Episodes

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Party City’s return through a new partnership with Staples stores nationwide. Chris Walton and Shelley Huff break down the operational challenges behind the strategy, including inventory, personalization, and whether Party City can compete against Amazon and Walmart. They also debate whether this is a smart retail partnership or a difficult execution challenge waiting to happen. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #PartyCity #Staples #RetailNew...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Best Buy’s CEO transition as Corie Barry steps down and longtime executive Jason Bonfig takes over. Chris Walton and Shelley Huff discuss why operational retail experience matters more than ever and whether Best Buy’s recent strategy moves have missed the mark. They also debate where future growth opportunities really exist for the electronics retailer. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #BestBuy #RetailLeadership #RetailStrategy #ConsumerElec...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Luna, the AI agent now running a real retail store in San Francisco. Chris Walton and Shelley Huff break down what AI-managed retail could mean for merchandising, operations, leadership, and the future of middle management in retail. Along the way, they discuss automation, AI-driven buying decisions, and why this may be the worst AI technology will ever be. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #AI #RetailTechnology #RetailInnovation #FutureOfRe...

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Duvo and Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses: Starbucks delivers a second consecutive quarter of traffic growth, beating earnings and revenue estimates as its Back to Starbucks turnaround strategy gains real traction. Ahold Delhaize USA rolls out Click2Cart in partnership with SmartCommerce, letting shoppers add products directly to their grocery cart from digital ads, social media, and brand-owned...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton sits down with Romain Roulleau, Group Digital & Ecommerce Director at Kingfisher, to unpack how one of Europe’s largest home improvement retailers plans to grow ecommerce from 21% to 30% of total sales. Romain explains why stores sit at the center of Kingfisher’s digital strategy, how marketplaces are transforming DIY retail, and why AI in home improvement requires a very different approach...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton sits down with Judith McKenna, the former CEO of Walmart International and current Board Member at Delta Air Lines and Unilever, to discuss leadership, frontline retail culture, board governance, and how AI is beginning to reshape the retail industry. Drawing from her experience overseeing Walmart’s global operations across dozens of markets, Judith explains why employee experience remains ...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton speaks with Brian Tilzer, former CTO and CDO of Best Buy and current Board Member at Signet Jewelers, about why AI represents retail’s “third major technology wave” and what retailers can learn from the ecommerce and mobile revolutions that came before it. Drawing on leadership experience across Best Buy, CVS Health, Staples, and now Signet Jewelers, Brian explains why the retailers that wi...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton connects with Tim Steiner, CEO of Ocado, to discuss the rapidly evolving future of grocery ecommerce, fulfillment, and retail automation. Drawing from Ocado’s work with retailers across global markets, Tim explains why grocery ecommerce continues to operate so differently market by market, from the UK’s delivery-led ecosystem to France’s pickup dominance and the increasingly hybrid US lands...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton reconnects with Jose Gomez, Chief Development Officer at ETAM, to discuss how the global lingerie and fashion retailer approaches international expansion, franchise strategy, and navigating today’s nonstop retail disruption. With nearly two decades of World Retail Congress experience, Gomez breaks down how ETAM’s international development strategy has evolved, including how the company eval...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton speaks with Malin Andrée, Global Retail Industry Leader at EY, and Steven Bailey, Americas Retail Leader at EY Studio+, about how AI could fundamentally reshape the future of retail over the next decade. Drawing from EY’s latest retail futures report, the conversation explores four possible scenarios for how AI adoption may evolve across the industry: constrained growth, accelerated transfo...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from day two of World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton talks with Andreas von Paleske, CEO of Naivas, about scaling one of East Africa’s fastest-growing grocery retailers while balancing operational discipline, employee development, and technology transformation. Drawing from his background in private equity, Andreas shares how Naivas grew from roughly 30 stores to more than 100 locations by focusing on affordable groceries, strong s...

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso and Veloq, Chris Walton and special guest Shelley Huff, former CEO of Serta Simmons Bedding, former Walmart executive, and current co-founder of The Interval community, discussed: • An AI-powered retail store in San Francisco run by “Luna,” an AI agent managing everything from inventory and staffing to pricing and logistics, and what it means for the future of retail ...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton speaks with Scott Price, Group Chief Executive of DFI Retail Group, about how one of Asia’s largest retail groups is driving omnichannel growth, loyalty innovation, and AI transformation across its business. Scott explains how DFI has doubled online order volumes, increased ecommerce penetration, and sharpened its customer-first strategy by pushing decision-making closer to local markets ac...

