Omni Talk Retail

This week we come to you live from Las Vegas at Groceryshop 2026. Omni Talk contributor and the host of GrocerTalk, Ben Miller, joins me for this week's Fast Five, recorded right from the trade show floor in the Vusion podcast studio, built specifically for us by our friends there.

Walmart+ just added CITGO to its Gas Savings benefit, growing the program from 13,000 to more than 17,000 participating stations nationwide while keeping the annual membership price at $98. Is fuel becoming the stickiest perk in retail membership?

Watch the full Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by The A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Quorso, Ocampo Capital, Veloq, and R&S Logistics, here: https://youtu.be/6RQVw_X_fqs

What a few days at Groceryshop 2026. If you weren’t in Las Vegas for the show, this conversation is about as close as you can get to catching up on what mattered.

Recorded live on stage at Groceryshop 2026, Ben Miller, host of GrocerTalk, brings together Chris Walton, President and CEO of Omni Talk Retail, Deborah Weinswig, Founder and CEO of Coresight Research, and Kelly Lindenau, Content Director at Groceryshop, to break down what actually stood out from a week packed with big ideas, big announcements and a whole lot of talk about the future of grocery.

The conversation gets into the questions retailers are wrestling with right now. Where is agentic commerce really going? Is disintermediation becoming the bigger threat? What happens when the LLM starts to become the store? And with shoppers demanding less friction, faster decisions and better value, what does that mean for pricing, private label, marketplaces and the physical store?

Chris, Deborah, Kelly and Ben also trade their favorite AI use cases, stats, quotes and technology takeaways from the show, including why the most important technology on display may not have been the flashiest. They debate what retailers should actually be paying attention to, what might be overhyped, and what could have a real impact on the way people shop.

In this episode:

• Why agentic commerce is still a big question mark for grocery

• The growing threat of disintermediation and what retailers can do about it

• What it means if the LLM becomes the store

• Why “speed of shopping” may matter just as much as speed of delivery

• How marketplaces are changing where and how consumers shop

• Why pricing transparency could change the competitive landscape

• The growing power of private label and retailer-owned brands

• What supermarkets need to do to give shoppers a reason to come back

• The most interesting practical AI use cases from Groceryshop 2026

• The technology, stats and quotes that actually stuck with the panel

• What the group thinks retailers should be watching as we head toward 2027

🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery and retail.

Live from the Vusion podcast studio at booth 913 at Groceryshop 2026 in Las Vegas, Ben Miller connects with Katie Blackburn, Vice President - Commercial Strategy & Operations at WHSmith North America, for a GrocerTalk conversation on the evolving world of travel retail and the changing needs of airport shoppers.

Katie breaks down how WHSmith North America operates roughly 300 stores across around 50 U.S. airports, using localized concepts and curated assortments to serve travelers with very different shopping missions. From quick, convenient purchases like chargers and hydration to discovery-driven shopping experiences, the conversation explores how WHSmith balances speed and efficiency with exploration and engagement.

The discussion also dives into WHSmith North America’s growing retail media network, including its investment in digital in-store screens and new programmatic capabilities developed in partnership with SMG. Katie also shares what’s ahead for WHSmith North America in 2027, including a planned accelerator program designed to help emerging brands reach the millions of passengers traveling through U.S. airports.

In this episode:

• WHSmith North America’s travel retail business

• The different shopper missions shaping airport retail

• Balancing speed, convenience and discovery

• Self-checkout and the changing checkout experience

• Curated merchandising in high-traffic environments

• WHSmith North America’s retail media network

• Programmatic advertising across physical store environments

• Digital screens and in-store brand engagement

• What’s ahead for WHSmith North America in 2027

• A new accelerator program for emerging brands

🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery and retail.

Live from the Vusion podcast studio at booth 913 at Groceryshop 2026 in Las Vegas, Ben Miller sits down with Arthur Sylvestre, VP of Media & Digital at Danone North America, for a GrocerTalk conversation on the forces shaping media, digital commerce and consumer engagement across the grocery industry.

Arthur brings a CPG perspective to the conversation, exploring how brands like Danone are navigating an increasingly digital retail environment and the changing ways consumers discover and engage with products. The discussion looks at the intersection of media, digital strategy and the evolving grocery landscape.

In this episode:

• Danone North America’s media and digital strategy

• How digital is changing the grocery and CPG landscape

• The evolving relationship between brands and retailers

• Changing consumer behaviors and digital discovery

• Where media and digital strategy are headed next

• What the future of grocery means for CPG brands

🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery and retail.

