The Retail Podcast features real conversations with the people running global retail, covering topics like AI in retail, ecommerce strategy, store operations, retail media, and the future of commerce without jargon. Hosted by Alex Rezvan, founder of RetailNews.ai, it includes three formats: World Retail Signals, Five Things Friday UK, and in-depth expert interviews. Guests include retail CEOs, CDOs, founders, and operators from leading grocery, fashion, luxury, and technology brands. With over 210 episodes, it is an official partner of NRF Europe and World Retail Congress.
Episodes
M&S Eyes Nearly Half Online, Toolstation Goes for €1
Marks and Spencer wants online to reach nearly 50% of fashion, home and beauty sales alongside a network of 180 highly productive stores, but has put no year on it. Today's briefing also covers US grocery prices rising at their fastest since April, Travis Perkins selling Toolstation Benelux for one euro, and Lidl keeping its comparative price ads in France.00:00 Intro00:07 M&S targets near
Currys on Customer Experience and Risky Credit | Dean Kramer
Dean Kramer, Chief Services Officer at Currys, on the customer experience that builds loyalty over years, not one sale. Why saying no to risky credit protects customers, and why AI should make colleagues better.Currys Group recurring services revenue rose 7% to £873m in FY 2025/26, and flexpay credit reached 23.7% of Currys UK&I sales. Dean explains why the business still turns down higher-ris
Ulta Adds Oura, Sprouts Adds Beauty: Five US Retail Stories
Well People is moving into Sprouts, Ulta is adding Oura rings, and NikeSKIMS has another collection on the way. This US edition also covers Warby Parker's smart glasses and Depop's plans to get more students buying and selling secondhand.IN THIS EPISODEWell People at Sprouts. Cosmetics and skincare are heading to more than 500 stores and Sprouts.com, priced from $12 to $26.e.l.f. Beauty, 2
Global Edition: Meta's Muse, CVS Split and JD.com Clears Ceconomy
Meta's AI shopping assistant Muse launches in the UK within weeks, and any retailer signing up has to ask who controls the channel and who owns the customer data. Today's briefing also covers the CVS Health split, the Kroger and Albertsons merger dispute, and the EU's conditions on JD.com's takeover of Ceconomy.00:00 Intro00:08 Meta readies AI shopping assistant Muse for UK00:43 Po
UK/EU Edition: Meta Muse for UK, EU clears JD.com-Ceconomy
UK & Europe retail news for Monday 9 November: Meta readies AI shopping assistant Muse for UK; Police link resale bargains to shoplifting gangs; EU clears JD.com takeover of Ceconomy; Armani heirs favour IPO over a sale.00:00 Intro00:07 Meta readies AI shopping assistant Muse for UK00:42 Police link resale bargains to shoplifting gangs01:27 EU clears JD.com takeover of Ceconomy02:28 Armani hei
AI Agents Failed 4 in 10 Visa Test Checkouts | Five Things Friday
Visa let 22 AI agents shop 15 customer journeys and 4 in 10 test runs failed. Jill Dvorak, SVP Content at NRF, explains why agentic commerce is a nice to have this holiday, plus the midterms, Kroger, Starbucks and Walmart Sparky.CHAPTERS00:00 Cold open00:20 Five Things Friday, US edition01:10 Midterm blue wave puts retail crime bill at risk03:52 Kroger courts solo diners with Thanksgiving for one0
Poundland on the Brink and Retail's £41bn Tax Bill
Poundland's slide towards administration puts around 11,000 jobs and a value price anchor on the high street at risk, just as the BRC warns retail faces £41 billion in business taxes this year. In the US, Aritzia, Etsy and Walmart show where growth and price pressure are heading, while Migros moves to centralise Switzerland's largest retailer.00:00 Good morning, this is Decoding Retail00:0
Luxury Brands Leave David Jones | Ryf Quail & Ngai Yuen Low
Luxury brands are pulling out of David Jones as the 100-year-old department store fights for relevance. Ryf Quail and Ngai Yuen Low, co-hosts of Five Things Friday APAC, explain what it means for luxury retail in Australia and Asia.David Jones sales fell 8.7% to A$2bn in the year to June 2025, with a A$95.5m pre-tax loss, per accounts lodged with ASIC. The chain is down to 38 department stores, an
Ted Baker to Jigsaw: Why Stores Still Win | Chris Browne
Chris Browne, Retail Director at Jigsaw and 30 years at Ted Baker, on why Jigsaw opens stores while rivals close them. Fewer staff, less footfall, market towns, and the business rates fight with online giants.Chris started with a paper round and built his career at Ted Baker London before moving to Jigsaw. His view of the UK high street is practical rather than nostalgic: trading is not tougher th
