Episodes

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 moves deeper into connected TV advertising by acquiring Vibe.co, a self-serve CTV platform, to make streaming ad buying more accessible and measurable for SMB and mid-market brands through Walmart Connect. Bath & Body Works enters Ulta Beauty, bringing a curated selection of its most-loved products to more than 600 Ulta stores and Ulta.com start...

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: Adobe projects Prime Day 2026 will drive a record $26.3 billion in U.S. online spend, with AI traffic to retail sites expected to surge 103% and mobile shopping hitting an all-time high at 54.2% of online sales. Duluth Trading Co. is handing Amazon full fulfillment control of its marketplace products under a traditional wholesale model, using the e-comm...

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: Kroger posted soft Q1 comp sales of just 1%, but turned an e-commerce profit for the first time ever, and CEO Greg Foran admitted 60% of stores need to step up their game. Ahold Delhaize nominated Claire Peters, Amazon's VP of worldwide fresh, as the next CEO of Ahold Delhaize USA, marking the company's second straight outsider leadership hire this year...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five Lightning Round segment closes out the show with World Cup predictions, James Bond casting debates, cycling culture, and Chris Walton's favorite meal from his European conference tour. Chris Walton and Ben Miller discuss where a potential U.S. World Cup victory would rank among the greatest sports achievements of their lifetimes, while also sharing some classic British optimism (and pessimism) ahead of England's tournament run. The conversation also covers who s...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores DoorDash's new AI-powered search experience and why conversational commerce may be arriving faster than retailers realize. Chris Walton and Ben Miller discuss natural language search, AI shopping assistants, customer discovery, and why retailers must rethink how shoppers find products online. The conversation also examines how platforms like DoorDash, Amazon, Google, and ChatGPT are changing consumer expectations and why conversational search is...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Dollar General's plans to test a new subscription membership program and whether value-focused shoppers are ready for another retail membership offering. Chris Walton and Ben Miller debate the opportunities and risks of launching a paid program, including delivery benefits, customer loyalty, and whether Dollar General's assortment can support a compelling value proposition. The conversation also examines how subscriptions have transformed retail...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Walmart's decision to open Walmart.com to shoppers in Mexico and what it means for the future of global marketplaces. Chris Walton and Ben Miller discuss cross-border commerce, international marketplace growth, pricing transparency, and why Walmart continues to make bold investments in long-term growth opportunities. The conversation also examines operational challenges, customer experience concerns, and how Walmart's marketplace ambitions compa...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment examines Target's new shoppable Bravo digital series and what it says about the growing convergence of entertainment, media, and commerce. Chris Walton and Ben Miller discuss whether retailers are increasingly competing with streaming platforms, creators, and social media companies for consumer attention, and why discovery continues to evolve beyond traditional advertising. The conversation also explores Target's brand strategy, merchandising challenges,...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Starbucks' ambitious plans to add up to 10,000 additional U.S. stores and whether smaller-format locations can still deliver on the company's vision of rebuilding the coffeehouse experience. Chris Walton and Ben Miller discuss Starbucks' "Back to Starbucks" strategy, the role of drive-thru, mobile ordering, and delivery, and whether smaller stores can truly function as a modern third place. The conversation also examines operational challenges, ...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Global DIY Summit 2026 in Amsterdam, Chris Walton talks with Ryan Baker, Chief Operating Officer of Bunnings Group, about customer trust, omnichannel retail, and how one of the world's most successful home improvement retailers continues to evolve in a rapidly changing market. Ryan shares his 25-year journey with Bunnings, from starting on the shop floor to leading merchandise, marketing, supply chain, retail media, and customer strateg...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Global DIY Summit 2026 in Amsterdam, Chris Walton talks with Raha Been, Senior Vice President of Research & Development and Commercialization, Consumer Business at 3M, about innovation, consumer behavior, and how one of the world's most recognizable brands is adapting to a rapidly changing market. Raha shares her unique journey from cancer research and molecular biology to leading innovation for 3M's Consumer Business, and explains how ...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Global DIY Summit 2026 in Amsterdam, Chris Walton talks with Steffen Erath, Head of Innovation at Hansgrohe, about why sustainability should be more than a business objective and instead become a starting point for innovation. Steffen shares how Hansgrohe approaches innovation at the intersection of sustainability, technology, and customer experience, and explains why he advocates for "planet-centered innovation" alongside more traditio...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Global DIY Summit 2026 in Amsterdam, Chris Walton talks with Robert Wicha, Commercial Director at Castorama Poland, about the company's marketplace strategy, the growing importance of data quality, and how technology is reshaping the future of home improvement retail. Robert explains why Castorama views its marketplace as a curated extension of its brand rather than simply a channel for assortment expansion. He shares how trust influenc...

