The Voice of Retail

Meet Alicia Chin, Director of Sustainability and Social Impact at VF Corporation, who discusses activewear brand and retailer icebreaker's open admission of falling short in their 100% plastic-free ambition. We delve into the challenges, the progress made, and how their transparency sets a precedent for retail industry-wide sustainability efforts. Hear about icebreaker's innovative approaches and their pledge to ongoing improvement in this episode that is perfect for the times.

Meet Deb Craven, President of Longo's, one of Canada's most popular grocery stores with dozens of locations and more on the way across Southern Ontario. I joined Deb in the Longo's Store Support offices, and we talked about leadership and what it takes to innovate and compete in the crowded Southern Ontario grocery marketplace. Deb also previews her upcoming keynote for Retail Council of Canada's Retail HR conference on April 25th. Learn more and get your tickets today: https://rcchrconference.ca/

Meet Rose Patten, one of Canada's pre-eminent business and strategic thinkers. We talk about her life, stellar career, role as Chancellor of the University of Toronto, and her book, Intentional Leadership, a book filled with insights on strategy and leadership that you need to hear again, or for the first time, in my interview from spring 2023.

Gary Hawkins is a visionary and retail industry treasure whose deep industry knowledge combines operational experience and technology savvy to provide a unique perspective. Gary joins Michael to discuss his fourth book, coming this April but available for pre-order now, "Bionic Retail: How to Thrive in an Exponential World."

Jim Fielding's dynamic career has spanned senior leadership roles at top global brands, including Disney, DreamWorks, and Twentieth Century Fox, anchored in experience and an early career at The Gap, Lands' End, and as CEO of Claire's Stores; He joins me in an exclusive interview to talk about this new book ALL PRIDE, NO EGO: A Queer Executive's Journey to Living and Leading Authentically with leadership, retail and life lessons you need to hear.

Retail Transformation maven Oliver Banks is back on the podcast live from the U.K., discussing his new book, "Driving Retail Transformation: How to Navigate Disruption and Change." Using a clever set of automotive metaphors, Oliver takes us through his retail transformation steering wheel tool. He takes us to a better place in our journey to becoming a high-performing retailer.

Bill Moir, Managing Director and EVP Canada for Specsavers is back on the podcast as this Vancouver-based international retailer celebrates the opening of its 100th store in Canada, including a successful launch in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia, with plans for expansion into Manitoba. Together, we unpack the successful business model and marketing strategies that have powered Specsavers rapid growth in Canada, lessons learned, and their winning formula for better eyecare for Canadians.

Meet Marshal Kay, Global Director, Retail Transformation Services for Avery Dennison Smartrac, who takes us through the retail business case for RFID, from supper accurate inventory to Loss Prevention, seamless self-checkout and more, and what it takes to break through with this robust process and technology solution.

Meet Alyssa Rade, chief sustainability officer at Sustain.life, a leading carbon accounting platform, where she leads the company’s strategy for product content, guiding retailers across North America on their decarbonization and ESG journeys. Alyssa unpacks the complexities of carbon accounting for all of us, providing a uniform model for retailers, brands and vendors in tracking, reporting and understanding their decarbonization work.

Something different on the podcast for this episode: Meet Ariela Nerubay, EVP & Chief Marketing Officer at Curacao retail stores, a fellow 2024 ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert and leader in ethnic and modern marketing strategies and tactics. You might not recognize the LA-based retail stores she leads, but the insights, challenges and opportunities translate well on the mic and across the border.

The past, current and future state of Retail Media Networks are in the spotlight in this dynamic, live interview from the ReThink Retail podcasting studio on the NRF Big Show show floor in New York City with Aran Hamilton, Co-Founder & CEO of Toronto's Vantage. Aran is a pioneer in the retail media space and offers valuable lessons and powerful insights for retailers and brands of all sizes regarding the scope and future of this much-talked-about revolution.

Meet Toronto-based Michael Bungay Stanier, best known for The Coaching Habit, the best-selling coaching book of the century, today talking with me about his most recent book, How to Work with (Almost) Anyone. It's a fantastic conversation. Michael is a thoughtful and engaging guest, and we talk about the hard truth: most of us leave the health and fate of our at-work relationships to chance. We say "Hi," exchange pleasantries, hope for the best, and immediately get into the work. Through our conversation and his book, Michael shows and tells us how to build the Best Possible Relationship with the key people at work.