Aldi's $39 Thanksgiving vs Sam's Club | Jill Dvorak
Aldi Thanksgiving for $39 feeds 10, Sam's Club goes bigger, and NRF expects 4.2% holiday growth. Jill Dvorak, SVP Content at NRF, on why value is winning the holiday season.In this US edition of Five Things Friday, Alex Rezvan, Host of The Retail Podcast, and Jill Dvorak, SVP Content at NRF, look at budget friendly meals on the Thanksgiving table, what NRF's forecast says about holiday sho
Christmas in London Starts at Selfridges | Simone Oloman
Christmas in London starts in October as Selfridges unveils its Christmas in the City windows. Simone Oloman, Co-host of Five Things Friday UK, covers that plus Gap x Victoria Beckham and John Lewis x Rixo.Alex Rezvan, Host of The Retail Podcast, and Simone also cover Sainsbury's extra £3 a week for Healthy Start families this winter, the 44-piece John Lewis x Rixo collection and what it says
Sainsbury's Wins the Weekly Shop, Walmart's AI Agents
Sainsbury's is winning back the weekly shop on price, while Walmart writes the rules for AI shopping agents that buy on a customer's behalf. Today's Decoding Retail also covers BRC confidence and shoplifting figures, Waitrose's first full-line supermarket in eight years, eBay's 1,000 job cuts and Target's $30 Thanksgiving meal.00:00 Intro00:06 Sainsbury's returns to vol
Why Walmart Is Letting AI Shopping Agents In
Walmart has opened its platform to third-party AI shopping agents, which means retailers now sell to machines as well as people. Today's briefing also covers UK inflation rising to 3.5%, Sainsbury's pulling SmartShop from more than 800 Local stores, Primark's first store in Qatar and Ahold Delhaize's next CEO.00:00 Intro00:07 UK inflation rises to 3.5%, BRC wants a budget cut00:37
Debenhams Group CEO: The Online Department Store | Dan Finley
Debenhams Group CEO Dan Finleyexplains how the brand was rebuilt as Britain's online department store and whyits marketplace model is shaping the wider group.Recorded at NRF Europe 2026 in Paris,this six-minute conversation with Alex Rezvan of The Retail Podcast and JillDvorak of NRF covers the value of the Debenhams name, AI in retail, and theplaybook for boohoo, boohooMAN, PrettyLittleThing and
ChatGPT Virtual Try-On Goes Live, Tractor Supply, Kroger Cuts 3,000 Jobs
ChatGPT virtual try on is live, and NRF SVP Content Jill Dvorak explains what it means for retailers. Plus Kroger's 3,000 job cuts, Tractor Supply, Ross and Prime Day pulling Halloween forward.Alex Rezvan, Host of The Retail Podcast, and Jill Dvorak, SVP Content at NRF, on the five US retail stories that matter this week: what virtual try-on inside ChatGPT means for who owns the customer, Kroger's
Gymshark's First Celebrity, Stelios's easyShop, Cyber Attack Hits Hobbs Owner TFG
Simone Oloman, Co-host of Five Things Friday UK on The Retail Podcast, asks whether Stelios's easyShop marketplace can win shoppers from Amazon and Temu. Plus the TFG cyber attack, Gymshark's first celebrity and the collab boom.Alex Rezvan, Host of The Retail Podcast, and Simone Oloman cover the five UK retail stories of the week for 16 October 2026: a golden quarter heading into Black Fri
LVMH Uneven Quarter, Albertsons Review, Just Eat Ad
LVMH results show luxury demand moving at different speeds inside one group, with fashion and leather goods down 5% while selective retailing grew 8%. Alongside that, Just Eat, Amazon, Ocado and Sainsbury's compete for shoppers' time and trust, Albertsons withdraws its outlook, and Flipkart narrows its losses ahead of a listing.00:00 Intro00:13 Just Eat: 'Stay Just Where You Are' c
Is AI recommending your brand? Ben Jeffries on creator-first AEO (YouTube Festival London 2026)
Shoppers are asking AI assistants what to buy, and those answers cite YouTube videos. Ben Jeffries, co-founder of Influencer.com, explains creator-first AEO, the sports-brand test, and why content now has to work for shoppers and for AI. With Alex Rezvan, Host of The Retail Podcast.Your next customer may never type your name into your own search bar.Ben Jeffries, co-founder of Influencer.com, told
Amazon Grocery Shake-Up and US Inflation Hits 3.7% - Daily Retail Briefing
Amazon grocery storefronts for individual retailers are closing on Amazon.com, while US inflation reaches 3.7% and Adobe finds 49% of AI shopping assistant users have abandoned a purchase over conflicting product information. For retail leaders, today's briefing is about control: of the channel, of your product data, and of assets like Bluewater, where Landsec now holds 74%.00:00 Intro00:06 La
Boots Chief Customer Officer: Creators Are the New Beauty Counter | Charlotte Lock
