Remarkable Retail Podcast

Our special guest this week is James Reinhart the pioneering CEO of ThredUp, the fast-growing online consignment and thrift store. We learn about James' fascinating journey from teacher to entrepreneur and how his passion drives one of the most successful purpose-driven retail brands. We go deep on the drivers of the re-commerce market, how ThredUp differentiates itself, and the implications of a shift from hyper-growth to more sustainable profitability. We also unpack ThredUp's insight packed annual "Resale Report."

As usual, we kick things off with the most important retail news, dissecting Shein's "charm offensive" and how Hims & Hers is exploiting a loophole to pursue GLP-1 market opportunities. Then it's on to the most interesting earnings reports from last week, which include another weak quarter from Target, very strong progress at Marks & Spencer, a bit of preliminary optimism on Macy's new strategy, and yet another solid quarter from TJX. 

About James

James Reinhart is the CEO and cofounder of ThredUp, one of the largest online resale platforms for apparel, shoes, and accessories. ThredUp is transforming resale with technology and a mission to inspire the world to think secondhand first. By making it easy to buy and sell secondhand, ThredUp is changing the way people shop and ushering in a more sustainable future for fashion. James’ passion for circularity and the role that education plays in our communities is what drives his vision of reducing the fashion industry’s negative impact on the planet. These values are reflected in his work prior to ThredUp, in which he helped develop one of the nation’s premier public schools, Pacific Collegiate School. James is a graduate of the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School where he earned a joint degree in public policy and business. In his free time, he is an avid golfer, cyclist, and whiskey drinker (just not all at the same time). While a proud New Jersey native and diehard Bruce Springsteen fan, he lives with his wife Michele and three children in Oakland, CA.

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

Azita Martin,  Vice President and GM of AI for Retail, CPG and QSR at NVIDIA is our very special guest. She joins us to discuss the ways AI is beginning to transform the retail landscape, and how NVIDIA is helping accelerate retailers' journeys.

We start off by discussing how NVIDIA has grown to become the third most valuable company in the world, before focusing in on how they leverage their hardware and software solutions to power retail innovation. We dig into where GenAI is gaining the greatest traction and where new use cases are emerging that save retailers money and drive great effectiveness. In particular, we explore how "digital twins" can unlock previously unimaginable value.

But first we give our hot takes on the week in retail news, including a bit of good news on the grocery inflation front and strong quarterly results from Walmart and one of our favorite emerging remarkable brands On Running. But the earnings news is far less favorable for JC Penney and Home Depot. We end with a discussion of Wayfair's first big (and overdue) foray into physical retail.

Presented by Celonis.

Information from NVIDIA:

1. https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/lp/industries/state-of-ai-in-retail-and-cpg/
2. https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/industries/retail/driving-agility-in-retail-with-ai-ebook/
3. https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/industries/retail/

About Azita

Azita leads the Retail team at NVIDIA. She is responsible for global go-to-market strategy in the vertical. She advises senior executives on best practices of leveraging AI to improve operational efficiencies and identify new revenue streams. Prior to NVIDIA, Azita was the Chief Marketing Officer at Maana, an AI software platform used by industrial companies to accelerate building AI applications. Azita has been working with the Chief Digital Officers and heads of analytics/AI of F500 industrial companies and is intimately familiar with the top AI use cases that are demonstrating business value.

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

This week's guest is Chris Riccobono, Founder & Executive Chairman of disruptive retail brand UNTUCKit. UNTUCKit was one of the first digitally-native brands to embrace brick-and-mortar as critical to it's long-term success. Chris takes us through the trade-offs between online, wholesale, and own store strategies and how his brand successfully navigated the COVID crisis. He also shares the power of a big, simple idea well executed and outlines how he plans to take UNTUCKit to the next level through store expansion, partnerships, and international growth. 

