As we're 18 months into this pandemic, we're taking a moment to reflect on the past year and a half and what it's meant for retail. NRF has a unique perspective from working with hundreds of retailers, big and small, from every sector and in every region.

We've seen how they've responded to this crisis with ingenuity and resiliency. Our guest today is the National Retail Federation’s general counsel and chief administrative officer, Stephanie Martz. We're going to talk to her about how the NRF has worked with retailers throughout this time and the extraordinary ways retailers have come together as an industry to get through unimaginable challenges.

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Ariel Kaye, founder and CEO of the home brand Parachute, talks about how her company has grown throughout the pandemic, why they are investing in stores, and what's on the horizon for the home segment as we look toward 2022.

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Originally released May 11, 2021: A great pair of jeans never goes out of style. That fact is one of the many reasons why Levi Strauss & Co. has led the way for over a century. Today's guest is Marc Rosen, President of Levi Strauss Americas. We'll talk to Marc about Levi's digital strategy and how the brand is appealing to a whole new generation of consumers.

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For over a decade, NRF has been working with Kantar to compile our top retailer lists. This year's lists are out: The 2021 Top 100 Retailers and our list of the 25 fastest growing US retailers, the Hot 25. Kantar's Rachel Dalton is the director of ecommerce and omnichannel insights at Kantar, the agency that compiles the list. She joins this episode of Retail Gets Real to tell us about who made the lists and what it tells us about today's retail industry.

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It’s back to school season, which means something different to everyone – especially in the world of retail. Katherine Cullen, NRF’s Head of Consumer Research, explores the topic and what it means for retailers as well as parents. 

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While the retail industry is very competitive, improving diversity across the industry is one area where retail companies are working together, sharing ideas, and learning from one another. We're talking with two leaders from Nordstrom about the company's diversity, inclusion, and belonging strategy. Fanya Chandler is SVP of the Southwest Region and Personal Styling, and Gemma Lionello is Executive Vice President, General Merchandising Manager of Accessories and Beauty. They share the progress they're making in DE&I, and why the strategy is important for the business as a whole.

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Article is an online furniture company that is reimagining the furniture-buying process from design and manufacturing all the way through to delivery. We chatted with co-founder and COO, Andy Prochazka, earlier this summer about the company's journey. Whether you never thought you’d buy furniture online or are thrilled by the idea of it, Article has much to share about how they are impacting the industry.

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With its debut on Target store shelves in the spring, a whole new group of consumers has been introduced to Grove Collaborative this year. We're talking with Grove Collaborative Co-Founder and CEO Stu Landesberg about the evolution of the natural products company, from starting as a direct-to-consumer retailer, to developing new products, to teaming up with one of the biggest retailers in the country. We'll hear from Stu about the efforts to grow the business and help consumers live a more sustainable and planet-friendly lifestyle.

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As more of the country gets vaccinated against COVID-19, weddings are starting to fill the calendar once again. Some are even predicting that we're entering a wedding boom. No one has their finger on the pulse of weddings more than our guest today, Jim Marcum, CEO of David's Bridal. We're going to talk about how the company approached digital innovation during the pandemic and the company's focus as more couples gather their friends together, along with their families, to say, “I do.”

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It’s the time of year for out-of-office notifications. Since it's vacation season, we're going to talk about how to turn off work and recharge. We all know it's important, but this is something a lot of people just don't do very well. It's also something our friends at the NRF Foundation have been asking industry executives about in their 20 questions episodes over the past several months. We’re going to explore some of those answers now to see how different successful people manage to turn off work and take a break.

Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.