Episodes

What does it really take to build and sustain a successful retail business over 50+ years? Live from Retail Technology Show 2026 in London, Chris Walton welcomes Touker Suleyman, Dragon’s Den investor and retail veteran, to break down the fundamentals that still matter most in today’s rapidly evolving retail landscape. Touker shares why brand, product, customer service, and cash flow remain the foundation of any successful business, and why too many entrepreneurs today are making the same cost...

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 CEO Corie Barry announces she will step down on October 31st, with Jason Bonfig, the company's Chief Customer, Product and Fulfillment Officer, named as her successor amid years of stagnating revenue and earnings. Dick's Sporting Goods partners with Adobe to roll out AI-powered digital coaches through its mobile app, delivering personalized pro...

Luxury retail is not about faster conversion. It is about deeper connection. At Retail Technology Show 2026 in London, Chris Walton sits down with Will Lockie, Global Digital Director at Noble Panacea, to explore how luxury brands approach digital differently, from storytelling and discovery to personalization and AI. Will shares why high-consideration products require more investment in education and emotion, how brands should think about AI as a tool for real-time personalization, and why th...

There is no version of modern retail where ESG, sourcing, and quality operate separately anymore. Live from Retail Technology Show 2026 in London, Chris Walton sits down with Sophie Rycroft, Group ESG, Sourcing & Quality Director at Debenhams Group, to discuss how one of the UK’s largest digital retail groups is aligning sustainability, supply chain transparency, and product quality into a single strategy. Sophie explains why data is the foundation of everything from ESG reporting to operation...

How do you build a retail brand around one of the most emotional, time-sensitive moments in a customer’s life? Live from Retail Technology Show 2026 in London, Chris Walton connects with Sarah Ashby, Interim CEO & COO of Mamas & Papas, to discuss how the brand is redefining the parenting retail journey through service, timing, and trust. Sarah explains why winning the first-time parent is everything, how Mamas & Papas supports customers through a highly predictable yet overwhelming journey, an...

Live from Retail Technology Show 2026 in London, Omni Talk Retail’s Chris Walton sits down with Katya Denike, Chief Product Officer at Holland & Barrett, to discuss how one of Europe’s leading wellness retailers is using technology, product thinking, and AI to transform the customer experience. Katya shares why Holland & Barrett brought its mobile app in-house, how it grew from a struggling outsourced platform into a major digital growth driver, and why retailers should own the products that cr...

How do you deliver world-class luxury service to millions of annual visitors while preserving exclusivity, personalization, and the magic of in-store retail? Live from Retail Technology Show 2026 in London, Chris Walton sits down with Mark Blundell, Chief Retail Officer at Harrods, to discuss how one of the world’s most iconic retailers continues to set the standard for customer experience, service, and innovation. Mark explains how Harrods maintains exceptional standards through customer feed...

How do you scale a luxury brand without losing what made customers love it in the first place? Live from Retail Technology Show 2026 in London, Chris Walton sits down with Sebastian Picardo, CEO of Monica Vinader, to discuss the future of modern luxury retail. Sebastian shares lessons from leadership roles at Alexander McQueen, Net-a-Porter, and Burberry, plus what it takes to grow Monica Vinader across the UK, US, and beyond. Key Topics Covered: • Why great luxury retail always starts with ...

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, recorded live from London and sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso and Veloq, Chris Walton and special guest Ben Miller of Shoptalk discussed: Walmart expanding its Better Care platform into GLP-1 weight management, connecting pharmacy, telehealth, nutrition, and same-day delivery into one ecosystem (Source) Starbucks launching a beta experience inside ChatGPT to recommend and build drink orders while ...

In this Omni Talk Retail episode, recorded live at Retail Technology Show 2026 in London from the Vusion podcast studio, Chris Walton sits down with Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, to discuss the biggest policy and economic forces shaping UK retail today. Helen explains how the BRC is helping retailers navigate inflationary pressure tied to global supply chain disruption, rising energy costs, and mounting regulatory complexity. She also shares why upcoming emp...

How do you run a global fashion marketplace serving 18 million active customers across 200 markets while keeping assortment fresh, fulfillment fast, and brand partnerships strong? Live from Retail Technology Show 2026 in London, Chris Walton sits down with Shazmeen Malik, Partner Brands and Flexible Fulfillment Director at ASOS, to discuss how ASOS is evolving its marketplace model through smarter fulfillment, curated brand growth, and AI-powered merchandising. Shazmeen explains how ASOS balan...

In this Omni Talk Retail episode, recorded live at Retail Technology Show 2026 in London from the Vusion podcast studio, Chris Walton sits down with Jamie Kristow, CEO of Cotswold Outdoor Group, to discuss how the company is modernizing specialty outdoor retail through service, store innovation, and retail media. Jamie shares how Cotswold Outdoor is leveraging its expertise-led store model to help customers shop confidently for premium outdoor gear, while also transforming the in-store experien...