As usual we open by dissecting the most important news of the week including take-aways from the NRF/CNBS monthly sales report and solid earnings reports from Warby Parker, which suggests that "wobbly unicorns" can find their footing, and Simon Property Group, which demonstrates that certain types of malls are far from dead. We also discuss Target's plan to expand its private brands to Canada and beyond. 

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Check out the podcast version and video recording of the Leaders Leap virtual book launch event.

Steve's new book is available at book sellers just about everywhere, from Audible, and on Kindle for only $9.99 USD.

About Chris Riccobono, UNTUCKit Founder & Executive Chairman

Chris Riccobono is the founder and executive chairman of UNTUCKit, one of the fastest-growing men’s retail brands in the U.S.

After earning his Bachelor’s degree from Providence College in 2001, Chris began his career at GE Healthcare and enrolled in Columbia Business School in 2007. While working towards his MBA, Chris thought of the idea for UNTUCKit after speaking with lots of men about their fit problems—especially the length of their collared shirts—and began the business from his apartment in Hoboken. It began as just a side job, but once Chris and his early customers realized that he’d solved a big problem in men’s fashion, the business quickly grew beyond his expectations—with a compound annual growth rate over 100% each year—into the brand we know today with more than 50 retail locations by the end of 2018 and an entrance into the international market.
 

In addition to furthering his education and growing the brand, Chris dedicated time to sharing his passion for wine through a video blog called Pardon That Vine, traveling the world interviewing winemakers, and teaching beginners about wine. Chris was a winner of the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2018 Award in New York and in his spare time he works closely with the Cancer Center at Atlantic Health System in New Jersey.

Chris currently lives in New Jersey with his wife and children.

About UNTUCKit

Created in 2011 by founder Chris Riccobono and CEO Aaron Sanandres, UNTUCKit has given men a seamless way to look sharp and feel casual by creating shirts designed specifically to be worn untucked. The brand has since expanded to offer fit combinations for all shapes and sizes, as well as new product categories like polos, tees, Henleys, pants, sweaters, jackets, and sport coats. It also offers a wide selection of shirts, dresses, and blazers for women. UNTUCKit is dedicated to creating an unmatched shopping experience with more than 80 physical retail locations across the US, Canada, and the UK . For more information, visit UNTUCKit.com.
 

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

Our guest this week is Nancy King, until recently SVP, Product Engineering at Target whose interview from 2022 we are reprising.

This episode provides a deep-dive, insider's perspective on how Target has embraced the blur of modern retail and put their stores at the center of the guest experience. We get a fascinating behind the scenes look at how the application of agile methodology, combined with digital technology and a willingness to experiment aggressively, has driven break-through results. We also explore how Target knew to invest in these areas ahead of the COVID crisis and what their plans are to stay in sync with ever escalating customer needs and wants.  Nancy has just been named Chief Technology Officer for RB Global, Inc, the trusted global marketplace for insights, services and transactional solutions for commercial assets and vehicles. Congrats Nancy, and best of luck in the new gig!

As usual we open with the week in retail news, including weaker than expected US job growth, blockbuster earnings from Amazon, and a not so buzzy report from Starbucks. Walmart announced it was pulling the plug on it's healthcare foray while at the same time launching a new grocery private label line called bettergoods. Then it's a return to the Wobbly Unicorn Corner and another rough quarter from both Peloton and Wayfair. We end with happier news as Ross Stores announces plan to open more than 2 million square feet of new retail space. 

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

Joining us for our final episode recorded in the Bambuser remote podcast studio/beach cabana at Mandalay Bay during Shoptalk is deeply experienced retail executive and current CEO of Brooklinen, Billy May. In a wide-ranging discussion of the evolution of DTC, e-commerce and harmonized retail, Billy lays out the essentials to building and growing remarkable retail brands gleaned from his decades long career in senior roles at J. Crew, Abercrombie & Fitch, Sur la Table, and more. It's a master class on the keys to modern retail.