Live from the Vusion podcast studio at booth 913 at Groceryshop 2026 in Las Vegas, Ben Miller sits down with Jeremy Gosch, Chairman & CEO of Hy-Vee, following his Groceryshop keynote to unpack the biggest themes shaping the future of grocery.

Jeremy and Ben revisit the ideas from his keynote and take a closer look at the challenges and opportunities facing grocery retailers today. The conversation brings the perspective of one of the industry's major regional grocers to the floor at Groceryshop, with a focus on where Hy-Vee and the broader grocery business go from here.

In this episode:

• Key takeaways from Jeremy Gosch’s Groceryshop keynote

• The biggest forces shaping the grocery industry

• How Hy-Vee is thinking about the future of the business

• The challenges facing grocery retailers today

• Opportunities ahead for Hy-Vee and the grocery sector

• What comes next for the retailer

🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery and retail.

In this edition of 5 Insightful Minutes, Chad Lusk, Partner and Managing Director at A&M Consumer and Retail Group, joins Omni Talk live from Groceryshop 2026 to unpack how changing consumer expectations are reshaping food and beverage, from wellness and functional nutrition to value and premiumization.

Chad explains why GLP-1s are not creating these trends, but accelerating shifts that have been building for years. As consumers become more intentional about what they eat, he explores the rise of “fewer hollow bites” and why shoppers are increasingly asking, “What’s actually worth it?”

He also breaks down how consumers are shopping based on specific needs and outcomes, why private label is competing on more than price, and why premiumization remains alive for products that deliver a meaningful difference in taste, ingredients, experience, or emotional payoff.

Key Topics Covered:

• How GLP-1s are accelerating existing food and beverage trends

• The rise of “fewer hollow bites” and more intentional consumption

• Why consumers are shopping based on outcomes, not just categories

• How wellness and indulgence can both drive purchase decisions

• Why private label is competing on quality, assortment, and lifestyle fit

• Why premiumization remains alive despite increased price sensitivity

• How brands can align their value proposition with what consumers actually value

Music by hooksounds.com

Sponsored Content

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Live from the Vusion podcast studio at booth 913 at Groceryshop 2026 in Las Vegas, Ben Miller welcomes Jim Trahanas, Chief Technology Officer at Fruitist, to explore how a fruit company is using technology, data and AI across its entire value chain.

Jim breaks down what it actually means to apply AI and machine learning across the business, from the underlying data and technology foundations to the culture required to support innovation. He also discusses Fruitist’s recognition as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026 and what it takes to build a technically progressive organization.

In this episode:

• The scale and technology strategy behind Fruitist

• Why Fruitist was recognized among Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies

• What applying AI and ML across the value chain actually means

• The data and technology foundations required to make it work

• How AI can extend beyond individual use cases

• Building and maintaining a technically progressive culture

🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery and retail.

Live from the Vusion podcast studio at Groceryshop 2026 in Las Vegas, Ben Miller welcomes Andrew Lederman, VP of Global Digital Commerce at Mondelēz International, to explore how grocery shopping is evolving online and what that means for one of the world’s major consumer packaged goods companies.

Andrew discusses the global shift toward digital grocery, changing shopping behaviors and the growing expectation for speed across markets. He also looks at the challenge of bringing impulse products into digital environments, how search and discovery are changing and what brands need to do to remain discoverable as algorithms, LLMs and agentic commerce reshape the path to purchase.

In this episode:

• How digital grocery is evolving across global markets

• What’s driving consumers toward online grocery shopping

• The growing expectation for speed and convenience

• How a CPG company approaches impulse products online

• How search and digital discovery are changing

• Building discoverability across algorithms and LLMs

• What agentic commerce could mean for CPG brands

• Strategies for converting digital demand

🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery and retail.

Live from the Vusion podcast studio at booth 913 at Groceryshop 2026 in Las Vegas, Ben Miller connects with Sjoerd Holleman, Chief Product and AI Officer at Albert Heijn, to explore how AI is reshaping the shopping experience.

Sjoerd shares lessons from Albert Heijn’s AI shopping assistant Steijn, including what shoppers are using and how those learnings can translate beyond the Dutch market. The conversation also looks at the growing role of personal AI agents, the future of customer experience through AI and how Ahold Delhaize is using AI assistants internally to support store associates.

In this episode:

• How AI is changing the shopping experience at Albert Heijn

• Lessons from Steijn, Albert Heijn’s AI shopping assistant

• Which AI assistant functionalities shoppers are using most

• What Dutch shopper behavior can teach the broader grocery industry

• How AI innovations can scale across Ahold Delhaize brands

• Keeping retailer-built assistants relevant as personal AI agents grow

• The future of customer experience through AI

• How AI assistants are supporting store associates

🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery and retail.