REMARKABLE
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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.
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
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.
May 19, 2026
Reimagining the Mall with Simon Property Group's Eric Sadi, Plus Why Stores Still Matter and On Keeps Running.
Simon Property Group's Eric Sadi joins Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc to make the case for the modern mall as a "third place"—not a relic, but a reimagined destination pulling billions of visits a year. Plus: inflation's quiet return, standout earnings from On and The RealReal, Amazon's latest AI move, and yet another lazy media narrative about the death of stores. Spoiler: the obituaries are still wrong.
May 12, 2026
Retail's Great Concentration, Tapestry's Comeback, and the Dumbest Story of the Year
Amazon, Walmart, and Costco aren't just winning—they're pulling away. In episode 301, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc unpack "Retail's Great Concentration": why growth is accruing to a shrinking group of super-scalers, what it means for everyone else, along with the critical difference between buying and shopping. Plus: strong earnings from Tapestry and Warby Parker, the GameStop-eBay bizarro story, Saks Global's restructuring, and what the FIFA World Cup means for retail, dynamic pricing, and possibly world peace.
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
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