Creators are the new beauty counter. That is how Charlotte Lock, Chief Customer Officer, Boots, describes where customers now discover products and find advice they trust.Recorded at YouTube Festival London 2026, just after Charlotte came off the main stage, this conversation with Alex Rezvan, Host of The Retail Podcast, asks what that shift means for a retailer founded in 1849. Charlotte says Boo
YouTube Is Now Where Shoppers Decide to Buy, with Sophie Neary of Google
YouTube is no longer just where shoppers see your brand. It is where they decide to buy it.On the red carpet at YouTube Festival London 2026, Alex Rezvan, Host of The Retail Podcast, talks to Sophie Neary, Managing Director, Retail & Consumer Goods, Google. Where a retailer should start on YouTube, why brand and creator content belong in one plan, how shoppable video now reaches the living roo
Ahold Delhaize Outage, Kroger Cuts 3,000 Jobs
The Ahold Delhaize outage has left websites and apps down since Sunday and Dutch stores showing last week's shelf prices, a reminder that pricing now depends on central IT. Kroger is cutting 3,000 corporate jobs, UK shoppers are holding back before the budget, and Shein, Temu and AliExpress are losing ground in Germany.00:00 Intro00:08 BRC: UK retail sales subdued in September00:36 CBRE: £400m
Nike Sales Decline and the Prime Day Rush | Jill Dvorak, NRF
Jill Dvorak, SVP Content at NRF, on Prime Day, Walmart's $300m bulky-item hub and the Nike sales decline in China. Is early discounting growing holiday demand or just moving it?Alex Rezvan, Host of The Retail Podcast, and Jill Dvorak, SVP Content at NRF, cover the week's five US retail stories: the Amazon vs Walmart holiday race, Target's plan for more than 30 new stores in 2026, Matte
ChatGPT Try-On, UK Footfall Down 2.9% and Refresco IPO
ChatGPT virtual try-on puts OpenAI between the shopper and the checkout, while UK footfall fell 2.9% in September and every format went down. Today's briefing also covers Ocado's clean-label aisle, Refresco's possible IPO above $10bn and Seven & i's plan to make Europe a growth pillar for 7-Eleven.00:00 Intro00:09 UK footfall falls 2.9% in September00:48 Ocado launches Simple I
Frasers, Lidl, Burberry and Boots: UK Retail Five Things Friday
Lidl adds 43 million visits, Frasers ups its Burberry bet and Boots changes hands. Simone Oloman, Co-host of Five Things Friday UK, explains what this week's moves mean for UK retail.Alex Rezvan, Host of The Retail Podcast, and Simone Oloman cover five stories. Lidl GB grew sales 10.8% to £13bn. Frasers Group, the retailer Mike Ashley founded, lifted its Burberry position to 6.32% through sold
Amazon Layoffs, Tesco Profits and Walmart AI Savings
Amazon layoffs hit around 1,000 corporate roles, most of them in its stores division, as Tesco's profits rise and Walmart puts its AI savings back into customer service. Today's briefing tells retail leaders that efficiency is the theme of the season, and the difference lies in where the savings go.00:00 Intro00:08 Tesco H1 profits rise, sales momentum weakens00:31 Aldi names first 10 town
Boots Sold for £6.7bn, Walmart Drone Delivery Expands
Walmart drone delivery with Wing is expanding to more than 270 stores by next year, and Boots is going private in a £6.7bn deal with the Weston family. Today's briefing also covers a £440m rise in UK retail electricity bills, Amazon's 63% share of German online retail and the ASOS app breach.00:00 Boots sold to Weston family for £6.7bn00:42 BRC: £440m rise in retail electricity bills01:12
Quick Commerce vs Convenience: 7-Eleven India Lesson
Quick commerce now decides who survives in India: 7-Eleven is shutting around 60 stores because convenience without 30-minute delivery is no longer enough.Jill Dvorak, SVP Content at NRF, joins Alex Rezvan on the UK sales slump, Primark and Morrisons.What is quick commerce? It is everyday shopping delivered in minutes from stores and warehouses close to the customer. In India the quick commerce bu
Walmart Drops Pricing Patent as ASOS Is Hacked
Walmart is dropping a patent that would have let Scan & Go personalise prices at the point of scan, while ASOS confirms a cyber attack that reached customers through its own app. Today's briefing shows retail leaders that pricing and customer data are now where trust is won or lost.00:00 Intro00:06 ASOS confirms cyber attack00:32 Just Eat robots move to Cambourne01:02 T.M.Lewin opens two m
AI in Retail Won't Be Your Edge, Trust Will | Doug Stephens
Doug Stephens, Founder of Retail Prophet, argues that AI in retail will never be a competitive advantage. Customer trust, earned through fairness to shoppers, staff and suppliers, is the edge that lasts.Alex Rezvan, Host of The Retail Podcast, and Doug cover why only 15% of Americans had confidence in big business in 2025 (Gallup), why Warren Buffett treated trust as hard business capital, what Wa
