This week, listen to Shawn Baldwin — Walmart’s SVP of Produce and Global Food Sourcing — as he talks to Focus on Suppliers about Walmart’s “Win in Fresh” initiative and the importance of the customer shopping experience.

Katie Holley of Conagra gives suppliers insights on how to make the connection with fresh regardless of your product. Plus, great tips if you are moving your company or your family.

Featured guests include:

Saatchi & Saatchi X – Jessica Hendrix

Hall Estill – Dick Levin

Sage Partners – Grady Mathews

FSMA – Mike Bentel

ConAgra – Katie Holley

Tampico Spice – Francisco Medrano & David Martinez

Walmart – Shawn Baldwin

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xdQ71ul2zk[/embedyt]

Families want seamless, easy shopping experiences whether online or in-store. This is most clearly demonstrated during their Back to School shopping, but it’s something suppliers AND retailers should keep in mind year-round.

That’s why Focus on Suppliers is starting the new season with Back to School Lessons for Year-Round Success!

Learn from Bed, Bath & Beyond how to take advantage of special moments to build a lifelong customer. BIC talks about how to engage shoppers with fun experiences and the importance of telling a story. Olivet International explains the customer’s perspective during the product development stage. That and more on this week’s show!

Featured guests:

8th & Walton

Bed, Bath & Beyond

BIC

Excel Displays & Packaging

Olivet International

Razorback Sports Properties

Saatchi & Saatchi X

University of Arkansas – Sam M Walton College of Business

Watch the full episode here or click below to listen to the podcast!

No matter your category, technology will play a vital role in your future. This week we talk tech trends with The NPD Group and Samsung. Which categories are driving growth in consumer electronics? Which categories are declining?

Campbell’s CEO, Denise Morrison, offers an invaluable lesson on the importance of developing a personal mission statement.

And special guest Star Jones explains the impact of women and diversity in the C-Suite.

Guest List:

Acumen Brands – Lela Davidson

Campbell Soup Company – Denise Morrison

Movista – April Seggebruch

Network of Executive Women – Sarah Semrow

NPD Group – Andrew Horning

Saatchi & Saatchi X – Jessica Hendrix

Samsung – Mike Kadish

Star Jones

Join Focus on Suppliers as we take a closer look at the relationship between Suppliers and Entertainment properties.

How can suppliers benefit by partnering with new releases?

What does a “Big Bet” mean for studios, and how do they leverage strategic relationships with retailers to promote new properties?

Plus — what are psychographics, and how do you incorporate those insights when building your brand?  We answer all these questions and more on this week’s show!

Full guest list:

Saatchi & Saatchi X – Jessica Hendrix

Walmart Radio – Russell Bloodworth

Startup Junkie – Jeff Amerine

Dreamworks – Sarah Boyer

Nickelodeon – Tara Gartman Shaw

Flo Brands – Marcus Johnson

Click here to watch the show on Vimeo, or listen to the podcast below!

With the June 1st deadline approaching, Walmart’s Store Assortment Online (SAO) Initiative is top of mind for suppliers. The goal is to get your items online, incorporate new required attributes, and deliver rich content (short and long descriptions, high quality photos, etc). The purpose of this initiative is to drive sales by providing a seamless omni-channel experience for Walmart shoppers.

Why the SAO Initiative is important to suppliers has been discussed at length. How to comply by the June 1st deadline is more open ended. Many suppliers are turning to content service providers for help, and the amount of options can be daunting. To help you navigate the content service provider landscape, Focus on Suppliers has invited several representatives to answer these questions:

* What does your company do that’s different from other content service providers?

* How can you help suppliers – specifically?

Watch the full omni-channel episode or listen to the podcast.

Featured guests include:

Saatchi & Saatchi X, Jessica Hendrix

Kantar Retail, Bryan Gildenberg

8th & Walton, Ron Tiarks

Webcollage, Ed Carroll

Content Analytics, Kenji Gjovig

Opal, Victoria Bouldin

Liquidity Services, Jeff Rechtzigel

Startup Junkie, Jeff Amerine

To kick off the new season, Neile Jones talks with Walmart and several suppliers about sustainability.

Topics include Walmart’s sustainability efforts, expectations for their supplier partners, and how Walmart measures success – as well as the resources available to guide suppliers toward a more sustainable supply chain.

Three examples of successful, sustainable suppliers are Tyson, Eco-Vet Furniture, and KYYA Chocolate. Guests from these companies discuss what sustainability means to their business, why it is so important, and how they put their values into action.

