Inflation runs hot, and so do the winners. Costco, Aritzia and Uniqlo keep pulling away while LVMH stumbles and Kroger and Albertsons struggle to escape grocery’s mushy middle. Then Wayfair President Jon Blotner explains why a two-decade online pure play is betting on 150,000-square-foot stores, how merchants narrow a catalogue of millions to one floor, and what the store halo is really delivering.
Oct 20
1 hr 6 min
In this special Encore episode, we're revisiting one of our favourite conversations from last year: David Kahan, President and Managing Director of Birkenstock Americas, on keeping a 250-year-old brand relevant. Steve opens with what’s changed since: revenue up 15%, DTC outpacing wholesale for the first time, 13 new stores last quarter, and community-driven concepts in Malibu and Berlin. David then shares lessons behind the brand’s run: never deviating from the footbed, engineered distribution, localized stores, and turning customers into missionaries.
Oct 13
31 min
Consumer spending keeps defying gravity, even as sentiment hits a 12-year low and mortgage rates climb. Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc dig into Nike's struggles, Sephora's move into Marks & Spencer, and a luxury check-in on two of Steve's predictions, from the fragile Saks-Neiman reset to Hermès and Coach pulling ahead. Plus: Walmart's pledge to "price the product, not the person," and Steve's four types of AI shopping agents and why trust will pick the winners.
Oct 6
45 min
The Remarkable Retail podcast Episode 313 opens with the news: Costco's fuel-boosted gains, J.C. Penney's deepening slump and Stitch Fix's stalled turnaround in the return of the Wobbly Unicorn Corner. Then bestselling author Seth Godin is back on the podcast to discuss his new book, The Knot, on why organizations get stuck and how telling the truth untangles them. Plus Adobe's holiday forecast, Neiman Marcus closing its historic downtown Dallas flagship, and on our radar screens AI's mood swing, Canadian & Chinese beer and the state of U.S.global trade.
Sep 29
1 hr 10 min
The Remarkable Retail podcast turns six. Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc mark the milestone by discussing the Fed's latest move to increase interest rates, record diesel prices, and early holiday forecasts from Deloitte and Bain. They also explore Bloomingdale's record 11.3% comp, Coresight's store opening and closing data, Toys R Us expansion, and earnings from Inditex and Kroger. Steve unpacks his Substack article on whether the race to the doorstep is a race to the bottom, and the “On The Radar Screen” segment covers the Target Beauty Studio launch and the ROI of AI.
Sep 22
44 min
Guest co-host Anne Mezzenga, Founder & CEO of Retail Field Report, joins Steve and Michael for a macro check on fuel, rates and tariffs, then earnings from Five Below, Victoria's Secret, Lululemon and Kohl's. Anne takes us inside her flex retail shifts, hospitality-first store roles and a Target walk with executives, before the trio debates Anthropic's Claude Commerce Agents and Shein's Hong Kong debut. On the radar: Quince's brick-and-mortar ambitions, and JBS's beef imports — boon or burden for grocers?
Sep 8
52 min
Walmart posts its weakest U.S. comp in six years, Amazon takes flight in 500 U.S. cities, Target shows early signs of life, Ross runs hot, and Simon Property Group proves great malls are thriving. Then, live from the CommerceNext Growth Show in New York, Steve and Michael talk venture capital, AI, and brand durability with Scott Friend, Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, and Indy Guha, General Partner at VMG Partners. Plus, on the radar screen rising Treasury yields and Canada's Roots sold to Marquee Brands, paving the way for global expansion.
Aug 25
1 hr 2 min
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
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