Jim Harris, one of North America's foremost thinkers on disruption and innovation, is back on the podcast sharing his experiences and insights from CES, the world's biggest technology conference, and the World Economic Forum in Davos. Jim has been attending these important events for decades and takes us inside with his informed perspective for retailers.

The one and only Kristina Rogers, Global EY Consumer Chairwoman, is back on the podcast with the latest powerful insights from her 13th Future Consumer Index report. Climate change is becoming a growing reality for people worldwide and Canada, disrupting ingrained consumption habits. If you think COVID-19 shocked consumer behaviour, brace yourself for what happens next.

Welcome to a new year, and maybe a new you, regarding your perspectives around leadership. My special guest is Steve Worthy, who, with over 27 years of North American on the front lines as a senior retail store leader and operator, brings a unique mix of executive coaching, training, and real-world experience to senior retail leaders and corporate teams.

In this episode, a lift from my Global eCommerce Leaders #podcast presented by StreamCommerce, meet the force of nature that is Jenna Flateman Posner, just two months into her new gig with innovative home products brand, wholesaler and direct-to-consumer retailer Solo Brands. We cover a lot of ground in this interview, not unlike what Jenna did as a University athlete and member of the USA Women's Sevens rugby team.

In a wide-ranging conversation, meet two of Best Buy Canada's standout veteran retail leaders: Mat Povse, Senior Vice President of Operations, and Eric Stockner, Vice President and Category Officer for Food, Home, and Baby. Mat and Eric join me on the mic to talk about big-picture trends, the current and future state of product innovation, this year's Black Friday performance (and what the point of Black Friday anyway), and what it takes to win the retail game in 2024 and beyond.

Meet Michael Appel, a seasoned senior executive with over 50 years of experience in the retail industry, including turnaround CEO at Rue21. As the Managing Director at New York-based Getzler Henrich & Associates, he leads the Retail Practice for the firm, specializing in operational turnarounds for retail businesses.

Live from the main stage at RCC's Retail Sustainability conference in Toronto, my discussion with two visionary retail leaders, Geraldine Huse, President of P&G Canada, and George Soleas, President and CEO of LCBO, as they offer invaluable insights from their respective organization's journeys to net zero, spotlighting the innovations, cultural changes, triumphs and tribulations on their paths to real sustainable change.

Back on the pod for what has become an annual Holiday tradition just like Turkey and egg nog, Eric Morris, Managing Director and Head of Retail for Google Canada, joins me on the mic, sharing the kind of insights that retailers need to know from a trusted partner whose hand is on the pulse of the zeitgeist of our times.

The one and only Rob Garf, Vice President and GM for retail at global powerhouse Salesforce, is back on the pod sharing exclusive insights and strategies for retailers on how to win Holiday and helping us get ready with predictions for an unpredictable 2024

In this fun, fast-paced and insightful episode, Selwyn shares highlights of his twenty-year journey at IKEA, first impressions of the business environment, and ambitions for growth and diversification for this purpose-led retail brand in Canada for 47 of its 80 years of this global home furnishing and lifestyle powerhouse.

Meet Marianne Lewis, Dean of the Carl H. Lindner College of Business and co-author of the breakthrough book from the Harvard Business Review Press, Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems in this Encore Episode from Summer 2022.

On this episode, Mylène Champagne, Director of Environmental and Technical Risks for Metro & Sam Kashani, Country Director for Too Good To Go Canada, continue the original discussion that we had at RCC's Retail Sustainability conference live on the stage with me about why collaboration is the only effective, measurable way to fight food waste at a mass scale and why profitability doesn't have to come at a price when it comes to food waste.

Meet Emily Hosie, Founder & CEO of Toronto-based Rebelstork. Emily recognized a massive void in a baby retail market ripe for innovation. She leveraged her experience at TJX and Saks Off Fifth as a top buyer, building an AI-powered platform for overstock, open box and quality used baby gear. Rebelstork has saved over 150,000 pieces of baby gear from ending up in landfill, and it is just getting started!