PLUS: A quick chat with Walmart’s CEO, Doug McMillon.

Full guest list:

Jessica Hendrix, Saatchi & Saatchi X

Laura Phillips, Walmart

Bryan Perry, Excel Displays & Packaging

Rick Boosey, KYYA Chocolate

Jenny Ahlen, Environmental Defense Fund

Doug McMillon, Walmart

Kerry Bailey, Menasha

Mike Hagood, Eco-Vet Furniture

Leigh Ann Johnston, Tyson

Click below to listen to the podcast of the show!

This week, Focus on Suppliers highlights NASCAR and the Bakery Category.

Listen to this week’s podcast to learn about Walmart’s push to incorporate local flavor into Neighborhood Markets. Rick Boone (owner of Rick’s Bakery) shares his experience working with Walmart.

Andrew Strolin of Nature’s Bakery discusses the importance of authenticity and staying true to your brand — and how these two priorities factored in to the partnership with Danica Patrick.

Anheuser-Busch provides insights on their NASCAR packaging and how targeted activation impacts sales.

Plus, learn how a retired NASCAR created an “out of context experience” for shoppers outside the store.

You can watch all Focus on Suppliers episodes on Vimeo.

Guests include:

Jessica Hendrix, Saatchi & Saatchi X

Rick Boone, Rick’s Bakery

Joel Graham, 8th & Walton

Andrew Strolin, Nature’s Bakery

Randy Ornstein, Anheuser-Busch

Matt Fifer, Store of the Community

Host:

Neile Jones

Retail Insights:

Andy Schuch

 

Superbowl Sunday: for fans — a holiday. For those in the retail industry — a lot of fun AND a lot of preparation.

Focus on Suppliers kicks off SuperBowl weekend with a very special interview with Keith Jackson. The NFL player talks with Neile Jones about his experience winning the Superbowl and what he is doing now. Find out what he says about the role suppliers play in supporting organizations like P.A.R.K. (Positive Atmosphere Reaches Kids).

Randy Ornstein of Anheuser-Busch discusses incorporating special events like the Super Bowl in packaging, and the impact of partnering with other suppliers in joint displays.

Last but not least, General Mills provides insight into the Snacking category — and cooks up some fun with Neile!

Guests include:

Jessica Hendrix, Saatchi & Saatchi X

Keith Jackson, P.A.R.K.

Stan Zylowski, Movista

Bryan Perry, Excel

Randy Ornstein, Anheuser-Busch

Ryan Harrington, General Mills

Host:

Neile Jones

Retail Insights:

Andy Schuch

Superbowl Sunday: for fans — a holiday. For those in the retail industry — a lot of fun AND a lot of preparation.

Focus on Suppliers kicks off SuperBowl weekend with a very special interview with Keith Jackson. The NFL player talks with Neile Jones about his experience winning the Superbowl and what he is doing now. Find out what he says about the role suppliers play in supporting organizations like P.A.R.K. (Positive Atmosphere Reaches Kids).

Randy Ornstein of Anheuser-Busch discusses incorporating special events like the Super Bowl in packaging, and the impact of partnering with other suppliers in joint displays.

Last but not least, General Mills provides insight into the Snacking category — and cooks up some fun with Neile!

Guests include:

Jessica Hendrix, Saatchi & Saatchi X

Keith Jackson, P.A.R.K.

Stan Zylowski, Movista

Bryan Perry, Excel

Randy Ornstein, Anheuser-Busch

Ryan Harrington, General Mills

Host:

Neile Jones

Retail Insights:

Andy Schuch

REUTERS/Jason Redmond – RTX14T89

Neile Jones interviews experts on food safety, trends and transportation. In this episode of Focus on Suppliers, you will learn about:

* the latest trends in the food category

* the importance of managing transportation

* changes in food safety laws

* how food innovation leads to conversions

Special “Heart of Business” guests Celia Swanson of Walmart and Christina Hinds of the American Heart Association prepare us for Heart month. Christina provides a quick overview of things women should do to prevent heart disease, and Celia shares a very personal story about why it’s so important to pay attention to the signs.

Guests include:

Jessica Hendrix, Saatchi & Saatchi X

James Hearn, Ghirardelli Chocolate

Bryan Perry, Excel

Perry Johnson, CaseStack

Mike Bentel, Food Safety Consultant

Marion Roller, 8th & Walton

Bill Akins, Rockfish

Celia Swanson, Walmart

Christina Hinds, American Heart Association

Hosted by Neile Jones

Retail Insights: Andy Schuch, Loria Oliver