CEO of Walmart International, explains why that distinction matters. In this encore interview, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc explore AI, membership retail, and frictionless shopping with one of Walmart's most influential leaders. They also break down a blockbuster earnings week — Walmart, Target, TJX, Home Depot, Lowe's — and close on Shein's ironic acquisition of Everlane, rising rates, and the political weight of AI.
May 26
45 min
Simon Property Group's Eric Sadi joins Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc to make the case for the modern mall as a "third place"—not a relic, but a reimagined destination pulling billions of visits a year. Plus: inflation's quiet return, standout earnings from On and The RealReal, Amazon's latest AI move, and yet another lazy media narrative about the death of stores. Spoiler: the obituaries are still wrong.
May 19
58 min
Amazon, Walmart, and Costco aren't just winning—they're pulling away. In episode 301, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc unpack "Retail's Great Concentration": why growth is accruing to a shrinking group of super-scalers, what it means for everyone else, along with the critical difference between buying and shopping. Plus: strong earnings from Tapestry and Warby Parker, the GameStop-eBay bizarro story, Saks Global's restructuring, and what the FIFA World Cup means for retail, dynamic pricing, and possibly world peace.
May 12
48 min
In this milestone 300th episode, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc sit down with Pete Nordstrom for a wide-ranging conversation on 125 years of retail excellence, omnichannel leadership, and what it takes to stay relevant. Plus: inflation, energy prices, consumer confidence, and standout earnings from Amazon, Starbucks, and Wayfair
May 5
1 hr
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