As usual we open by dissecting the most important news of the week including the expected bankruptcy of Express and the surprising collapse of Foxtrot. We also challenge the bold (some might say "insane") prediction by UBS that 45,000 stores will close in the next five years due to the growth of e-commerce. Mixed news on luxury continues as Hermes wows and most other high-end brands disappoint. We also consider whether the FTC stepping in to challenge the Tapestry and Capri merger make sense before wrapping up with an increasingly murky economic outlook. 

Check out the podcast version and video recording of the Leaders Leap virtual book launch event.

Steve's new book is available at book sellers just about everywhere, from Audible, and on Kindle for only $9.99.

Recent episodes featuring World Retail Congress speakers:

• Remarkably Iconic Retail with Michael Ward, Managing Director, Harrods
• Retailing in a Time of Mass Distraction with Andrea Dorigo, Adidas Head of Global Retail
• Remarkably Creative Commerce with Beth Ann Kaminkow, Global CEO, VMLY&R

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

We have an fantastic episode for you featuring the virtual launch event for Steve's brand-new book, Leaders Leap, recorded Monday April 22nd.

Steve is joined by a panel of extraordinary guests, all of whom are leaders in their respective fields. We have the privilege of hosting best-selling author and friend Seth Godin, an entrepreneur and speaker who has not only launched one of the most popular blogs in the world but has also written 21 best-selling books. We also have Bridget Brennan, acknowledged as the leading authority on the world's most powerful consumer market: women. She is the author of the books, "Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World's Most Powerful Consumers" and "Winning Her Business: How to Transform the Customer Experience for the World's Most Powerful Consumers" and is the Founder & CEO of Female Factor consulting firm. Sally Elliott, the co-leader of Spencer Stuart's global Retail Practice based in London, and Hal Lawton, President & CEO at Tractor Supply Company, also join us.

We'll be back next week with our regularly scheduled programming, including top retail news and an exclusive interview with the one and only Billy May, CEO of Brooklinen, live from the Bambuser podcast studio at Shoptalk in Las Vegas.

Presented by Celonis.

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

Joining us for the second of three episodes recorded in the Bambuser remote podcast studio/beach cabana at Mandalay Bay during Shoptalk is Melanie Brown Vice President of Orange Apron Media and Monetization for The Home Depot. In a special two segment interview Melanie unpacks The Home Depot's retail media journey, highlighting the company's unique approach, which recently culminated in a doubling down and re-branding of its efforts. We've had analysts and consultants on to explore the rapidly growing retail media world, now we get a deeply experienced practitioner's in-depth perspectives.

As usual we open by dissecting the most important news of the week including the key take-aways from Amazon CEO Andy Jassey's annual shareholder letter, the end to Macy's proxy fight, the big nothing burger that is JC Penney's first new store in eight years, and Richard Baker's return trip to Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof. Then we tap into Steve's 2024 predictions of a "disruptor reckoning" and news that Rent the Runway sees better days ahead, while Allbird's risks delisting and Billy Reid acquires Knot Standard.

Orange Apron Media

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Don't miss the Leaders Leap virtual launch event on Monday, April 22nd, featuring special guests Seth Godin, Bridget Brennan, Sally Elliott, and Hal Lawton. Pre-register here.

There are just a few more days to take advantage of Leaders Leap pre-order freebies. Go here to see the special offers.

And if you are in Dallas don't miss our in-person live fireside chat, networking, and book signing on April 24. Pre-register here.

About Melanie

Melanie Babcock is the Vice President, Orange Apron Media and Monetization. In this role, Melanie has grown sources of ad revenue, profitability, sales and improved supplier experience.

Melanie joined The Home Depot in 2013, most recently serving as the VP of Integrated Media, which included the launch, development and growth of Retail Media+. Under Melanie’s leadership, her teams transformed The Home Depot’s marketing strategy from a product-centric to a customer-driven marketing strategy.

