Retail Retold

Leap is the leading platform for branded retail & emerging brands. By leveraging technology, world class store management and real estate expertise, the Platform makes retail turnkey for brands. We’ve made launching and scaling retail as simple as starting an online store — while turning it into a single line item.

Our guest Rebecca Fitts is the Director of Real Estate at Leap and the Co-host of the podcast ‘Retail is your Business'.

Rebecca shares the story of one of leap's latest locations in Chicago, IL. 

Today's guest is Brian Finnegan, Executive Vice President, and Chief Revenue Officer at Brixmor Property Group.

Brian actively serves in the International Council of Shopping Centers, including the Open Air Centers Committee, and was Chair of the 2019 OAC Summit. His leadership has been recognized in Chain Store Age’s “50 Under 40” and again in “10 Under 40” as well as Shopping Centers Today “Leasing Leaders”.

Brian and Chris discuss an array of topics including the current state of retail real estate, the importance of peer relationships, outparcel demand, how retailers might handle a second wave of COVID as well as his own personal tale of opening Chickie's & Pete's in Marlton, NJ.

Chickie's & Pete's, also known as the taste of Philadelphia sports, is a company full of history. The Chickie’s & Pete’s hometown flavor has expanded to 12 locations across Philadelphia and New Jersey and was voted ESPN’s #1 Sports Bar on the East Coast. Listen now to hear how Brian was able to help open up one of his favorite game time restaurants!

Today Chris is joined by John Dee and Stephanie Shriver-Engdahl of Placewise. 

Placewise delivers digital technology, data and e-commerce to shopping centers around the world.

In this episode, Chris, John and Stephanie discuss the relationship between the digital landscape, retailers and landlords as well as their thoughts. on the Top 5 Retail Trends in 2021.

Today's guest is Anne Mahlum the Founder, Owner and CEO of a fast-growing boutique fitness company she founded in DC in 2013 called [solidcore] In just 6 years, Anne has grown her company to more than 70 locations (entirely corporately owned) with more than 100,000 clients, including Michelle Obama. [solidcore]  has studios in DC, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Florida, Indiana, New York, Texas, Georgia, Minneapolis, North Dakota, Connecticut, Illinois and Michigan. In late 2017, Anne brought on Peterson Partners as a minority investor to help take the company to close to 100 locations by the end of 2020.  She has received notable media attention for her success as a woman entrepreneur and business acumen, including features in The Washington Post, The Washington Business Journal and Runner's World.

November 1st marks the 1-year anniversary of the Retail Retold podcast!!! Woohoo, Happy (Almost) Birthday to us!

As an early celebration, we're flipping the script!

Adam Ifshin, DLC Management Corp. Founder & CEO, takes over the role of host in today's podcast and interviews Chris Ressa about one of his own favorite stories. Adam and Chris discuss the story of ShopRite in Vernon, CT along with some thought-provoking topics based on leadership and culture.

This is an episode you won't want to miss!

Saxton is also the elected President of the McAlister's Deli Franchise Advisory Council (FAC) and is currently serving his third term elected by other franchisees. In this capacity he works in close partnership with other franchisees to influence and advise the McAlister's Deli and FOCUS Brands corporate senior leadership teams on strategic brand initiatives surrounding marketing, brand development, menu pipeline, culinary innovation, operations, training, design, development and field support.

Listen in as he tells our host a unique story about the McCalister's Deli that recently opened in Oklahoma City.

How do you train confidence?

Gene Zannetti, Mindset Coaching Sales and Sports Teams, jumps on the podcast today for a motivational interview where he discusses ways to adjust your mindset and work on your confidence.

He also tells Chris his Top 5 Business Mindset Tips

Listen in to hear how athletes and entrepreneurs can benefit from training their mindsets.

Greg Baker is the SVP, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary at CHICO'S FAS, INC.

Greg is a trusted problem solver with extensive experience tackling complex business and legal issues in public and private companies. He manages legal, risk management, real estate, construction, and global compliance teams.

This is a unique episode of Retail Retold. Greg shares the story and process of re-opening not one but 1,300 CHICO'S stores! Greg also discusses the various new business strategies that CHICO'S has implemented over the past six months. 

In this episode, Chris and Greg get candid about the relationship between landlords and tenants. They openly discuss challenges they both faced around the topic of rent and have a refreshingly honest conversation. Listen in now to hear how they approached their own business obstacles amid the height of the pandemic.

From first negotiations to getting a lease signed in 19 days…

Today’s guest is Seth Geldzahler. Seth has a long history in the field of retail real estate. His most recent position was held with Bed Bath & Beyond as VP of Real Estate for 24 years.

In today's episode, Seth shares a recent deal about Bed Bath & Beyond and Buy Buy Baby in Woodbridge NJ.

Find out how Seth and his team completed the deal in just 19 days!

Chris and Seth also discuss a variety of topics such as the importance of mentorship, the current retail market, and how to measure the success of a retail store.

Real Talk Series #20 with Gregg Katz

Today we have Gregg Katz, Chief Strategy Officer of TSCG.

As Chief Strategy Officer, Gregg’s focus is to create and implement strategies for organizational structure and human capital, data, analytics, social platforms, website, GIS, mobile technology, and branding. Gregg joined TSCG in 2006 as a Tenant Rep.  Prior to joining TSCG, he spent 15 years in restaurant operations, consulting, marketing, and site selection, including owning and operating a quick-casual restaurant group in Orlando, Florida from 1996-2001.

Listen-in to hear Gregg's unique perspective on today's retail industry.