Episodes

319
June 14, 2025

Lightning Round: Tesco Club Card Nightclub, Uber Senior Features, Auntie Anne's & Dutch Food

Anne and Chris deliver lightning-fast takes on the week's quirkiest retail headlines, covering everything from Tesco's 90s nightclub pop-up to Uber's senior-friendly app features. The segment showcases their signature blend of retail expertise and entertainment while broadcasting live from Amsterdam's Consumer Goods Forum. Special thanks to the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand for sponsoring this week's segment. For the full epsisode, head h...
318
June 14, 2025

Peloton's New Resale Platform: Smart Business Move or Operational Nightmare?

Peloton launched "Repowered," a resale marketplace for used fitness equipment where sellers retain 70% of the sale price while Peloton and platform provider Archive split the remaining 30%. The platform uses AI for pricing suggestions and aims to capture value from the secondary market, though experts worry about Peloton's operational execution track record. Special thanks to the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand for sponsoring this week's pod...
317
June 14, 2025

Amazon's Humanoid Robots Will Deliver Your Packages - Are You Ready for Robots on Your Doorstep?

Amazon is developing humanoid robots that will ride in Rivian electric vans and deliver packages, currently testing the technology in a San Francisco facility designed like an obstacle course. While the concept represents significant automation advancement, experts question whether society is ready for humanoid robots delivering packages in residential areas. For the full epsisode, head here https://youtu.be/7Xn7tNqtskk Special thanks to the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo...
316
June 14, 2025

Dollar General's Kathy Ireland Partnership: Genius Move or 90s Nostalgia Fail?

Dollar General is launching new celebrity home collections including partnerships with Kathy Ireland, and other brands as part of its "Home Valley" expansion across 20,000+ stores. The strategy aims to attract higher-income shoppers seeking quality home goods at discount prices through a "treasure hunt" shopping experience. Special thanks to the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand for sponsoring this week's podcast. For the full epsisode, head ...
315
June 14, 2025

Walmart's AI Assistant "Sparky" Could Compete with Amazon and Google - Here's Why

Walmart introduced "Ask Sparky," an AI assistant that helps customers find products, synthesize reviews, and get personalized recommendations through natural language searches. The company plans to evolve Sparky into agentic AI that can automatically take actions, positioning Walmart in the super app conversation alongside Google and Amazon. Special thanks to the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand for sponsoring this week's podcast. For the fu...
314
June 14, 2025

Walmart's Genius "Who Knew?" Campaign: Walton Goggins Exposes What You're Missing vs Amazon

Walmart launched a strategic "Who Knew?" advertising campaign featuring actor Walton Goggins to highlight its transformation into a comprehensive Amazon competitor with over 500 million items and superior membership benefits. The campaign positions Walmart Plus as offering more value than Amazon Prime with gas discounts, express delivery, and lower annual subscription costs. Special thanks to the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand for sponsorsh...
320
June 14, 2025

šŸ„— Kerry’s Juan Aguiriano on Redesigning Food Systems with AI & Impact | CGF 2025 šŸŒ

In this final CGF 2025 interview recorded live from the VusionGroup Podcast Studio, Juan Aguiriano, Group Head of Sustainability at Kerry Group, joins Omni Talk Retail to share how Kerry is helping transform global food systems. Juan kicks off with what energized him most at the event (0:30) and details a not-so-secret breakfast meeting of CSOs including Ahold’s Alex Holt (1:00). He outlines Kerry’s innovation-with-impact strategy—cutting food waste with shelf-life tech (2:30), reducing sugar a...
313
June 13, 2025

šŸ„• Ahold Delhaize CSO Alex Holt on Scaling Sustainability & AI in Retail | CGF 2025 šŸŒ

In this wide-ranging conversation recorded live from the VusionGroup Podcast Studio at CGF 2025, Alex Holt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Ahold Delhaize, explains how the grocery giant is making sustainability simple and scalable. She shares her retail journey (0:30), the brand’s ā€œHealthy Communities and Planetā€ strategy (1:20), and how they're nudging healthier customer choices (2:00). Holt unpacks what it takes to embed ESG into the business (2:40), the power of collaboration—including clima...
312
June 13, 2025

