Show notes
This week we welcome Forrester's Brendan Witcher for a wide-ranging, thought provoking and no holds barred discussion of what's most important right now in retail. Among the topics we explore are what strategies are working best, why it takes a crisis for retailers to innovate, the often critical role of physical stores, and the distinction between "disruption" and "destruction" (and why many retailers should be embracing the latter). Then we move on to our fast-paced weekly segment “Remarkable or Forgettable?” where we give our hot takes on retail headlines, and deem them wow-worthy, best ignored or somewhere in between. This week's big stories include Chewy's earnings, Bed, Bath & Beyond's digital and private label dreams, Kroger's fading tailwind, Nike bids adieu to more wholesale partners, and JC Penney's alleged "green shoots." Brendan Witcher..As Vice President & Principal Analyst with Forrester Research, Brendan Witcher serves business strategy professionals and is globally recognized as a leading authority on consumer behavior, market developments, technology trends, & solution providers in the digital engagement space.With 25 years of experience in leading B2C businesses, and having written more than 150 industry-leading research reports for Forrester, Brendan is a trusted strategic adviser to well over half of U.S. Fortune 100 companies — including 8 of the top 10 — that sit at the forefront of driving innovation and digital transformation.In addition to regularly speaking at industry events, Brendan is sought after frequently for commentary and insights by top media outlets including Bloomberg, CNBC, CNN, NPR, The Economist, Time Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal.Recent ReportsBuilding The Business Case For Omnichannel CommerceIt's Time For Retail Stores To Open Their Doors To The Digital OrgAlign Strategy And Technology To Deliver Next-Gen Personalization********Join us to celebrate the release of Steve's new book.Monday, April 12 at 5pm EST. We'll be joining Trevor Sumner and other retail luminaries for a Remarkable Retail takeover of "This Week in Retail" on Clubhouse.Tuesday, April 13th at 5pm EST. Join us on Zoom for our Virtual Book Launch Celebration with special guests Seth Godin, Sucharita Kodali and many more. Space is limited, so please register here ASAP.To order Remarkable Retail click below.U.S. ResidentsCanadian ResidentsU.K. ResidentsSteve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his website. The expanded and revised edition of his bestselling book Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption will be released April 13th and is now available for preorder at Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior contributor and on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can also check out his speaker "sizzle" reel here.Michael LeBlanc is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus Global E-Commerce Tech Talks and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois. You can learn more about Michael here or on LinkedIn.
About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael’s cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.