Episodes

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. ...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores New York's proposed legislation aimed at limiting AI-powered personalized pricing. Chris Walton and Chap Achen discuss the fine line between personalization and surveillance pricing, why retailers should tread carefully, and how AI can still enhance the customer experience without eroding trust. The conversation also highlights the growing regulatory questions surrounding AI in commerce and whether retailers can balance innovation with consumer ...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Amazon's expansion of same-day grocery delivery in the UK and what it could mean for the future of grocery retail. Chris Walton and Chap Achen discuss why the UK grocery market presents unique challenges, whether Amazon can steal share from established players, and why omnichannel execution remains critical. The conversation also examines how delivery expectations continue to evolve around the world. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here: https:/...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Walmart's move into restaurant delivery by bringing Subway sandwiches directly to customers through its app. Chris Walton and Chap Achen discuss why this expansion is about much more than sandwiches, how Walmart's fulfillment infrastructure continues to evolve, and why Uber Eats and DoorDash should be paying close attention. The conversation also examines how delivery convenience, basket size, and even drone capabilities could help Walmart stren...

In this special and exclusive live podcast episode recorded at Shoptalk Europe 2026, Chris Walton is joined by Rebecca Bemhena (Shoptalk VP Content Luxe), Adam Plom (Shoptalk VP Content Europe), and Ben Miller (Shoptalk VP Original Content) for a rapid-fire breakdown of the show’s biggest moments, boldest stats, and most memorable quotes. From agentic commerce and GLP-1 disruption to channel pragmatism and the future of brand cachet, this is your essential debrief from one of retail’s smartest ...

In this 5 Insightful Minutes episode, Tomáš Čupr, Co-Founder and CEO of duvo.ai and CEO of the Rohlik Group, joins Omni Talk live from Shoptalk Europe to discuss why retailers need to rethink how they approach AI adoption. Drawing from his experience building duvo.ai while leading one of Europe's largest online grocers, Tomáš explains why AI shouldn't be viewed as a replacement for people, but as a way to eliminate the manual, repetitive work that drains productivity and leaks value across orga...

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 and Wing add seven new metro markets to their drone delivery expansion plan, targeting operations from 270-plus stores by 2027. B&R Stores, a family-owned Midwest grocer, deploys Simbe's Tally autonomous shelf-scanning robots to capture real-time inventory data and free associates from up to 30 hours per week of manual auditing tasks. Grocery O...

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 and special guest Chap Achen, Senior Director, Analyst for Digital Commerce and Supply Chain at Gartner, discussed: • Walmart partnering with Subway to deliver made-to-order restaurant meals alongside groceries and household essentials through its Express Delivery service, and why Chris sees it as another example of Walmart executing a cohesive long-t...

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: Bed Bath & Beyond announces the all-stock acquisition of Installed Right and SFV Services, adding installation and renovation capabilities to its rapidly expanding Beyond Home Services portfolio. Starship Technologies winds down U.S. campus robot operations and pivots its 1,200-robot fleet toward retail grocery and urban food delivery, citing 20% market...

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: Best Buy is rolling out immersive 900-sq.-ft. "Meta Lab @ Best Buy" spaces in 50 stores this summer, giving customers hands-on access to Meta's full lineup of AI glasses and VR headsets through interactive demos, smart mirrors, and personalized fittings. New York legislators passed the One Fair Price Act on June 4th, making it the third state to curb su...

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 announces 30-minute delivery from 1,400 in-store Subway locations by midsummer, the opening move in a direct push into restaurant delivery that puts it on a collision course with DoorDash and Uber. Lululemon cuts its full-year revenue guidance to flat or declining, citing a wave of negative media coverage and underwhelming product launches, rais...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five Lightning Round segment closes out the show with Arizona travel recommendations, European retail innovations, retail leadership discussions, and a hilarious attempt to predict what The Rock's new cologne actually smells like. Chris Walton and Shelley Huff discuss must-see destinations in Arizona, why European grocery stores may have the best scan-and-go experiences in the world, the retail executives they'd most like to sit down with today, and how Walmart's deli...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Amazon Web Services' new Agentic Shopping Assistant and the growing battle for control of customer relationships in retail. Chris Walton and Shelley Huff discuss whether retailers should trust Amazon to power their AI shopping experiences, why customer data remains one of retail's most valuable assets, and what brands must protect as commerce becomes increasingly AI-driven. The conversation also dives into agentic commerce, generative search, an...