In this episode, meet Patrice Mousseau, CEO, Founder Satya Organic Skin Care, an inspiring West-Coast based skincare entrepreneur who's travelled a unique journey. Starting from a media background, she's built a breakthrough skincare brand over the past decade. As an award-winning indigenous entrepreneur, her approach to product development differs, promoting inclusivity. Patrice reflects on the changing landscape for indigenous female founders, shares valuable advice for retailers and aspiring entrepreneurs, and hints at an exciting future in her entrepreneurial journey.

Lee Jeyes is back from a cross-Canada tour and on the mic ready to share his insights and advice around pragmatic retail innovation informed by years of experience, most formerly as Walmart Canada's Head of Innovation. Get ready for a great conversation as we explore Where Retail Meets Innovation, and hear Lee's advice for retailers and brands of all sizes on how they can drive the innovation agenda in your enterprise.

Meet Silicon Valley trailblazer Atif Rafiq, who shares his extensive background and insights gleaned from a comprehensive and pioneering experience at Amazon, Volvo, and McDonald, the distinction of being the first Chief Digital Officer in the history of the Fortune 500. We're together to discuss his new book, Decision Sprint: The New Way to Innovate into the Unknown and Move from Strategy to Action.

Live from Dublin, meet Martin Bailie, a global retail executive with an impressive 30 years of proven expertise and experience within the global food and fashion retail industries, including c-Level roles at Lidel, Primark and Tata/Tesco in India. In a wide-ranging conversation, mics across the pond, we cover the critical issues in modern retail from a European operator's perspective with someone on the front lines of retail innovation and retail technological change his whole career.

Meet veteran retail marketer Kathy Tsolakos, Vice President Marketing, Ecommerce & Visual Presentation- PENN. at Reitmans Canada Ltée/Ltd. She takes us through an exciting career and prepares us for her panel, "Modern Marketing: Where Storytelling Meets Community," at the upcoming RCC Retail Marketing conference.

Back on the podcast in a new role, veteran retailer Corey Gillon joins us as the CEO at Peninsula Co-op, a Victoria, B.C.-based multi-business unit retailer specializing in fuel & convenience, liquor and grocery. Tons of great insights from this global retailer whose career has spanned massive retailers to cannabis start-ups.

Meet Chief Strategy Officer and now author Chelsey Paulson as she takes us through her experience accelerating business cultures for long-term success, articulated in her fabulous new book The Culture Climb: How To Build A Work Culture That Maximizes Your Impact.

Meet Alison Hartnoll, Vice President, Unified Commerce and Marketing at Mastermind Toys, as she takes us inside this Canadian specialty retailer's e-commerce and retail story and gives us a preview of her panel "A Marketer's Guide to Seamless Customer Retail Journeys" at the upcoming RCC Retail Marketing Conference.

Meet Albert Chow, the Co-Founder and CEO of Silk & Snow, a digitally native retailer of thoughtfully made sleep essentials, ranked as one of Canada's top-growing companies by the Globe & Mail and Canadian Business and joining Endy and Casper as a recent addition to Sleep Country's fantastic roster of properties—a great story of inspiration and perspiration, a true Canadian eCommerce and soon-to-be physical retail success story.

My guest on this episode is Rob Smith, veteran retailer and now the CEO and Founder of The Phluid Project, GET Phluid, and The Phluid Phoundation; he has created a brand, combining his profession with his passion and a commitment to social justice.

In a special summer encore episode, my guest is Carolyn Dewar, Canadian senior partner at McKinsey & Company and co-author of the bestselling "CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish The Best Leaders from the Rest."

In a special summer encore episode, the one and only Wes Hall is on the podcast from a popular episode in 2022 to talk about his book "No Bootstraps When You're Barefoot: My rise from a Jamaican plantation shack to the boardrooms of Bay Street." Wes shares his story and advice for retailers on how they can genuinely help black entrepreneurs and adds hints for anyone who winds up in front of him on CBC's Dragon's Den

Welcome to a special summer encore episode of the podcast that is worth a second (or perhaps you're first) listen. In this episode, The Power of Regret: An Exclusive Feature Interview with Best-Selling Author Dan Pink. In his quest to reclaim the power of regret as a force for good, Dan wrote a breakthrough book that speaks to regret as a key component of human existence - an emotion that prompts us to look backwards in order to clarify how we want to move forwards.