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: Yum! Brands agrees to sell Pizza Hut in a two-part, $2.7 billion deal, splitting ownership between private equity firm LongRange Capital and Yum China. New data from Brick Meets Click and Mercatus shows U.S. online grocery sales surging nearly 28% year over year, even as in-store sales slip. Lidl US prepares to launch its new Lidl Plus rewards program ...

In this week's Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Quorso and Veloq, Chris Walton was joined by special guest Ben Miller, former Vice President of Original Content at ShopTalk, now an independent retail analyst, to discuss: • Starbucks' plans to potentially add 5,000 to 10,000 new U.S. stores through a smaller-format concept, and whether the strategy aligns with CEO Brian Niccol's vision to restore Starbucks as a true "third place"...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Global DIY Summit 2026 in Amsterdam, Chris Walton talks with Harri Karumo, Senior Vice President and K-Rauta Chain Director at Kesko, about what makes Nordic home improvement retail unique and how Kesko leverages insights across multiple retail businesses. Harri shares his journey from finance to retail leadership, explains Kesko's retailer-owned business model, and discusses the opportunities and challenges of serving customers across ...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Global DIY Summit 2026 in Amsterdam, Chris Walton talks with Joost de Beijer, CEO of Intergamma, about what makes DIY retail in the Netherlands unique and how the company is evolving its omnichannel strategy to meet changing customer expectations. Joost explains why Dutch consumers prioritize convenience, how smaller homes and gardens shape the market, and why nearly every DIY project now begins online. He also shares how Intergamma lev...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Global DIY Summit 2026 in Amsterdam, Chris Walton catches up with Dan Starr, President & CEO of Do It Best Group, to discuss the company's transformation following its acquisition of True Value. Dan shares what it takes to integrate two major wholesale distribution organizations, how Do It Best is eliminating duplicate costs while preserving culture, and why speed and urgency are critical to realizing the value of an acquisition. The c...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from the Global DIY Summit 2026 in Amsterdam, Chris Walton sits down with Curtis Smith, Executive Director of the Do It Best Foundation and True Value Foundation, to discuss the role of community impact in the future of retail. Curtis shares the story behind Do It Best's acquisition of True Value, how the combined organization has expanded to roughly 9,000 locations across 60 countries, and what it takes to merge two philanthropic organizations ...

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: Pinterest rolls out a new storefront-linking tool that connects creators' Amazon storefronts directly to their Pinterest profiles, automatically applying affiliate links whenever they tag an eligible product. Dick's Sporting Goods partners with Lids to launch dedicated shop-in-shops inside its stores nationwide, with plans to reach more than 100 locatio...

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 CEO Brian Niccol says the chain can add as many as 10,000 net new U.S. locations by shifting to smaller, cheaper-to-build stores under 1,000 square feet. Dollar General reports that same-day delivery is already a profitable business, contributing 70 basis points to Q1 comparable sales growth across roughly 18,000 stores, and announces a delive...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five Lightning Round segment closes out the show with summer travel recommendations, lifelong sports loyalties, and the retail leaders Chris Walton and Chap Achen would most love to spend time with. Chris and Chap discuss why Europe tops their summer bucket lists, from iconic destinations to the experiences they believe everyone should have at least once. They also bond over the emotional roller coaster that comes with being Minnesota Vikings fans and what keeps them ...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores The Mall, a startup attempting to create a universal shopping feed across thousands of brands. Chris Walton and Chap Achen debate whether consumers actually want a new discovery platform, what makes shopping different from streaming, and why the biggest players may already be solving this problem. The conversation also examines what this idea reveals about the future of retail discovery—and why becoming the "Spotify of shopping" may be easier sa...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Amazon's latest AI-powered visual search features and what they reveal about the future of shopping. Chris Walton and Chap Achen discuss whether shoppers want to search using aesthetics instead of keywords, how discovery is evolving, and why visual commerce could reshape customer expectations. The conversation also examines the risks that come with AI-generated recommendations and whether these new experiences will actually improve conversion. ...