Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report

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Guest: Rebekah L. Matheny, NCIDQ, IIDA
Associate Professor | Interior Design | Department of Design and Founder & Director | REBEL Sustainable Futures Lab

Savvy retailers and brands already have a strategy to respond to the ongoing climate crisis. Join Shelley and Rebekah Matheny, an expert in sustainable design at The Ohio State University, as they discuss the implications of consumers’ impact on the planet. They cover sustainable solutions by making incremental changes despite the popularity of fast fashion and excessive consumerism. With circularity in mind, retailers should rethink store design and product life cycles, from raw materials sourcing to post-consumer reuse and recycling. While some brands, like Zara, are starting small by launching second-hand services, a more systemic change is needed. Gen Z and the Alphas can spot greenwashing a mile away and their priority for authentic sustainability may be just the catalyst for a viable circular economy in retail.

For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!

Guest: Kimberly Minor, CEO of Women of Color Retail Alliance

The growing significance of the multicultural population, which will become the majority in the U.S. by 2050, will drive brands to integrate DEI authentically into their practices. Millennials, Gen Z and Alphas expect companies to reflect their values and are increasingly directing their spending toward those that do so. Join Shelley and Kimberly Minor, CEO of WOC Retail Alliance, as they discuss how to rethink DEI by understanding why embracing diversity isn't just a social cause but a business imperative. Listen in as they debunk myths around DEI initiatives and urge brands to reclaim a DEI culture for both customers and employees.  

For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!

The C-suite is undergoing a transformation with modern leadership becoming digitally savvy and keyed into the importance of customer behavior and mindsets. Join special guest Brenda Malloy, CEO of Herbert Mines Associates, and Shelley as they sit down to discuss leadership in the retail industry, focusing on stakeholders’ evolving expectations of CEOs and the critical attributes CEOs need for success in today's dynamic market. There is pressure to increase diversity and representation in the C-suite, particularly for women and BIPOC leaders. Brenda also provides insights into why some executives, including Mary Dillon and Brian Connell, are crossing over to retail from other sectors. And not to mention, but Gen Alpha is entering the workforce: Are retail leaders ready? 

For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!

Special Guests: Jennifer Peterson Community Engagement Chief at Edwards Companies and Brian Bernstein, Principal of REALM Collaborative 

Mixed-use spaces have been reshaping urban development, and retail plays an essential role in the vibrancy of these public spaces. Jennifer Peterson and Brian Bernstein join Shelley to talk about trends in commercial real estate and urban development, and how collaborative partnerships can transform the success of these projects.  Learn about the vital role community engagement plays in these projects, the benefits to cities, and what brands and retailers can do to tap into this trend. Hear real-world examples of the challenges and opportunities for retail in urban development and how public spaces can shape customer experiences and bring value to owners. 

For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!

 Ace Hardware is on a roll.

It just debuted its new store concept Elevate Ace, designed on input from its suppliers, store owners, and shareholders. Reflecting shifts in consumer shopping behavior, the new store focuses on enhanced customer service with branded in-store experiences. 

Join special guest John Venhuizen, CEO of Ace Hardware, and Shelley as they discuss how the company has transformed from a family-owned business to a global cooperative. Celebrating 100 years with a community focus, Ace’s unique business model allows entrepreneurs to become local store owners and shareholders of Ace Hardware Corporation.

For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!

Are you ready to revolutionize your approach to employee engagement and customer loyalty? A new wave is growing of the critical importance of focusing on employee experience (EX) as the foundation for creating exceptional customer experiences (CX). Join special guest Matt Mueller, a retail renegade devoted to creating retail experiences that electrify, and Shelley as they shake up everything you thought you knew about today’s retail workforce. Learn how to flip the script on how stores innovate and operate.

Special Guest
Matt Mueller, globally recognized retail innovation strategist and author of best-seller “The Mindful Innovator.” 

For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!

Guest: Mark A. Cohen, former Director of Retail Studies at Columbia Business School and former CEO of Sears Canada. 

What’s the back story on the Saks-Neiman Marcus merger? Will it survive? Could it be retail’s next colossal failure?

Mergers and acquisitions in the retail industry have a high failure rate, which begs the obvious question if this deal is a viable strategy for the two luxury brands. Join Mark and Shelley as they debate the leadership decisions at Hudson Bay and Saks Global and if this is another desperate example of the last-man-standing rationale rather than a visionary move. 

The absence of strong merchant leadership in both companies may be its ultimate downfall.  While the FTC shouldn’t have a problem with the merger, there are growing concerns about the financial integrity of Saks, most notably since the company isn’t paying its vendors, the lifeblood of a luxury designer brand. Listen in and get the full story about the turmoil behind the merger.

For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!

The results of the national election will impact retail in a multitude of ways: immigration policies, economic stability, labor markets, new regulations, and trade and economic policies. 

Join TRR reporter Arick Wierson and Shelley as they explore consumerism, the struggles of the middle class, and the unique perspectives of Gen Z that frame the bigger picture about the state of our nation, now and post-election. 

Their conversation also touches on the different needs and challenges faced by small local retailers compared to large corporations in an uneven retail landscape. Listen and learn from our provocative predictions! 

For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!

Special Guest: George Shaw, CEO and Founder, Pathr.ai

Spatial intelligence is supercharging merchandise and marketing teams.  How?  By transforming data into dollars. In-store teams are still at a disadvantage when it comes to knowing how their shoppers behave, compared to online retailers with unprecedented visibility into customer behavior. 

Join special guest George Shaw, CEO and Founder of Pathr.ai, and Shelley as they discuss how spatial Intelligence captures data to reveal a deeper understanding of how customers shop in-store. AI-powered technologies can drive store layout optimizations, product placement, and marketing promotion effectiveness. 

Find out how Pathr uses a retailer’s existing cameras to provide merch and marketing teams with real-time, actionable insights that help drive key business decisions. 

For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!

Our Special Guests, MG2 Principals Melissa Gonzalez and Matthew Goelzer, AIA, LEED AP

Consumers now expect seamless, unified commerce experiences where they can access products and information anytime, anywhere. 

This fluidity is reshaping how brands build loyalty and manage supply chains, with a focus on responsiveness to meet these high expectations. 

Join Shelley and guests Melissa Gonzalez and Matthew Goelzer, Principals of MG2, as they discuss the pivotal role of supply chain management in modern retail. Their conversation highlights the importance of agility, the rise of unified commerce approaches, the potential of AI, and innovative strategies that are reshaping the industry.

For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.