She scaled personalized customer marketing and worked closely with cross-functional partners to lead the development of marketing experiences more tailored to customers’ shopping and personal preferences. She launched a media measurement practice and changed the marketing team’s key metrics to deliver enterprise, department and incremental sales.

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

Joining us for the first of several episodes recorded in the Bambuser remote podcast studio/beach cabana at Mandalay Bay during Shoptalk is leading retail influencer and LinkedIn "Top Voice" David J. Katz, EVP & CMO, Randa Apparel & Accessories, one of the world’s leading fashion clothing and accessories companies, spanning 11 countries, with a portfolio of 35 owned and licensed brands, including Calvin Klein, Levi’s, Columbia Sportswear, Dickies, Tommy Hilfiger. 

David shares his vast experience and perspective as we explore some of the most important evolving and emerging dynamics in retail today. We delve into the great wholesale v. DTC debate, explore how to use customer data to drive growth, and go deep on the outlook for department stores, before wrapping up with a discuss on fast-fashion's global impact.

As usual we open by dissecting the most important news of the week including how the US job market is the gift that keeps giving. Then it's on to Amazon's WTF JWO moment, insight into Shein's growing profitability, and ways the "lipstick index" may be leading us awry. We wrap up with a quick view of how a few of Steve's 2024 predictions seem to be tracking so far.

Check out Steve's Harvard Business Review article on how safe might be the new risky.

Don't miss the Leaders Leap virtual launch event on Monday, April 22nd, featuring special guests Seth Godin, Bridget Brennan, Sally Elliott, and Hal Lawton.

Pre-register here.

There are just a few more days to take advantage of Leaders Leap pre-order freebies. Go here to see the special offers.

And if you are in Dallas don't miss our in-person live fireside chat, networking, and book signing. Pre-register here.

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

This week we preview the NRF Big Show APAC debuting this June in Singapore, with two very special guests:  Ngai Yuen Low, Group Chief Merchandise And Marketing Officer at AEON Co Malaysia live from Kuala Lumpur, and Ryf Quail, Compexosium's Managing Director live from Sydney, Australia. We start by delving into Yuen's incredible and diverse experience in the region, getting her thoughts on what makes her company so remarkable, before we explore her leadership style. Then Ryf gives us his thoughts on the impetus for such an exciting new event and what guests can expect. Needless to say, Steve is very excited to be going!

But we kick things off by announcing the virtual launch event for Steve's new book. Go here to pre-register. 

Then it's on to the news of the week, including a few clues into where inflation and interest rates might be headed. Then it's on to dissecting the implications from last week's earnings reports from RH, GameStop, Walgreen's, and H&M. We also unpack a big deal from Home Depot to solidify it's position in the professional market. Then it's on to two big moves from Amazon to increase its AI and cloud computing position, before we wrap up with concerns about the Ozempic recession as Krispy Kreme and McDonald's double down on their partnership. 

About Yuen

Low Ngai Yuen, a multiple award-winning workaholic also sits as an Independent Non-Executive Director of two public listed companies, GDEX Berhad and OCK Berhad. GDEX is a logistic and freight company while OCK is in the business of telecommunications network services and energy.

Adding to her list of accolades is being named Tokoh Wanita Muda, a prestigious award presented by Her Majesty, the former Queen during the National Council of Women’s Organizations, NCWO's celebration of National Women's Day. Also named Most Successful Woman of 2014 by Jessica Magazine, Bella Creative Award 2013 by ntv7, Women Weekly’s Great Women Of Our Time 2012 award for the category of Media and Arts as well as Her World's Young Achiever of the year 2008.

An Elevate Fellow as well as the US Department of State's IVLP's almuni, over the past 20 years, Yuen has gone from producing, directing and creating some of the highest rating TV programs in the country and regional countries to joining the corporate world – as the Director of Marketing and Communications of Carrefour Malaysia and Singapore, sitting on its management and exec committee; to being appointed the Exec Director/CEO of Global Entrepreneurship Movement Assoc that bridge technology to the underserved entrepreneurs.