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Duvo and Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses: Target asks 150 remote merchandising employees to relocate to its Minneapolis headquarters or accept severance, as new CEO Michael Fiddelke bets on in-person collaboration to rebuild the retailer's merchandising authority and execute its turnaround strategy. Albertsons expands its DriveUp & Go curbside program to include eligible pharmacy prescription p...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton chats with Paolo Bonsignore, Commercial and Marketing Director at Coop Italian Food, to discuss why private label can no longer compete on price alone. Paolo shares how Coop Italian Food has evolved private label into a true point of differentiation by building emotionally driven brands, category storytelling, and packaging that connects with consumers on a deeper level. From neuroscience-b...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton connects with Kristin Wolf, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer at Ulta Beauty, to discuss how one of beauty retail’s biggest players is thinking about long-term growth, AI, and global expansion. Kristin shares how her newly created executive role reflects Ulta’s focus on balancing core business growth with future innovation, from scaling internationally to rethinking how AI can transform retai...

In this Omni Talk Retail episode, recorded live at World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton sits down with David Boynton, Managing Director of Northern Europe at Pandora, for a conversation on the evolving intersection of AI, physical retail, and emotional commerce. Drawing from leadership roles across brands including The Body Shop, L'Occitane, and Charles Tyrwhitt, David shares why stores still play a critical role in building emotional connection, even as AI begins reshaping how cu...

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Duvo and Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses: Walmart's 2026 Annual Report reveals $713 billion in revenue and 24% global e-commerce growth to $150.4 billion, as new CEO John Furner leans hard into AI and Supercenters make a meaningful comeback. Lowe's expands its partnership with Relex Solutions to unify forecasting, replenishment, and allocation under a single AI-driven platform, with full implem...

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Duvo and Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses: Home Depot is rolling out an AI voice agent phone system to all U.S. stores after a 50-store pilot showed the technology resolves customer calls four times faster than traditional phone menus, while keeping human associates in the loop for complex inquiries. Sam's Club is expanding its Member Access Platform retail media network to include fuel pump scr...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five Lightning Round segment closes out the show with rapid-fire questions, unexpected takes, and a few laughs. Chris Walton and Ben Miller go from Danny DeVito tattoos to must-have Apple products and debate their Eddie Murphy Mount Rushmore, all while wrapping up a packed episode from London. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #LightningRound, #DannyDeVito, #Apple, #EddieMurphy, #PopCulture, #RetailFastFive, #OmniTalk, #RetailNews This podcast uses the following ...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Aldi’s new modular store format and why it could unlock faster expansion across the U.S. Chris Walton and Ben Miller break down how flexibility in store design supports acquisitions, real estate strategy, and long-term growth for one of the fastest-growing grocers in the world. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #RetailNews, #Aldi, #GroceryRetail, #StoreDesign, #RetailExpansion, #RetailStrategy, #OmniTalk This podcast uses the following third...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Walmart’s first major redesign of its Great Value private label brand in over a decade. Chris Walton and Ben Miller discuss how packaging, perception, and pricing power all play into private label growth and why this move could help Walmart win with higher-income shoppers. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #RetailNews, #Walmart, #PrivateLabel, #Branding, #GroceryRetail, #RetailStrategy, #OmniTalk This podcast uses the following third-party s...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Instacart’s acquisition of InstaLeap and what it signals about the company’s global ambitions. Chris Walton and Ben Miller discuss why relationships with grocers may be just as valuable as technology and how this move could accelerate Instacart’s platform and retail media strategy worldwide. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #RetailNews, #Instacart, #GroceryTech, #RetailMedia, #Ecommerce, #GlobalRetail, #OmniTalk This podcast uses the follow...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Starbucks’ new ChatGPT-powered drink discovery experience and whether it actually improves the customer journey. Chris Walton and Ben Miller debate if this is meaningful innovation or just experimentation, and question whether AI integrations like this solve real problems or create unnecessary complexity. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #RetailNews, #Starbucks, #AIinRetail, #ChatGPT, #CustomerExperience, #DigitalStrategy, #OmniTalk This po...