Shows / The Retail Podcast
The Retail Podcast
Retail intelligence for leaders making decisions about growth, margins, customers, and stores. Decoding Retail Daily: the developments that matter, in around five minutes. Five Things Friday: what the week's stories mean for retail. Expert interviews: decisions and lessons from the people running global retail. Your Host, Alex Rezvan, explores AI, ecommerce, store operations, and retail media with CEOs, founders, and operators. Follow for your daily briefing, weekly perspective, and deeper…
Episodes
The Retail PodcastPoundland 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…
The Retail PodcastLuxury 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…
The Retail PodcastTed 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…
The Retail PodcastAldi'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…
The Retail PodcastChristmas 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…
The Retail PodcastSainsbury'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…
The Retail PodcastWhy 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…
The Retail PodcastDebenhams 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…
The Retail PodcastChatGPT 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…
The Retail PodcastGymshark'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 Retail PodcastLVMH 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%…
The Retail PodcastIs 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 Retail PodcastAmazon 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…
The Retail PodcastBoots 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…
The Retail PodcastYouTube 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…
The Retail PodcastAhold 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…
The Retail PodcastNike 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…
The Retail PodcastChatGPT 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…
The Retail PodcastFrasers, 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…
The Retail PodcastAmazon 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…
The Retail PodcastBoots 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…
The Retail PodcastQuick 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…
The Retail PodcastWalmart 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…
The Retail PodcastAI 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…
The Retail PodcastTikTok 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…
The Retail PodcastNike 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…
The Retail PodcastAsia'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…
The Retail PodcastCostco'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…
The Retail PodcastThe 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…
The Retail PodcastBoots, 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…
The Retail PodcastNRF 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…
The Retail PodcastYour 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…
The Retail PodcastOne 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…
The Retail PodcastInditex & 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…
The Retail PodcastPrimark Plans Home Delivery: Too Late? Plus 4 Retail Stories
FULL SHOW NOTES Primark plans home delivery in Great Britain. Alex Rezvan and Simone Oloman discuss the implications for value fashion and how retailers can…
The Retail PodcastTarget 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…
The Retail PodcastPinduoduo 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…
The Retail PodcastRetail 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…
The Retail PodcastM&S Moves European Fulfilment to Zalando; John Lewis Launches Sports & Wellness
Marks & Spencer is moving its European ecommerce fulfilment to Zalando's ZEOS platform across 22 continental European markets. Alex Rezvan and Simone Oloman…
The Retail PodcastM&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…
The Retail PodcastWalmart Adds Apple Pay as 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…
The Retail PodcastWalmart 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…
The Retail PodcastTarget’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…
The Retail PodcastTarget’s AI Move, Coach Growth and the Future of US Retail
What does Target appointing a Chief AI Officer tell us about the next phase of AI in retail? In this USA edition of Five Things Friday, Alex and Jill examine…
The Retail PodcastThe 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…
The Retail PodcastThe International Briefing: SHEIN, JD.com, India, Shipping & Fabletics
The International Briefing examines five developments shaping retail around the world—and what they mean for industry leaders. Jill Dvorak, Senior Vice…
The Retail PodcastFive 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…
The Retail PodcastFive Things Friday UK: Harvey Nichols, Poundland, IKEA & Rapid Delivery
Five Things Friday UK Edition brings together the retail stories worth knowing this week. Alex Rezvan of The Retail Podcast and Simone Oloman, co-founder of…
The Retail PodcastA Retail Executive Goes Shopping for AI | NRF APAC 2026
What does buying AI look like when a retailer has a real problem to solve? At NRF APAC 2026 in Singapore, Alex Rezvan joins Low Ngai Yuen, Managing Director of…
The Retail PodcastA 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…
The Retail PodcastWhat 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: ALEX30 NRF Registration page here: https://bit.ly/4vh5Iz5…
The Retail PodcastWhat'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…
The Retail PodcastWhat'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…
The Retail PodcastGlobal 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…
The Retail PodcastWhat You Don't See About Culture Shapes Everything
How can a global retailer maintain consistency across markets without losing local relevance? In this episode of The Retail Podcast, Katherine Melchior Ray…
The Retail PodcastWhat 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: ALEX30 NRF Registration page here: https://bit.ly/4vh5Iz5…
The Retail PodcastAPAC 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…
The Retail PodcastAPAC Retail: Crime, Costco China, Vietnam E-commerce and 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…
The Retail PodcastPrimark 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…
The Retail PodcastIs UK Retail Changing Again? Argos, Charlotte Tilbury, ONS, Primark & Skims
The UK retail industry never stands still. This week Alex and Simone unpack five of the biggest retail stories shaping customer experience, ecommerce, retail…