šŸŒ Aldi Süd CEO Christoph Schwaiger on Global Grocery Growth | CGF 2025

Live from the VusionGroup Podcast Studio at the Consumer Goods Forum 2025 in Amsterdam, Aldi Süd CEO Christoph Schwaiger shares how one of the world’s most influential grocers is leaning into AI and sustainability to better serve global consumers. He reflects on Aldi’s roots in discount grocery and its mission to make sustainability affordable (1:00), why CGF is a vital forum for collaborative innovation (2:45), and how banana and cashew supply chain changes are reshaping ethical sourcing (4:30)...
312
June 13, 2025

šŸ’” Metro AG CFO Eric Riegger on AI, Cybersecurity & Wholesale Growth | CGF 2025

Live from the VusionGroup Podcast Studio at the Consumer Goods Forum 2025, Eric Riegger, Group CFO of Metro AG, breaks down how one of Europe’s largest wholesalers is investing in tech, AI, and cybersecurity to meet rising customer demands and support long-term growth. He shares his retail journey from Lidl and Aldi to Metro (1:00), contrasts the U.S. and European grocery landscapes (2:30), and explains where AI offers the highest ROI today (4:00). Eric also discusses the lessons learned from a ...
312
June 13, 2025

CGF Head of North America Wesley Wilson on Health, AI & Consumer Values | Live From CGF 2025

In this thoughtful interview recorded live from the VusionGroup Podcast Studio at CGF 2025, Wesley Wilson, Head of North America for the Consumer Goods Forum, discusses how global retailers and brands are navigating rapid consumer and technological shifts. He shares CGF’s three pillars—leadership development, industry-wide innovation, and impact (0:45)—and why consumer health and values are top of mind in 2025 (3:00). Wesley also dives into affordability and wellness trade-offs (7:00), the role ...
312
June 13, 2025

šŸ„› AI, Health & Growth with Danone European President Pablo Perversi | CGF 2025 Interview

In this energetic interview recorded live from the VusionGroup Podcast Studio at CGF 2025 in Amsterdam, Danone Eurozone President Pablo Perversi sits down with Omni Talk to explore how the brand is transforming food systems across Europe. He shares insights into Danone's mission-first strategy (1:00), how science and branding power gut health innovation like Activia and kefir (3:30), and how AI is optimizing operations and segmentation at scale (7:00). Pablo also reveals what’s behind Danone’s r...
312
June 13, 2025

šŸ§€ Babybel to Big Data: Bel Group CEO on AI, Sustainability & Food Innovation | CGF 2025

In this inspiring conversation recorded live from the VusionGroup Podcast Studio at CGF 2025 in Amsterdam, Bel Group CEO Cecile BĆ©liot-Zind takes Omni Talk inside the company’s mission to balance performance and sustainability through innovation. She breaks down how Bel uses regenerative agriculture (7:00), artificial intelligence for shopper guidance (9:00), and virtual twin tech to accelerate sustainable product development (11:00). Cecile also reflects on her path from Danone to Bel (3:00), t...
312
June 13, 2025

šŸ” Circular Economy in Action: Ellen MacArthur CEO Jonquil Hackenberg on Retail’s Role | CGF 2025

In this live interview recorded from the VusionGroup Podcast Studio at the Consumer Goods Forum 2025 in Amsterdam, Jonquil Hackenberg, CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, shares how retailers and brands can embrace circularity to tackle waste and promote sustainability at scale. From United Nations treaty negotiations on plastic (2:30) to launching 150+ regenerative food products (4:50), and the role of retail in reshaping consumer behavior (5:15), Jonquil outlines the tools and collaboration...
311
June 12, 2025

How FairPrice is Building the AI-Powered Grocery Store of the Future with CEO Vipul Chawla

Live from the Consumer Goods Forum and the VusionGroup Podcast Studio in Amsterdam, Omni Talk Retail sits down with Vipul Chawla, CEO of FairPrice Group, to dive into the cutting-edge technologies shaping the future of grocery retail. From launching a digital-only bank to AI-powered stores and a strong sustainability mandate, this conversation covers it all. šŸ”¹ 0:40 – Vipul’s career journey from Unilever to Yum! Brands to FairPrice šŸ”¹ 1:10 – FairPrice’s multi-format retail model in Singapore šŸ”¹ ...
312
June 12, 2025

Danone’s 100-Year Mission to Redefine Health Through Food 🌱 | Ayla Ziz Interview at CGF 2025