TikTok Shop Goes Direct as Lidl Passes £13bn
TikTok is keeping checkout and customer data inside the app with Buy Direct, and TikTok Shop's UK sales are heading for close to €5 billion this year. Add retailers' very different rules on AI shopping agents, and today's Decoding Retail shows who is taking control of the sale, alongside Lidl passing £13 billion and Aldi going live on Deliveroo.Sources:- Retail Gazette: Lidl pushes ann
Nike Cuts Again, Boots Nears £7bn Sale, Food Prices Peak
What happened to Nike this week is a second round of job cuts and a $2.5 billion cost saving target, as Boots nears a £7bn sale and world food prices hit a near four-year high. For retail leaders the signal is clear: shoppers are working harder for every basket, and retailers will need to work just as hard to earn it. 00:00 Intro 00:22 US shoppers stretch every dollar 00:42 Nike cuts jobs again as
Asia's Silver Shoppers, JD Sports in Mexico and Boots on TikTok Shop | Five Things Friday International
Asia-Pacific's older shoppers, JD Sports' franchise move into Mexico, Fabletics' first store in India, Boots on TikTok Shop and JD.com's new home store in Shanghai. Alex Rezvan and Jill Dvorak of NRF cover the five international retail stories leaders need this week.This week:(01:08) WGSN on Asia's silver generation; South Korea is now 20% aged 65+(02:57) JD Sports enters Mexic
Costco's $33B Online Lesson, Toys R Us Returns and Best Buy on TikTok Shop | Five Things Friday US, Week 40
Costco's digital sales just passed $33 billion, Toys R Us is opening 120 stores, and Best Buy is taking 10,000 products to TikTok Shop. Alex Rezvan and Jill Dvorak of NRF cover the five retail stories US leaders need this week.This week:(00:44) Costco digital sales top $33 billion, up more than 20%(02:43) Toys R Us opens 120 holiday stores with creator studios and cafés(04:50) Best Buy joins T
The Marketing Funnel Is Collapsing: How Retailers Should Work With Creators | Jade Beason
Retail brands still hire creators for one post. Jade Beason says that era is over.Recorded at YouTube Festival 2026 at the London Palladium, this short conversation covers what retailers are missing in how they work with creators, how trust is actually earned, and what a shoppable YouTube does to the customer journey.In this episode:- Why a single sponsored post is the least valuable way to use a
Boots, No7, Tesco F&F, Albaray, M&S, New Look, Sainsbury’s, Oxfam, Halfords & Currys: UK roundup
Boots’ creator-commerce push raises a practical question: whose advice helps customers buy? Alex Rezvan and Simone Oloman examine that question alongside virtual try-on, circular textiles, service-led retail, and Vogue World’s runway robots.Five Things Friday, UK edition. Recorded 25 September 2026.Alex Rezvan and Simone Oloman discuss five connected retail stories:• Tesco’s reported F&F virtu
NRF Europe 2026 Day 3: 9 Retail Innovation 1 Min Pitches + Q&A
Nine retail companies pitch their solutions at NRF Europe 2026. Host Alex Rezvan then asks what makes each worth choosing over a competitor, before an audience challenge on patents and lasting differentiation.Recorded at the Innovation Stage in Paris, the session moves from short product propositions to a practical buying question: what makes this company different from the next supplier?The pitch
Your Next Customer Is an AI Agent | Amplience Co-CEO John Williams on GEO, AEO and the Content Supply Chain
What happens to e-commerce when the internet is no longer built primarily for humans? John Williams, Co-CEO and CTO of Amplience, explains AEO and GEO, why the AI agent is now your audience before the customer, and why content creation is only a third of what the content supply chain really costs. In partnership with Amplience.What you will learn• AEO is the AI answer above Google's results; G
One Minute to Prove It: 14 Retail Startups Take the Stage | NRF Europe 2026
14 startups. 60 seconds each. One question: why should a retailer care?Day 1 of NRF Retail's Big Show Europe 2026 in Paris, from the Innovation Stage. Buynomics, Keyban, Ace Waves, Akoustic Arts, Wearfits, M11, Ekoo, Pinpoint, N3xgen, Deepneuronic, Najar, Meteoria, Cloz AI and Veeton each get one minute to say who they are, what problem they solve and what it means for the people running retai
Inditex & Zara, H&M & COS, JD.com, Google + Australian Retail | Five Things Friday
