The Retail Podcast

Retail is no longer just competing for customer spend. It is competing for attention.

In this episode of Podcast Sessions, Richard Fisher, Head of Store Design at Holland & Barrett, joins us live from the EuroShop floor to explore how physical retail is changing in the attention economy.

Richard explains why retailers now compete with Netflix, Disney, sport, and other entertainment platforms for people’s time. He shares how Holland & Barrett is evolving its store experience, from grocery concessions with Tesco and Morrisons to flagship learnings from Chelmsford, Bluewater, Cardiff, and Oxford Street.

The conversation also explores Holland & Barrett’s role as a health and wellness retailer, its mission to add quality years to life, and Richard’s distinctive “punk and showbiz” philosophy for store design: the balance between getting attention and creating a commercially successful retail environment.

This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in retail design, wellness retail, store strategy, customer attention, brand experience, and the future role of physical stores.

https://info.itab.com/video-social/euroshop-2026

In this episode, we cover:

How Holland & Barrett is evolving its store design strategy
Why retail is competing with Netflix, Disney and sport for attention
The importance of time and attention in modern retail
Holland & Barrett’s grocery concessions with Tesco and Morrisons
How store-within-store formats change the customer mindset
Why Richard Fisher uses the phrase “punk and showbiz”
What physical retail can learn from digital commerce
How stores may become part of the marketing journey
Why brand consistency matters across every retail touchpoint
What the next phase of retail design could look like

Guest: Richard Fisher
Role: Head of Store Design, Holland & Barrett
Recorded live from: EuroShop floor
Podcast: Podcast Sessions

NRF APAC 2026 is shaping up to be a major moment for retail in Asia Pacific.

In this episode, Ryf Quail, Managing Director of NRF APAC, joins Five Things Friday to preview the upcoming show in Singapore and explain why the event continues to grow across exhibitors, registrations, international attendance, and senior retail participation.

Ryf discusses the expanding expo, major keynote speakers, APAC retail leadership, the CEO Club, and what retailers and exhibitors should do before arriving at the event.

Topics include:

• NRF APAC 2026 show growth
• Retail leadership across Asia Pacific
• Keynote speakers and global retail brands

Featured organisations include NRF APAC, LVMH, FairPrice, Shiseido, Creative Artists Agency, Gill Capital, IKEA, Starbucks, 7-Eleven, H&M, Giorgio Armani, Sephora, Walmart, UPS and Coca-Cola.

Listen now for a practical preview of NRF APAC 2026 and the retail conversations shaping commerce across Asia Pacific.

AI is forcing a complete rethink of ecommerce, retail operations, and digital commerce architecture.

In this episode, Kelly Goetsch — President at Pipe17 and one of the most influential voices in modern commerce technology — explains why the “status quo is no longer acceptable” in the age of AI.

Drawing on experience across Oracle, ATG, commercetools, and modern AI-driven commerce systems, Kelly breaks down:

Why AI is a “categorically new way of work”

The shift from monoliths → headless → microservices → AI-native commerce

Why product catalog data is now mission-critical

The rise of UCP (Universal Commerce Protocol)

Why most retailers are still unprepared for AI

How startups are moving faster than enterprises

Why experimentation now costs dramatically less

The future of AI-powered shopping experiences

This conversation also explores:

Google vs OpenAI in commerce

AI agents and autonomous commerce

Retail infrastructure modernization

GEO / AI search optimization

AI-native workflows

Enterprise resistance to AI adoption

The next generation of ecommerce architecture

If you work in ecommerce, retail technology, AI strategy, composable commerce, digital transformation, or enterprise innovation — this episode is essential listening.

Topics Covered

AI commerce

Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)

Ecommerce AI strategy

Retail transformation

Product data enrichment

Headless commerce

Microservices architecture

AI-native organizations

Commerce infrastructure

AI agents in retail

About Kelly Goetsch

Kelly Goetsch is President at Pipe17 and a long-time leader in enterprise commerce technology. Across leadership roles at Oracle, ATG, commercetools, and Pipe17, he has helped shape modern ecommerce architecture and composable commerce strategy.

