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Aug 11, 2026
Amazon Surges, Luxury Splits, Wayfair Surprises, Plus Wharton's Kartik Hosanagar on Why AI Is the Customer Now
Amazon posts numbers that should worry every competitor. Shopify keeps surging. Luxury proves anything but evenly distributed. Steve and Michael break down Wayfair's turnaround, Warby Parker's mixed quarter, tariff rebates, and whether live selling has finally found its moment. Plus: live from the CommerceNext Growth Show, Wharton's Kartik Hosanagar argues AI isn't a new channel, it's a new customer — and why retailers have to pick between efficiency and meaning and not get stuck in the murky middle.
TOP EPISODES
Dec 02, 2025
Jason Buechel, Whole Foods CEO/Worldwide Head, Amazon Grocery, Plus Kohl's CEO Shake-up, eCommerce's Rewiring, and Sears' Last Christmas
Jason Buechel, CEO, Whole Foods Market and Vice President of Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores joins the pod to outline Amazon’s bold grocery ambitions. In the news segment, hosts Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc kick off this episode analyze early holiday results, the explosive rise of agentic AI, and a new CEO appointment at Kohl’s amid continued poor results. They also dig into the rewiring of e-commerce and Google's new Gemini release.
Mar 17, 2026
"Good Bookstores Selling Good Books" Our Interview with Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt
This week on the Remarkable Retail podcast, Michael LeBlanc and Steve Dennis break down the retail news shaping the global economy—from the Iran war’s impact on oil, freight and food prices to Kohl’s disappointing earnings, Dick’s Sporting Goods continued growth, and another wave of store closings at Saks Global. Then they welcome James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble, who explains how empowering local booksellers, transforming store culture and investing in people helped fuel an unexpected bookstore renaissance.
May 05, 2026
Episode 300: Pete Nordstrom on Culture, Customer Obsession, and Playing the Long Game
In this milestone 300th episode, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc sit down with Pete Nordstrom for a wide-ranging conversation on 125 years of retail excellence, omnichannel leadership, and what it takes to stay relevant. Plus: inflation, energy prices, consumer confidence, and standout earnings from Amazon, Starbucks, and Wayfair
PAST EPISODES
Aug 11, 2026
Amazon Surges, Luxury Splits, Wayfair Surprises, Plus Wharton's Kartik Hosanagar on Why AI Is the Customer Now
Amazon posts numbers that should worry every competitor. Shopify keeps surging. Luxury proves anything but evenly distributed. Steve and Michael break down Wayfair's turnaround, Warby Parker's mixed quarter, tariff rebates, and whether live selling has finally found its moment. Plus: live from the CommerceNext Growth Show, Wharton's Kartik Hosanagar argues AI isn't a new channel, it's a new customer — and why retailers have to pick between efficiency and meaning and not get stuck in the murky middle.
Jul 28, 2026
Ulta Beauty's Amiee Bayer-Thomas on Why Stores Are Queen, Plus Wayfair's Big-Box Bet and Shein's Hong Kong Pivot
Recorded live at the CommerceNext Growth Show in New York, Ulta Beauty Chief Retail Officer Amiee Bayer-Thomas explains why stores are queen, how 47 million loyalty members shop, and what a Gen Alpha study reveals about AI natives. Plus: a new tariff regime, strong June retail sales, grocery's unit decline, Albertsons' 20% stock drop, Wayfair's store expansion, Shein's Hong Kong IPO, and why flat population growth turns retail into a share fight.
Jul 14, 2026
Bombas CEO Jason LaRose on Socks, Soul, and Scale — Plus Nike Stalls While Levi's and Aritzia Soar
Recorded live at the CommerceNext Growth Show in NYC, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc welcome Jason LaRose, CEO of Bombas — the mission-driven brand behind more than 200 million essential clothing donations. LaRose shares how quality, comfort, and mission (in that order) power profitable growth across DTC, wholesale, stores, and international. Plus the news: Nike stalls, Levi's and Aritzia soar, Uniqlo marches on, Costco keeps winning, and Kroger buys Giant Eagle — scale play or relevance problem?
Jun 30, 2026
Tractor Supply CMO Kimberley Gardiner on the Power of "Life Out Here." PLUS : Grocery's Shaky Middle and Starbucks Convenience Pivot
Recorded live on the CommerceNext Growth Show main stage in NYC, Steve Dennis sits down with Kimberley "KG" Gardiner, Chief Marketing Officer of Tractor Supply Company, to unpack the "Life Out Here" strategy, and the AI-plus-human balance. Then Michael LeBlanc and Steve dig into fuel-surcharge fallout, Mark Zandi's K-shaped economy, grocery's collapsing middle, Walmart's Vibe.co buy, Starbucks' convenience pivot, and a World Cup that isn't living up to the hype.
Jun 16, 2026
The Analysts Reunited: Strong Sales, Sour Sentiment, and Tough Turnarounds
The Analysts are back. Forrester's Sucharita Kodali, Guggenheim's Simeon Siegel, and GlobalData's Neil Saunders join Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc to make sense of a contradictory earnings season: strong results, miserable sentiment. The panel digs into the K-shaped economy, GLP-1's halo across apparel and beauty, the resets at Lululemon and Nike, Macy's fragile turnaround, the wholesale comeback, AI's reality check, and why scaled value players keep winning.
Jun 09, 2026
The Fuel Powering Costco's Growth, Department Store Drama, & Off-Price Domination
On this episode of the Remarkable Retail podcast, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc break down a packed earnings season—and what it reveals about who's winning, who's stalling, and who's running out of road. They size up Macy's, Kohl's, JCPenney, Victoria's Secret, Gap, and Costco, plus the off-price sector's continued surge. Steve brings back retail observations from his trip to Portugal and Spain, while the duo digs into the race to the doorstep, Saks Global's bankruptcy exit, and what mounting geopolitical uncertainty means for retailers worldwide.
May 26, 2026
People-led, Tech-Powered with Walmart/Sam's Club Chris Nicholas (E), Plus Super Scaler Surge and Where Irony Goes to Die
Sam's Club is "people-led and tech-powered" — and Chris Nicholas, now CEO of Walmart International, explains why that distinction matters. In this encore interview, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc explore AI, membership retail, and frictionless shopping with one of Walmart's most influential leaders. They also break down a blockbuster earnings week — Walmart, Target, TJX, Home Depot, Lowe's — and close on Shein's ironic acquisition of Everlane, rising rates, and the political weight of AI.
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