JD’s robotics plan raises a practical question: can automation handle the exceptions that make fulfilment difficult? Alex Rezvan and Jill Dvorak examine the costs, the people, and the operational test behind the ambition.This Five Things Friday International Edition also covers Inditex’s first-half results, H&M’s Barcelona production office, Google’s changing European search results, and the v
Primark Plans Home Delivery: Too Late? Plus 4 Retail Stories
FULL SHOW NOTESPrimark plans home delivery in Great Britain. Alex Rezvan and Simone Oloman discuss the implications for value fashion and how retailers can earn the next purchase. Plus John Lewis, Boots, Lucy & Yak, Damson Madder, and Tu at Sainsbury’s.In this UK edition of Five Things Friday, the discussion connects digital convenience with the reasons customers still choose a store or a bran
Target Beauty Studio: Prestige Beauty Comes to 600+ Stores
Target is bringing 90 prestige, emerging and global beauty brands to more than 600 stores. Alex Rezvan and Jill Dvorak examine what Target Beauty Studio means for Target, Sephora and Ulta Beauty—and where the customer’s beauty spend could move next.This week’s US retail briefing also covers Nordstrom Rack’s expansion, Williams-Sonoma’s 6.2% comparable brand revenue growth, Lowe’s attempt to addres
Pinduoduo Malaysia, Singapore–Johor Bahru RTS and AI Search
Pinduoduo's expansion in Malaysia is testing how local retailers compete with ultra-low-price cross-border commerce, while the Singapore–Johor Bahru RTS Link could redraw the retail catchment between the two markets.Ngai Yuen Low, Ryf Quail and Alex Rezvan examine the projected S$1.05 billion increase in annual Singapore-resident spending in Johor Bahru, the overlooked plant and wellness categ
Retail Cybersecurity Is a Sector Problem — Scott Price, CEO DFI Retail Group
Scott Price, Group Chief Executive of DFI Retail Group, argues that retail cybersecurity is now a sector-wide risk—not a problem any company can solve alone.Recorded at NRF APAC 2026 in Singapore, the conversation examines why retailers need to share threat intelligence, how digital commerce has redefined customer trust and why hierarchical cultures can create new exposure in the age of deepfakes.
M&S Moves European Ecommerce Fulfilment to Zalando
Marks & Spencer is using Zalando's ZEOS platform for European ecommerce fulfilment across 22 continental European markets.Alex Rezvan and Simone Oloman, Co-founder and CEO of NIFT, cover six UK retail stories: M&S and Zalando's European fulfilment partnership; John Lewis Sports & Wellness; ASOS and Barbour's Re-loved collaboration with Jimmy Turrell; George at Asda's If
Walmart Adds Apple Pay, Ross Outpaces TJX on Q2 Comps
Walmart has started rolling out Apple Pay at select US Walmart and Sam's Club locations, with rollout to all US stores and clubs planned by the end of 2026.Alex Rezvan and Jill Dvorak, Senior Vice President, Content at NRF, break down five US retail stories: Home Depot's nationwide three-hour Express Delivery, Lamine Yamal in American Eagle's back-to-school push, Best Buy certifying al
Target’s AI Move, Coach Growth & the Future of US Retail
Why is Coach growing while Kate Spade declines under the same parent company?And what does Target appointing a Chief AI Officer tell us about the next phase of retail technology?In this USA edition of Five Things Friday, Alex and Jill unpack five developments shaping US retail.Target brings Chandu Nair across from Lowe’s as Chief AI Officer, prompting a bigger discussion about whether AI should si
The International Briefing: 5 Global Retail Stories to Know SHEIN, JD.com, India, Shipping & Fabletics
What should global retail leaders be paying attention to right now?In this edition of The International Briefing, Jill Dvorak, Senior Vice President, Content at NRF, joins Alex Rezvan to unpack five developments from across the international retail industry.Europe: What could the €3 charge on low-value imported parcels mean for SHEIN, Temu and cross-border ecommerce?China: JD.com’s latest results
Five Things Friday UK: Harvey Nichols, Poundland, IKEA & Rapid Delivery
Five Things Friday UK Edition is your fast briefing on the retail stories worth paying attention to this week.Alex Rezvan and Simone Oloman break down the developments affecting retailers, brands and the wider industry.This week:Frasers buys Harvey Nichols — what could happen to the luxury retailer, its regional stores and its relationship with Flannels?Poundland and value retail — why competing o
A Retail Executive Goes Shopping for AI | NRF APAC 2026
Alex Rezvan and AEON360 Managing Director Low Ngai Yuen go into operator mode at NRF APAC. Ngai Yuen has a live AI and product-data requirement—and two startups she first met in New York may have the answer. This is the buying journey: the brief, the meetings, the 50,000-SKU proof of concept and the reality of turning conference discovery into retail execution.What does buying AI look like when a
