REMARKABLE
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Dec 16, 2025
From TikTok to Tariffs and Back Again: Annual Retail Predictions Reckoning (Part 1)
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.
TOP EPISODES
Oct 24, 2023
The Remarkable House of Brands That Is LVMH with Anish Melwani, Chairman & CEO, North America
Our guest this week is Anish Melwani, Chairman and CEO of LVMH, North America. LVMH is the home to 75 distinguished Houses rooted in six different sectors and includes some of the most iconic global luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, Tiffany, Bulgari, Sephora, and many more. We explore the differences between LVMH's North American business and the rest of the world, along with understanding the connective tissue and values that run through all the brands.
May 23, 2023
What We (Still) Get Wrong About Physical Retail--And Why It Matters
This week we go guest free to tackle some of the more pernicious misperceptions, missteps, and false narratives that continue to get in the way of retailers' making the strategic progress they so urgently need. As the Covid sales bump disappears and consumer demand wanes we will--as Warren Buffet famously said--"get to see who's been swimming naked." Without aggressive action retailers stuck in the unremarkable middle will soon face a harsh reckoning.
Apr 11, 2023
Going Global with Judith McKenna, President & CEO, Walmart International
Joining us for the first of several episodes recorded at the Wizeline remote podcast studio/beach cabana at Mandalay Bay during Shoptalk is Judith McKenna, who heads up Walmart International. We touch on Judith's journey across the pond to lead Walmart's $100 billion plus division, which operates across 19 countries, before jumping into the challenges and opportunities of executing the Walmart brand promise and purpose while staying attuned to diverse market needs ("strong local businesses powered by Walmart").
PAST EPISODES
Dec 16, 2025
From TikTok to Tariffs and Back Again: Annual Retail Predictions Reckoning (Part 1)
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.
Dec 09, 2025
The Stampede to Value, Macy's Turnaround Traction, and Moody's Chief Economist Mark Zandi on the K-Shaped Economy
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.
Dec 02, 2025
Jason Buechel, Whole Foods CEO/Worldwide Head, Amazon Grocery, Plus Kohl's CEO Shake-up, eCommerce's Rewiring, and Sears' Last Christmas
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.
Nov 25, 2025
Retail's Flight to Value, Target Stumbles, Plus Sephora NA's President & CEO Artemis Patrick (E)
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.
Nov 18, 2025
Retail Sales Defy Gravity, A Big Change at Walmart, and Daydream CEO Julie Bornstein on the Next Wave in AI Shopping
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.
Nov 11, 2025
Wobbly Unicorns, Luxury Bifurcation, and Tecovas' CEO David Lafitte on Growing Through 'Radical Hospitality.'
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.
Nov 04, 2025
Decoding Luxury's Next Chapter with Puck's Lauren Sherman and featuring Guest Co-Host Ben Miller (Shoptalk)
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.
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