Chapter Timestamps

00:00 – Why AI Changes Everything

00:00:24 – Introducing Kelly Goetsch

00:01:28 – “The Status Quo Is No Longer Acceptable”

00:02:18 – Monoliths, Headless & The Evolution of Commerce

00:03:17 – Why Software Architecture Keeps Changing

00:04:07 – The Rise of Headless Commerce

00:04:54 – Why Microservices Changed Ecommerce

00:05:20 – AI as the New Commerce “Head”

00:06:02 – UCP vs ACP Explained

00:07:12 – Why Google Took Commerce More Seriously

00:08:16 – Why UCP Is Gaining Adoption

00:09:02 – The Real Problem Behind AI Commerce

00:10:22 – Pipe17’s Role in AI Commerce Infrastructure

00:11:12 – Why Retailers Are Still Waiting

00:12:31 – Why Most AI Ecommerce Metrics Are Misleading

00:12:48 – The Product Data Problem

00:14:07 – GEO, AI Search & Content Syndication

00:14:48 – Why AI Will Create Thousands of Commerce “Heads”

00:15:43 – The Cultural Problem Inside Retail

00:16:43 – Why People Disagree on AI Timelines

00:17:51 – Enterprise AI Friction Explained

00:18:41 – How Startups Are Using AI Differently

00:20:03 – Why Enterprises Fear AI Risk

00:21:16 – AI Changes the Cost of Innovation

00:22:14 – “Just Build It”

00:23:14 – How to Upskill Yourself in AI

00:24:29 – Why Companies Still Fear Change

00:25:11 – Final Thoughts

Amazon vs Perplexity could redefine the future of AI commerce.

In this episode of World Retail Signals, the panel explores:

• Autonomous AI shopping agents
• Retail workforce transformation
• WHP Global’s Marc Jacobs acquisition
• Greggs’ expansion strategy
• Wellness retail growth
• AI-powered customer experiences

A fast-moving breakdown of the retail stories shaping commerce right now.

This week on World Retail Signals, the team explores one of the most important emerging battles in AI commerce: Amazon vs Perplexity and the future of autonomous AI shopping agents.

The episode also covers:

If you work in retail, ecommerce, AI, consumer strategy, or brand leadership, this episode breaks down the shifts shaping the next era of commerce.

Retail is entering a new era shaped by AI, organized retail crime, and a renewed investment in physical stores.

In this episode of Five Things Friday — USA Edition, Alex sits down with Jill Dvorak, SVP of Content at the National Retail Federation (NRF), to unpack the biggest retail developments shaping the industry right now.

Topics include:

• The bipartisan progress of the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act
• Why retailers are increasingly concerned about digital fraud and organized crime
• Amazon vs Perplexity and the future of AI-powered commerce
• Why major retailers are aggressively expanding physical stores
• Target’s influencer-led collaboration strategy
• What NRF APAC in Singapore reveals about the future of global retail
• Localization, regionalization, and AI at enterprise scale

If you work in retail, ecommerce, technology, strategy, or consumer business leadership, this episode delivers practical insight into where commerce is heading next.

Chapters / Segment Markers

00:00 — Welcome to Five Things Friday
00:18 — Jill Dvorak and the NRF Explained
00:58 — Organized Retail Crime Bill Passes the House
02:12 — Amazon vs Perplexity and AI Commerce
03:24 — Why Retailers Need AI Guardrails
03:48 — Target’s Strategy and Influencer Partnerships
04:55 — Why Retailers Are Opening More Stores
05:59 — NRF APAC Singapore Preview
08:24 — NRF Europe Paris Preview
08:47 — Closing Thoughts

M

AI is reshaping commerce. Retailers are investing in stores again. And organized retail crime has become one of the industry’s biggest policy priorities.

This week, Jill Dvorak from the National Retail Federation joins Five Things Friday - USA Edition to discuss:

A concise executive briefing for retail leaders, commerce strategists, and technology decision-makers.

00:00 — Welcome to Five Things Friday

AI-driven retail is reshaping how consumers discover products and private label brands may be one of the biggest winners.

In episode of Five Things Friday- APAC Edition, the conversation explores why private label adoption across Asia-Pacific is accelerating, how retailers are using customer insight more effectively, and why future retail competition may shift from branding toward relevance, personalization, and AI-powered recommendation systems.

The episode also dives into:

Kmart’s Anko success story

Why APAC still lags Europe in private label penetration

Mecca vs Sephora in Australia

Why physical retail still matters for Gen Z and Millennials

AI-driven shopping behavior

The future of retail influence and algorithms

What The Devil Wears Prada reveals about modern commerce

If you work in retail, ecommerce, AI, consumer strategy, or brand leadership, this episode offers a sharp look at where retail is heading next.

00:00 — Introduction
00:01 — What Private Label Means in Retail
00:03 — Why APAC Is a High-Growth Opportunity
00:05 — AI-Driven Shopping & Retail Recommendations
00:06 — Beauty Retail in Australia
00:08 — Why Physical Retail Still Matters
00:09 — The Devil Wears Prada & Algorithmic Influence
00:11 — Retail Leaders Debate AI’s Real Value
00:13 — Final Thoughts

Private label retail in APAC is entering a major growth phase — and AI may accelerate the shift dramatically.

This episode explores:

The conversation also examines how retailers can build stronger emotional and identity-driven connections with customers in an AI-first commerce environment.

00:00 — Introduction