Meet Jim Harris, one of North America’s foremost management consultants, public speakers, authors and thinkers on change and leadership. Jim and I finally met in person here in Toronto at the big Collision Tech conference, and who better to join me on the mic to give us a review and overview of the conference that attracted almost 40,000 global technorati, plus tap into his insights about the big picture tech trends that retailers need to know.

Veteran retailer, entrepreneur, investor and friend of the pod David Lui is back this episode with his new business partner, Canadian retail legend Joe Mimran in an exclusive interview to talk about buying Vancouver's Kit & Ace, a retailer with an origin story that goes back almost a decade to it's founding by Lululemon lead designer Shannon Wilson and son JJ Wilson. We talk about their impression of the brand today, what makes it great, and growth plans for this innovative apparel retailer.

Meet Brain Corp CEO David Pinn, leader of an AI software tech company that powers the world's largest fleet of autonomous mobile robots operating in commercial indoor public spaces, including retail stores and warehouses. We spoke just before David was to join us in Toronto for the big Collison tech conference and gathered his thoughts on the current and future state of AI in retail.

In this pickup from my Remarkable Retail #podcast with Steve Dennis, America's No.1 retail industry podcast, renowned author, entrepreneur, and leadership teacher, Seth Godin returns to the podcast to discuss his incredibly timely and urgent new book:The Song of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams.

Meet Marcus Collins, the architect of some of the most famous ad campaigns of the last decade, who argues that culture is the most powerful vehicle for influencing behaviour in his new book "For the Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be"

Meet Amanda Amar, Senior Director of PR & Social Media with ALDO, as she takes us through some of its most successful Influencer Marketing campaigns ever and how this Canadian brand uses Influencer Marketing to meet consumers with the content they want to see on social platforms and drive traffic and sales

Greetings and welcome to a special episode recorded live in the on-site Stream Commerce podcasting studio at the Los Angeles Global eCommerce Leaders Forum in early 2023. In this episode, we meet Jon Safran, Chief Executive Officer, KEH Camera, a leading re-commerce company and the World's Largest Pre-Owned Camera Dealer. They have a constantly replenished inventory of over 65,000 items in stock and have had a stellar customer service reputation since 1979.

In this episode, meet Muhammad Mohamedy, General Manager of Healthy Planet Canada, who shares with me the origin story and incredible trajectory of a retail company thriving in the health and wellness retail space, recently adding four new stores and ambitious growth and expansion plans.

Meet Kelly Mawhinney, Partner at Mercer, recorded together live on the mainstage recently at the RCC Retail HR conference. In a wide-ranging and fact-based plus experienced-based conversation, we learn how retailers and HR professionals from other industries are navigating the roadblocks of talent attraction, the varied needs of in-store and hybrid team members, and the expectations of a values-driven workforce.

On this episode, my guest is Soren Kaplan, author of the new book Experiential Intelligence, Harness the Power of Experience for Personal and Business Breakthroughs. Soren shares how his unusual early life experiences shaped his resilience and framework through which he saw the world and how this essential 3rd level of intelligence (after IQ and EQ) makes for successful, agile and resilient leaders.

On this episode, I welcome back to the podcast Scott Arsenault CEO at Ren's Pets, to catch up with this fast-moving pet retailer taking its philosophy of "your pet's best life" into increasingly more Canadian communities every day.

Meet Teanne von der Porten, Executive Director, ESG Advisory Services KPMG Canada, who joins me on the mic with an interview that pulls apart ESG letter-by-letter and then puts it back together again with a clear articulation of the modern imperatives that every retailer needs to understand and master to be the employer of choice, and compete and win with today's consumers.

In this episode Meet Rose Patten, O.C., one of Canada's pre-eminent business and strategic thinkers, special advisor to the CEO at BMO, an inductee to the Hall of Fame of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women, an honorary colonel of the Canadian Forces College and the 34th Chancellor of the University of Toronto.  Rose is now the author of Intentional Leadership: The Big 8 Capabilities Setting Leaders Apart. We chatted in person at her UofT offices to explore the principles and concepts of leadership well articulated in her popular new book.