What's Really Happening in Global Retail Right Now? Hugo Boss, Uber Eats, Nike, Fair Price & LA 2028
Five retail stories. Less than ten minutes. And several signals about where global retail could be heading next.In this international edition of Five Things Friday, we examine five developments across retail, commerce, technology and consumer engagement.First, Fraser’s Group and its position in Hugo Boss — and why the premium market could be ripe for further change. The conversation then moves to
Global Brand Localization: What Retailers Get Wrong
How can a global retailer maintain consistency across markets without losing local relevance?In this episode of The Retail Podcast, Katherine Melchior Ray examines why international brand strategies often break down—not because executives reject localisation, but because organisations underestimate how differently trust, value, service and quality are interpreted across cultures.The conversation e
What Retailers Can Expect at NRF Retail’s Big Show Europe
Why are some retail markets able to adopt AI faster than Europe?30% off an All Access Pass: ALEX30NRF Registration page here: https://bit.ly/4vh5Iz5.Annabelle Serres, Director of Events for NRF Retail’s Big Show Europe, discusses the barriers created by legacy infrastructure, the lessons Europe can take from APAC and why retailers now need to accelerate implementation.The conversation also covers
APAC Retail Trends: China Membership, Vietnam E-commerce & K-Food
Retail crime is becoming serious enough to affect whether stores can continue operating in parts of Australia. At the same time, Costco is expanding its reach in China through JD.com, Vietnam’s e-commerce market is being shaped by Shopee and TikTok Shop, and functional foods are moving into the mainstream across Southeast Asia.In this Five Things Friday APAC edition, Alex Rezvan, Ryf Quail and Nga
Primark vs SKIMS and the Return of UK E-Commerce Growth- Plus Argos, Charlotte Tilbury Five Things Friday UK
The UK retail industry never stands still. This week Alex and Simone unpack five of the biggest retail stories shaping customer experience, ecommerce, retail technology and consumer behaviour across the UK.In this episode:• Charlotte Tilbury transforms Covent Garden into an immersive Unreal Glow Club pop-up experience• Online Home Shop posts impressive growth as UK ecommerce continues to evolve• M
Walmart Goes Viral, Amazon Bets on Robots and Wonder Hits $9B
US retail sales rose more than 11% year over year in June—but what sits behind the headline?Alex Rezvan and Jill Dvorak examine five major US retail developments:• The latest US retail-sales figures and whether the World Cup may have influenced consumer activity• International football fans turning Walmart into an unexpected destination• Walmart converting organic social attention into guided stor
5 Things Friday: WAIC 2026, JD.com's EU Bid & Decathlon's Uber Eats Move
What changes when AI stops being a productivity tool and starts becoming part of the operating system of a business?In this APAC retail briefing, Ryf Quail and the panel examine five developments:• AI-led business transformation at WAIC Shanghai• JD, CECONOMY and EU regulatory scrutiny• Seafolly’s expansion into China• LVMH, Molly Tea and consumer nationalism• Decathlon’s on-demand Uber Eats partn
UK Retail: M&S Goes Bigger, Primark Cuts Prices & Beauty Gets Personal
M&S is building a bigger proposition around the family weekly shop. Primark is lowering prices as competition for value-conscious fashion customers intensifies. Meanwhile, beauty and luxury brands are moving beyond products and free samples towards experiences, consultations and personalisation.In this UK edition of Five Things Friday, Alex Rezvan and Simone examine five retail developments:•
Starbucks Korea, Lefties UK, AI Beauty and Adidas Bangkok
Five global retail stories in one concise briefing: Starbucks Korea’s marketing crisis, retail-crime legislation in Canada and the US, AI-powered beauty at shu uemura, Lefties’ UK launch and Adidas’ community-focused Bangkok store.Five international retail developments in under nine minutes.Alex Rezvan and Jill discuss Starbucks Korea’s response to its Tank Day controversy, organized retail crime
Milan's Retail Shift: Community, Culture & Curated Luxury (Video)
Experience alone isn't enough.On the next stop of our Road to NRF Europe, The Retail Podcast arrives in Milan to explore how one of Europe's fashion capitals is redefining luxury retail.If Madrid showed us retail as a destination and London demonstrated experiential retail, Milan reveals something different—the power of curation.In this episode, we explore how luxury brands build communiti