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: California's AG releases unredacted documents alleging Amazon strong-armed brands like Levi's and Hanes into pressuring Walmart, Target, and others to raise prices, adding fuel to a multi-front antitrust battle heading to trial in 2027. Party City makes a surprise retail comeback inside more than 700 Staples stores nationwide, pairing party supplies wit...

In this Retail Technology Spotlight episode, Armen Mkrtchyan, CEO and co-founder of Extuitive, joins Omni Talk to tackle one of the oldest problems in advertising and to show how AI is finally cracking it. John Wanamaker famously said, "Half of my ads don't work. I just don't know which half." Nearly 200 years later, that problem hasn't gone away. It's actually gotten worse. Armen breaks down how Extuitive's AD Intelligence Engine uses a fusion of real consumer panel data (150,000 people, compl...

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 is piloting store-based fulfillment of third-party marketplace orders in Dallas, using AI to route shipments and cut delivery windows from one to two days down to as little as three hours. Home Depot is exploring a $157 million, 414,000-square-foot distribution center in Yaphank, New York, designed to deliver big and bulky goods like lumber and ...

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 expands its Better Care Services platform with five new virtual care and nutrition partners, positioning itself to own the full GLP-1 customer journey, across its nearly 4,600-pharmacy footprint. Aldi pilots a new globally unified, modularly adaptable store format in the U.S., the culmination of a 14-year collaboration with Landini Associates, t...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five Lightning Round segment closes out the show with rapid-fire questions on pop culture, personal stories, and unexpected hot takes. Chris Walton, Jennifer Meyers, and John Benson debate Team Alex Cooper vs. Team Alex Earle, share strange DoorDash experiences, discuss the Little House on the Prairie reboot, and weigh in on the Boston Marathon. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #LightningRound #AlexCooper #AlexEarle #DoorDash #LittleHouseOnThePrairie #BostonMarat...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores reports that Old Navy may launch a new standalone concept called Old Navy Sport focused on affordable activewear. Chris Walton, Jennifer Meyers, and John Benson debate whether Old Navy can carve out space in the crowded athleisure market and if Gap Inc. can balance Old Navy Sport with Athleta. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #OldNavy #GapInc #Athleisure #Activewear #RetailExpansion #ApparelIndustry #ConsumerTrends #FashionRetail #OmniTalk #...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Dollar General’s rollout of AI-powered in-store audio advertising to thousands of locations nationwide. Chris Walton, Jennifer Meyers, and John Benson discuss whether in-store audio could become the next major retail media channel or simply annoy shoppers. They also examine how AI is changing the way retailers monetize store traffic. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #DollarGeneral #RetailMedia #AIAdvertising #ArtificialIntelligence #RetailTe...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Burger King’s nationwide hiring push and the momentum behind its Reclaim the Flame turnaround plan. Chris Walton, Jennifer Meyers, and John Benson discuss how leadership, remodels, operational upgrades, and franchise investments are helping Burger King regain relevance in the competitive QSR market. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #BurgerKing #ReclaimTheFlame #FastFood #QSR #RestaurantIndustry #FranchiseGrowth #TomCurtis #OmniTalk #Business...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Starbucks’ latest turnaround moves, including new store designs, employee bonuses, expanded tipping, and weekly pay. Chris Walton, Jennifer Meyers, and John Benson analyze whether Starbucks is successfully restoring its brand while balancing café culture, mobile ordering, and drive-thru convenience. They also debate if happier employees can lead to happier customers. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #Starbucks #BrianNiccol #CoffeeIndustry #C...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s latest shareholder letter and how the company is evolving beyond ecommerce into an AI and infrastructure powerhouse. Chris Walton, Jennifer Meyers, and John Benson discuss Amazon’s bets on robotics, logistics, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence while debating whether Amazon should still be considered a retailer at all. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #Amazon #AndyJassy #AmazonAI #RetailInnovation #RetailStr...

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 a sweeping redesign of its Great Value private label brand, refreshing packaging across nearly 10,000 items for the first time in over a decade, starting with salty snacks. Albertsons posts anemic Q4 comps of under 1% and a $480 million net loss, as IRA-driven pharmacy headwinds and a $600 million opioid settlement charge weigh heavily...

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 and special guests Jennifer Meyers and John Benson of the A&M Consumer and Retail Group discussed: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's sweeping 2026 annual letter to shareholders, covering robotics, drone delivery, satellite broadband, and AI as infrastructure (Source) Starbucks unveiling new "uplifted" store designs in Chicago while rolling out barista bonuses...