Welcome to a special RCC STORE 2023 conference bonus episode. The RCC STORE Conference is Canada's biggest retail conference. Each year, STORE gathers retail experts, thought leaders, executives, brands, and their networks to gather & discuss the future of Canadian retail.   In this episode, Afdhel Aziz, one of the most inspiring leaders in the global movement of business as a force for good, shares a glimpse into his insights on how retailers can find purpose and meaning in their work and unlock the enormous power of business to do good in the world.

Montreal-based business strategist, executive advisor and retail guru Carl Boutet is back on the podcast with a wide-ranging 1:1 conversation live in the Wiseline podcasting studio during the Shoptalk 2023 conference in Las Vegas. We catch up on the latest retail technology trends, innovations, hits and misses and Carls's experiences teaching the next generation of retail leaders worldwide.

Welcome to a special RCC Retail HR conference bonus episode. On this episode, I welcome back onto the mic my good friend and colleague Kevin Graff, President of Graff Retail. Kevin is both MC'ing the RCC HR retail conference and moderating an excellent panel on the main stage. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to tap into his wisdom and vast experience training front-line retail teams to discover what success looks like for retailers in their stores in 2023.

In this episode, a special preview interview with one of the many outstanding thought leaders and change-makers taking the stage for the RCC Store conference on May 30/31st. David Shing (also known as "Shingy") is an Australian futurist, speaker, creative director, strategic digital consultant, and entrepreneur.

Welcome to a special RCC Retail HR conference bonus episode. These bonus episodes will introduce you to a few retail thought leaders and change-makers speaking at Canada's only conference for retail human resources professionals. In this episode, Tanja Fratangeli, Chief People Officer at IKEA Group, shares her background, what she'll be talking about on the stage, and two-starts, one-stop advice for retailers.

Veteran retailer April Sabral is back on the podcast, telling us about her new second book, "Incurable Positivity," and talking about her seven-step process, which can be completed in just seven days, and also shares her advice for retailers as they work to bring new people into the business and, importantly, keep their talent engaged and loyal.

Sue Hutchison, President and GM for Equifax Canada, talks about cybercrime, the state of Canadians' credit ratings and their forecast for the Canadian economy and consumer spending for 2023

From Edelman's breakthrough Gen Z Lab, Courtney Miller, Executive Vice President and Head of Strategy, Giselle Huasipoma, Gen Z Lab Ambassador, Influencer Marketing, reveal five myths about how Gen Z shops.

Award-winning digital marketing mavens and ReShift Media Founders Kirk Allen and Steve Buors join me on the podcast with the latest strategies and tactics in digital and social marketing for retailers.

Live from a boisterous NRF Big Show trade show floor in New York, Tim Mason, CEO of Eagle Eye and former Tesco CMO, is back on the podcast. While this is not Tim's first time on the podcast, it is the first time we've had the pleasure of meeting. We catch up and discuss post-COVID consumer loyalty and sorting through performance data in an inflationary retail environment.

Jim Roddy, President and CEO of the RSPA (Retail Solution Providers Association), author, coach, retail industry insider, podcaster and fellow ReThink Retail Top Global Retail Influencer, shares insights from his unique vantage point about the North American retail technology ecosystem future tech.

Digital pioneer and veteran eCommerce leader Johnny Russo is back on the podcast after several years, a new gig and a new book, "Mastering Mindful Leadership: 105 Ways to Become the Leader Your Employees Need You to Be". We catch up and talk about the current online retail environment, lessons learned, a look to the future, and the key lessons that will help you manage your teams and lead in the new world of work.

David Wilkinson, President of NCR Commerce, is back on the podcast recorded live in person at the NRF show in New York City. First, we chat about our impressions of the 2023 Big Show, and then we quickly dive into some of the most compelling and fascinating issues for the retail industry. NCR is one of the world's largest suppliers of retail POS equipment; David himself, a 12-year veteran of NCR, and his team have unique insights into the future of self-checkout and POS in a world of AI, machine vision, rapid innovation and retail technological investment.