She championed the TUKAR program (Program Transformasi Kedai Runcit) both at the blueprint and execution phases as contribution to the ETP. In 2011, she was selected as a subject matter expert for the Prime Minister's Roundtable on engaging the youth and subsequently, Yuen leads the performing arts pillar through Kakiseni, an arts NGO to map the industry’s growth for the Dasar Industri Kreatif Negara. Kakiseni has just launched its second book in the Hikayat series to make traditional arts relevant to the young. This is the 5th best selling titles that she produced alongside MPH to date. 

Yuen founded WOMEN:girls in 2011, a not for profit and cause driven organisation to drive higher women's share of voice. Driving higher women participation in leadership and decision making to apprenticeship programs for girls at risk to Ikal Mayang; a series of short films for girls to realise their voices/aspirations/dreams. An important milestone is achieved when Ikal Mayang is selected officially to premiere internationally at the 18th Busan International Film Festival 2013.

In 2021, Yuen released the acclaimed social film on humanity called Orang Itu on Netflix. Orang Itu scored a 10/10 from film critic, Tan Sri Johan Jaafar in The Star and is named the top 5 must watch Malaysian film of the year.

About Ryf 

With over 20 years of experience in media and tech, Ryf is a passionate and visionary leader who thrives on finding and converting opportunities across all categories. He is the Managing Director for Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia at Comexposium, one of the world's largest event organisers, where he oversees the region's leading marketing, e-commerce and media events. 

Ryf has a proven track record of building successful businesses, from launching a digital media start-up that became the largest in Australia, to delivering best-in-class digital and CRM programmes for a global professional service firm, to being recognised as Leader of the Year for Comexposium. He holds an MBA from the University of Otago Business School and has a strong network across the Asia Pacific region. Ryf's mission is to create impactful and innovative solutions for clients and partners, and to empower and inspire his team to achieve excellence.

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.

Joining us for our first episode recorded at last week's Shoptalk is Craig Brommers, Chief Marketing Officer at American Eagle Outfitters. We took the stage in front of a live audience for our inaugural voyage on Shoptalk TV to hear Craig's wisdom on a wide variety of topics including: the keys to their AEO's recent performance, how to understand the Gen Z customer, the role of digital in driving physical store performance, how sustainability does or doesn't affect consumer choice, and a whole lot more. We also learn that the death of physical retail has been greatly exaggerated (though he might be preaching to the choir!).

But we kick-off things off with a quick rundown of our big take-aways from our busy, busy time in Las Vegas. Then it's on to our analysis of the most important retail news of the week, including reports that Nordstrom is considering going private, largely disappointing earnings outlook from both Lululemon and Nike, and continuing robust growth from breakout brand Five Below.

Vuori CEO Joe Kudla Episode.

About Craig

As the Chief Marketing Officer of American Eagle, Craig oversees all marketing and creative for American Eagle (AE), the #1 jeans brand for men and women 15-25 and women of all ages in the US. Leading the strategic and creative engine of AE, Craig’s mission is to simultaneously build the brand, customer base and business while positioning AE at the heart of youth culture and digital innovation. Since joining AE, Craig has led successful partnerships with TikTok, Snap, and Twitch placing the brand at the fingertips of Gen Z.

Craig’s passion for purpose is rooted in research, ensuring alignment with what his customers care about most. Craig has supported partnerships with Bring Change 2 Mind, Surfrider and America’s Food Fund. Most notably Craig spearhead Gap’s RED campaign to increase awareness and inspire action toward the fight against AIDS. Craig’s ability to cultivate success driven global teams is a result of his relationship driven approach to leadership. Craig resides in Connecticut with his wife and two daughters.

Previously, Craig served as Global Marketing executive for Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Calvin Klein. Craig’s leadership successfully positioned these brands for digital, geographic, and category expansion. Combining the art and science of modern marketing in a data obsessed world, Craig’s strategies remain laser focused on the customer.   

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.