M&S Bets on Oxford Street, Aldi Goes Baldi and the FIFA Effect
M&S has renewed almost 100,000 square feet of retail space on Oxford Street. Aldi temporarily became Baldi for Pitbull. Holland & Barrett created a wellness pub.Simone Oloman and Alex Rezvan discuss what these stories reveal about destination stores, cultural relevance and experiential retail.Also covered: World Cup spending, online versus physical retail performance, Henry Dummer’s appoin
Uniqlo, Shein and FamilyMart: Global Retail’s New Playbook
Uniqlo is expanding, Shein is approaching a possible Hong Kong listing, and FamilyMart is transforming the convenience store into a fashion and cultural destination.Alex and Jill also discuss Onitsuka Tiger, Inditex’s omnichannel model and what international retail events reveal about brands before they become globally familiar.What do Uniqlo, Shein, FamilyMart, Onitsuka Tiger and Inditex tell us
Inside London's Most Innovative Retail Experiences Before NRF Paris (Video)
Retail is changing faster than ever—and London is showing what the future looks like.Ahead of NRF Europe, we take you on a retail roadshow through one of the world's most influential shopping destinations to explore how leading brands are transforming the in-store experience. From Coach's immersive pop-up inside Selfridges to H&M's flagship on King's Road, this episode showcases how retailers
RH London, Harvey Nichols & the Future of Luxury
Luxury retail is evolving beyond products and this week's World Retail Signals explores exactly why.Alex is joined by Ian and Niamh from the World Retail Congress to discuss the biggest retail developments shaping the industry today.In this episode:RH London's new flagship "Gallery" and how experiential retail is redefining luxury.Why brands including Dior, Gucci, Dolce & Gab
How SM Supermalls Serves 5 Million Shoppers Every Day | Steven S. Tan President
Can physical retail still outperform e-commerce?In this exclusive interview recorded live at NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Asia Pacific, Steven S. Tan, President of SM Supermalls, explains why physical shopping centres continue to thrive by putting customers at the centre of every decision.SM Supermalls operates nearly 100 shopping centres across the Philippines and China, welcoming approximatel
Wimbledon's Real Winners, Osaka's 350% Spike & Google's World Cup Ads | Five Things Friday UK
The retail marketing stories that matter this week: why the brands winning Wimbledon aren't the official sponsors, Naomi Osaka's 350% search spike, Charlotte Tilbury lands in Boots, and Google's Head of Agencies UK reveals the World Cup ads topping YouTube's leaderboard.Google's Carl Read joins Alex and Simone Oloman (NIFT) to discuss the week's biggest marketing stories, i
From Hamleys to Armani: Scaling Brands in India
Sumeet Yadav, Head of Reliance Brands Limited, on luxury retail, global partnerships and what international brands need to understand about India.How do global brands enter, adapt and scale in India?In this episode of The Retail Podcast, we sit down with Sumeet Yadav, Head of Reliance Brands Limited, just before his keynote at NRF APAC 2026 in Singapore.Reliance Brands Limited sits at the centre o
AI Search, Shopee, Action & Target: Retail’s Big Week
Retailers are facing a new discovery challenge: what happens when AI search becomes the layer between brands and customers?In this episode of World Retail, Alex is joined by Niamh and Ian from World Retail Congress to discuss what is top of mind across global retail. The conversation starts with one of the biggest concerns raised in a CEO survey: whether AI-driven search could reduce brand visibil
Lacoste, Nadine Merabi, Wimbledon Pop-Ups, JD Sports & Disney Collectibles: This week in UK Retail
This week on Five Things Friday UK Edition, Alex is joined by Simone Oloman, co-founder and CEO of For Tonight / Neft, a rapid delivery business for retailers, to unpack five retail stories from a quieter but still revealing week in UK fashion, lifestyle and consumer culture.From Lacoste transforming Selfridges into a tennis clubhouse to Ralph Lauren’s Wimbledon activity on Sloane Square, this epi
Meta Glasses, Walmart Drones & Retail's Biggest Shifts This Week
Retail innovation continues to accelerate.In this episode of Five Things Friday USA, Joe and Jill explore five major stories shaping the future of commerce:• Meta's expanding partnership with Best Buy and the rise of AI-powered smart glasses• Walmart's aggressive drone delivery rollout targeting millions of Americans• Amazon Prime Day's expansion into a four-day retail event• Quince
