In episode 330 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Cara Pratt, senior vice president of Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM) at 84.51°, the retail data science, insights and media subsidiary of the Kroger company. Listen in as Pratt discusses the business and her role at the company, the genesis of Kroger's new programmatic advertising marketplace,…

In episode 329 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Tom Ripley, chairman and CEO of Lids, the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, selling fan and fashion-oriented headwear and apparel across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Ripley discusses his professional background, Lids' partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL) to open…

In episode 328 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Melissa Gonzalez, founder and CEO of The Lionesque Group, an experiential retail firm, as well as a principal and shareholder in global architecture firm MG2. Listen in as Gonzalez discusses the presentation she gave at CRMC 2021 focused on brick-and-mortar stores as a point…

In episode 327 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Sarah Rasmusen, executive vice president and chief customer officer at Lands' End, an American clothing and home décor retailer that specializes in casual clothing, luggage, and home furnishings. Listen in as Rasmusen discusses Lands' End's current digital offerings, how the business operated during the…

In episode 326 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Sachin Shroff, vice president of CRM, loyalty and marketing technology at Michaels, the largest arts and crafts retail chain in North America. Shroff discusses the technology investments the retailer made to support its personalization efforts, how Michaels is using personalization to optimize the performance…

In episode 325 of Total Retail Talks, Joe Keenan interviews Bill Ready, president of commerce, payments and next billion users at Google. Ready discusses his professional background and current role, as well as how Google is trying to create a different online commerce experience for both consumers and merchants, fostering democratized choice and transparency. He…

In episode 324 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Sarah Philips, vice president of marketing, and Tim Pitt, former senior vice president of marketing and merchandising, at Rent-A-Center, a rent-to-own industry leader. Philips and Pitt discuss how consumer behavior has shifted among Rent-A-Center customers in the last year-plus, how the business has reacted to those…

In episode 323 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Andre Persaud, chief retail officer of Rite Aid, the trusted, everyday care connector operating over 2,500 retail pharmacy locations across 17 U.S. states. Persaud discusses Rite Aid's RxEvolution strategy, how the business is redesigning the in-store experience for its customers, and the internal cross-functional…

In episode 322 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Paul Kang, senior director of product management and consumer loyalty at VF Corporation, one of the world’s largest apparel, footwear and accessories companies operating a family of outdoor, active and workwear brands including Vans®, The North Face®, Timberland®, and Dickies®. Kang discusses how product management…

In episode 321 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Paul Hedrick, CEO of Tecovas, a seller of handmade, high-quality western boots. Hedrick discusses the Tecovas business and his professional background, his inspiration for launching the western brand, and the factors he believes have spurred growth during the COVID-19 pandemic through physical retail expansion…