In episode 441 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Yikun Shao, head of supply chain, North America at Alibaba.com, a leading platform for global B2B e-commerce. Listen in as Shao discusses his professional background and current role at Alibaba.com (0:55), leveraging the organization's supply chain capabilities to empower small businesses (3:45), the adoption…

In episode 440 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Ariela Nerubay, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Curacao, a department store chain and retail lender that services underserved U.S. communities on the West Coast. Listen in as Nerubay provides an overview of the company (0:50), discusses the services and products provided…

In episode 439 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Alissa Ahlman, chief merchandising officer, home segment at Franchise Group, Inc., a world-class franchising platform for a diverse collection of market-leading and emerging brands, including American Freight, a retail furniture chain. Listen in as Ahlman provides an overview of both companies (0:45), how the…

In episode 438 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Jarett Levan, president and CEO of BBX Capital, a diversified holding company and parent of IT'SUGAR, the largest specialty candy retailer in the U.S. Listen in as Levan provides an overview of IT'SUGAR (1:00), discusses its brick-and-mortar locations (2:30), and how it's balancing its e-commerce…

In episode 437 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Kevin Duffy, CEO of iFIT, a global fitness and connected content company operating brands NordicTrack, ProForm, and Freemotion. Listen in as Duffy provides an overview of the fitness technology business (0:45), how iFIT creates engaging, personalized experiences for its members (2:15), identifies its key…

In episode 436 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Ciarán Long, interim CEO and chief financial officer of a.k.a. Brands, a brand accelerator of next-generation fashion brands, including Princess Polly, Culture Kings, Petal + Pup, and MNML. Listen in as Long gives an overview of the company (0:40), discusses the a.k.a. Brands' portfolio's…

In episode 435 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Mary Ellen Coyne, CEO, and Kevin McLaughlin, co-founder and creative director of J.McLaughlin, an American lifestyle brand. Listen in as Coyne and McLaughlin provide an overview of the J.McLaughlin brand (0:55), detail the origin of the company (1:55), and identify the customer behaviors they…

In episode 434 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Kathy Doyle Thomas, president of Half Price Books (HPB), a chain of new and used bookstores. Listen in as Doyle Thomas provides an overview of the HPB's business (0:50), discusses her career with the company (2:25), offers insight into how the resale book industry…

In episode 433 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Alex Reveles, vice president of global brand management at JanSport, a VF Corp backpack and bag brand. Listen in as Reveles discusses her role within JanSport (0:50), why the brand is targeting Gen Z consumers (1:45), and the shopping behaviors this demographic is exhibiting…

In episode 432 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Matt Kaness, CEO of GoodwillFinds, an online, curated selection of hundreds of thousands of unique items, showcasing a wide variety of secondhand clothing, books, home decor and more. Listen in as Kaness provides an overview of GoodwillFinds (0:55), discusses his professional background and what…