Rob Garf, Vice President and General Manager, Retail for Salesforce, is back on the podcast to share insights from the vast universe of data at his fingertips about the year that was, and with his experience and intuition as one of the sharpest analysts in retail shares predictions for the year to come.

The one and only Ron Thurston is my extraordinary guest for this episode, recorded live in person together for the first time at the NRF Big Show in New York. Ron is a retailers' retailer, a veteran store leader that turned his passion into a best-selling book, Retail Pride, which became an epic tour across America with an F150 and an Airstream to meet retailers where they live and tell their stories. I sat with Ron in the MarketDial podcasting studio to hear his story and learn his lessons from the Retail In America tour. Let's listen in now!

Kent Allen and Jim Okamura, co-founders of the successful Global eCommerce Leaders Forums and community, are back on the podcast sharing their expertise and providing us with a timely update on the state of cross-border and global eCommerce, including a view to China, Europe, LATAM and where retailers and brands should focus when looking for international growth.

Today we have a special guest, Dr. John Izzo, joining us to discuss their personal and professional journey and their insights on the world of work. John is a prolific writer with nine books and many peer-reviewed articles, and decades of experience writing and helping organizations activate purpose with employees and customers. We will delve into the COVID era and its impact on the world of work, getting his opinion on whether the changes we currently see are a result of the pandemic or were already in motion due to demographics and technology. We will discuss the gig economy, remote work, and the structures many try to adjust to or rebel against. We will also touch on the "quiet quitting" or the "work my wage" movement and its relationship to the bifurcation of wages, social justice, or just a fad.

Today, we have a special treat in store for you as we sit down with Cassie Holmes, a professor at UCLA's Anderson School of Management, a social psychologist, and author of Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most. So please sit back, relax, and get ready to be inspired, as Cassie provides us with the antidote to overscheduling and feeling like your days aren't your own!

Welcome to a special holiday episode of the podcast, a pickup of my Conversations with CommerceNext podcast featuring Canadian retail executive Carolyn Pollock, CMO of Tailored Brands.

On this episode, I discover the top ten food trends for 2023 with Jo-Ann McArthur, President at Nourish Food Marketing, who returns to the podcast to discuss her latest annual Trend Report: Food Is Transformative.

Tom Meehan, President ControlTek, a global leader in tamper-evident packaging, retail asset protection and RFID solutions, is joined by Wade Holman to talk about the latest technology and trends in store-based retail loss prevention.

Majid Charania, Director of Compliance at Competition Bureau Canada, is my guest on this episode, with the fourth and final of our series created to help us understand the laws governing and protecting retailers. In this episode, Majid talks about the culture, process, practices and concrete measures retailers can and should have regarding compliance with the law.

In this episode, a pick-up of a live webinar hosted by RCC earlier in the fall, I have the pleasure of a comprehensive, engaging, and wide-ranging conversation with Ira Kalish, Chief Global Economist, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. This is Ira's second time on the podcast. With the benefit of almost one hour of his time, we deep dive into the global economy region by region, including the current state and their prospects for growth or trouble. Next, we zero in on Canada, helping retailers understand the global forces and local impacts of our interconnected world.

In this extraordinary Black Friday and Cyber Monday bonus episode, Sean McCormick, Head of Growth Strategy, Spendscape, Moneris joins us with breaking news and real spending numbers telling us the tale of the tape for 2022 Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Meet Daniel Jenson, Major Case Director at Competition Bureau Canada, with the third of four episodes created to help us understand the laws governing and protecting retailers. In this episode, Daniel unpacks antitrust and abuse of dominance for us, providing us with a specific case study to illustrate both the concept and the tradecraft of the Bureau.

Eric Morris, Managing Director of Google Canada Retail, is back on the podcast sharing the latest research looking at some of the changing consumer habits we can expect from shoppers this holiday season and practical tips for retailers to finish strong through to 2023 and beyond!

Get Holiday ready with on-point insights from one of the savviest retailers operating today regarding consumer trends. Samir Kulkarni, CEO of Showcase, joins me on the podcast live from the RCC Retail Holiday Shopping Forum for an in-depth discussion on what makes Showcase different. We talk about their international expansion and how they see around corners to get social media trends onto the shelf in record time.