Omni Talk Retail sits down with Danone Chief Customer and Commercial Officer, Ayla Ziz, to explore how one of the world’s most trusted food companies is evolving its health mission in today’s fast-paced digital and consumer-centric environment. Recorded live at the Consumer Goods Forum from the VusionGroup Podcast Studio in Amsterdam, this interview covers everything from Danone’s beginnings in a Barcelona pharmacy to AI-driven salesforce tools and specialized nutrition for Alzheimer’s preventio...
313
June 12, 2025

The Future of Food Retail? PwC’s Harold Dutzler Breaks It Down šŸŽšŸ“‰ | Live at CGF 2025

Omni Talk Retail sits down with Harold Dutzler, PwC's Global Sector Leader for Consumer Goods, live at the Consumer Goods Forum at the VusionGroup Podcast Studio in Amsterdam to unpack insights from PwC’s newest global consumer study. From affordability to aspiration, Harold offers a pragmatic view into the shifting grocery landscape, the role of technology, and the urgent need for smarter collaboration and transparency in food retail. šŸ”¹ 0:40 – Harold’s background and passion for the food value...
314
June 12, 2025

WWF Expert Pete Pearson on Food Waste & What Can Be Done About It | Live from CGF 2025

Join Anne Mezzenga and Chris Walton as they interview Pete Pearson, Vice President Food, Food Loss and Waste at WWF, live from the Consumer Goods Forum and the VusionGroup Podcast Studio in Amsterdam. This eye-opening conversation reveals the shocking scale of global food waste and provides concrete solutions for businesses and communities. Key Moments: 0:48 - The mind-blowing statistic: 40% of global food supply is wasted 1:44 - Introducing WWF's Global Farm Loss Tool with Consumer Goods For...
310
June 11, 2025

Peloton Resale, Dollar General's Home Line & Who Knew Walmart Could Be So Sparky? | Fast Five

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, Chris and Anne discussed: Walmart’s new ā€œWho knew?ā€ advertising campaign (Source) Walmart’s gen AI assistant Sparky (Source) Dollar General’s home line with Kathy Ireland (Source) Amazon training humanoid robots to deliver packages (Source) And closed with a look at why they both think Peloton’s move into resale could be more difficult than Pelot...
309
June 7, 2025

Lightning Round Chaos: Dum-Dums, Snack Wars & Sydney Sweeney Celebrity Soap āš”šŸ§¼šŸ‘”

This week’s Lightning Round delivers a sugar rush of retail absurdity — from Mondelez pulling products over pricing beef with Aldi, to mistakenly buying 70,000 lollipops, and Sydney Sweeney selling out her soap line. Retail’s never been this entertaining — and we couldn’t bring it to you without the support of our amazing sponsors: A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand — the brands powering the future of retail. For the full episode head here: htt...
308
June 7, 2025

Will David’s Bridal’s New Diamonds & Pearls Store Concept Work?

David’s Bridal is getting glam with its new Diamonds & Pearls store concept, complete with upgraded fittings and a full glam squad. Thanks to our always fabulous sponsors — A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand — for supporting retail reinvention. For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/rJh3sY4_BsU #retailnews #weddingdress This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
307
June 7, 2025

Buy Or Sell: Aldi’s New Virtual Work Experience For Teenagers?

Aldi is making early career access easier with a new virtual retail work experience program designed for teens aged 13 and up. This forward-thinking discussion was made possible thanks to the innovation-minded sponsors of the Retail Fast Five: A&M CRG, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand. For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/rJh3sY4_BsU #retailnews #aldi This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
306
June 7, 2025

Victoria’s Secret Gets Hacked?! šŸ’»šŸšØ

Victoria’s Secret faced a major website outage this week, raising big questions about cybersecurity readiness in retail. Brought to you by the Fast Five sponsors: A&M CRG, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand — the tech and strategy partners keeping retailers one step ahead. For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/rJh3sY4_BsU #cybersecurity #retailnews #victoriasecret This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/p...
305
June 7, 2025

Is Rhode Worth $1B? E.L.F. (and Anne) Think So šŸ‘€

E.l.f. is betting big on Hailey Bieber’s skincare brand, Rhode, with a $1 billion acquisition that could reshape the beauty M&A landscape. This coverage is powered by Omni Talk's Fast Five sponsors: A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand — all trusted names in transforming retail. For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/rJh3sY4_BsU #retailnews #elfcosmetics #rhodeskin This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Po...