How Brands Reach Gen Z Without TikTok + Coach's Retail Masterclass
What happens when brands can no longer rely on social media to reach younger consumers?In this week's Five Things Friday UK, retail expert Simone Oloman, Co-Founder and CEO of NIFT, joins us to discuss one of the biggest questions facing retail marketers today: how brands stay connected to youth culture as social media regulations evolve.We explore:✅ The potential impact of proposed social med
The Retail Trends Reshaping APAC: Pomelo, Temu, Miniso & More
This episode of Five Things Friday explores major retail developments across APAC and global markets. Ruth Kewell and Alex discuss Pomelo's mobile-first retail model in Southeast Asia, the worsening retail conditions in Australia, and the international expansion of Chinese retail brands including Miniso, Urban Revivo, Temu and Shein.The conversation highlights how mobile commerce, changing con
The Global Retail Briefing: UK, GCC, Dubai & Luxury Expansion
Global retail is moving fast and this first international briefing looks beyond the US to track where the biggest growth stories are happening.In this episode, we cover Frasers Group’s reported $2 billion takeover bid for Hugo Boss, JD.com’s UK expansion through Joybuy and its summer Black Friday positioning, Lulu Retail’s ambitious store growth across the GCC, Dubai’s two-month summer shopping pu
Madrid’s Retail Shift: Lessons From the Street, Not the Boardroom
Madrid isn’t just a tourist destination. It is becoming a retail destination.In this episode, we explore how Sephora and Calvin Klein are using street-level activations in Madrid to create community, experience and engagement.What does this reveal about the future of physical retail?Retail doesn’t happen in the boardroom. It happens where customers Madrid is famous for tourism, culture, tapas and
How AI, Data and Hospitality Are Rewiring Retail in Japan
Recorded live at NRF APAC 2026, this episode features Toru Koyama, Executive Officer & Head of IT and Digital Promotion Group at H2O Retailing Corp., and Executive Officer & GM of Digital Innovation Division at Hankyu Hanshin Department Stores, Inc. In this conversation, Toru shares H2O Retailing’s transformation journey — from backend IT and ERP foundations to CRM, unified commerce, retai
I Was Ranked #1 in Retail — But This Matters More
I was ranked number one on the Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Retail 2026 list this week.I am proud of it.But this episode is not really about who is number one. It is about what the retail industry should be measuring in the first place.No ranking system is perfect. No algorithm can fully measure judgement, generosity, lived experience, commercial impact, or trust. But visible w
WooCommerce at Shoptalk Europe: Scaling Open-Source Ecommerce
WooCommerce is live at Shoptalk Europe in Barcelona, and the team is bringing open-source ecommerce conversations, enterprise growth strategy, and a local Barcelona touch to the show floor.In this episode, we cover WooCommerce’s presence at Booth B30, where attendees can meet the Woo team, speak with developers and specialists, and explore how open-source ecommerce can support online store growth.
Retail AI, Currys & Hasbro: What’s Changing in Retail
Retail AI is moving quickly — and this episode looks at what that means for retailers, ecommerce platforms, brands, and technology leaders.In this discussion, the hosts cover a range of retail and commerce stories, including Currys in the UK, European retail activity, Hasbro, TikTok influencers, Rep AI, Claude, Debenhams, and the wider shift toward AI-powered retail platforms. The episode also tou
Unauthorized Sellers Are Killing Retail Margins
Retail brand protection is no longer just about stopping counterfeit products. For many brands, the bigger issue is margin loss.In this episode of The Retail Podcast, Alex speaks with Megan Harman, founder of Thorn Crest, about how unauthorized sellers, copycat products, online price undercutting, broken case packs, and weak reseller agreements can damage retail profitability.Megan explains how a
The Future of Retail in Asia: AI, GLP-1 & Consumer Trends with Isabelle Allen (KPMG)
The future of retail is being shaped by Asia.Recorded live at NRF APAC 2026, this conversation features Isabelle Allen, Global Head of Consumer, Retail & Leisure at KPMG, discussing the trends transforming retail worldwide.Topics include:✅ Why Asia is becoming a retail innovation powerhouse✅ How GLP-1 medications are changing consumer behavior✅ AI adoption challenges facing retailers✅ The grow