Recorded live at RCC's Retail West conference in Vancouver, Christine Day, former CEO of lululemon and international executive at Starbucks, joins me on the main stage to talk about her latest and perhaps most important venture, The House of L, R & C. We talk about the apparel industry's social impact and the retail sector's changing structure. We end with a fun rapid-fire round of questions to glean Christine's perspective on the hottest topics in Retail.

In this episode, Mountain Equipment Company CEO Eric Claus is back on the podcast, recorded live in person from the MEC Vancouver boardroom. We catch up and talk about the incredible journey of turning the business around during the COVID era, the innovative partnership with Hudson's Bay, and putting the heritage back into this modern retail brand.

Meet Jenna Watson, Senior Vice President of Digital Media for DAC, who joins me live from her office in the windy city to discuss the past, present and startling future of a new world of search marketing and SEO for retailers. Jenna sheds essential light on the all-important search results page and thoughts on mastering the many, many different media connected through this most powerful of tools for modern marketers

Meet Mark Aylward, Senior Competition Law Officer at Competition Bureau Canada, with the second of a series of four episodes created to help us understand the laws governing and protecting retailers. If you want to learn more about the Competition Bureau and how it operates, tune into the first episode of the series to learn all about it. In this episode, Mark takes us through the law and perspectives around price-fixing, collusion and cartel behaviour investigations.

On this episode, a pickup from my popular Conversations with Commerce Next podcast, meet John Hazen, the Montreal-born Chief Digital Officer at Boot Barn, a U.S. west-coast-based specialty store retail powerhouse. John describes his journey to working within a retail first brand and appreciating the cultural differences in any organization to be truly successful. Next, John talks about his deep attachment to ensuring a seamless shopping experience for his customers and the journey at Boot Barn to keep the focus and understand the power of their stores and the force multiplier that a well-architected digital strategy must become.

Meet Nicola Pfeifer, Senior Competition Law Officer, Cartels and Deceptive Marketing Practices from Competition Bureau Canada, with the first of a series of four episodes between now and the end of the year created for retailers to help them understand the laws governing and protecting retailers. In this episode, Nicola gives us an overview of Competition Bureau Canada that will provide the foundation for the series and then dives into her particular area of expertise, deceptive marketing practices.

Serial entrepreneur Chris Jones, Founder of CANNABIS XPRESS, tells us why his high quality, high speed and low prices model has seen him grow to more than a dozen retail stores in Ontario despite cannabis retail industry consolidation.

In an exclusive interview, the one and only Wes Hall join the podcast to talk about his new book "No Bootstraps When You're Barefoot: My rise from a Jamaican plantation shack to the boardrooms of Bay Street." Wes shares his story and advice for retailers on how they can genuinely help black entrepreneurs and adds hints for anyone who winds up in front of him on CBC's Dragon's Den

In this episode, meet Éric Champagne, CIO for Boutique La vie en Rose, and Olivier Roy, co-founder and CEO of Leav join the podcast together to share insights around the tradecraft of retail technology innovation and implementing frictionless in-store self-checkout solutions.

In this episode, meet Lauren Fernandes, Global Director, Thought Leadership for Nielsen IQ, joins the podcast to share the powerful insights for retailers and brand owners from their 2022 Brand Balancing Act, the global implications, and lessons for retailers in Canada.

In this episode, meet Phyl Terry, as we catch up and share experiences going back 25 years together in the eCommerce usability field and talking about his new book, Never Search Alone. Based on 25 years of experience working with thousands of leaders, the book provides a time-tested, multi-step process to find the right job now – one that sits at the intersection of hopes, dreams, and market realities.

In this episode, meet Howard Tiersky, Author of the Wall St.Journal best-selling book, Winning Digital Customers: The Antidote To Irrelevance. In a wide-ranging interview with this digital veteran, Howard takes us through his five-step roadmap to thriving in a digital world.

Kristina Rogers, Global Consumer Industries Leader, Retail for EY, is back on the podcast with an update from their Future Consumer Index looking at the quasi-post-COVID, inflation battered but more resilient and agile customer retailers face for the back half of 2022 and beyond.

Raj Grover, CEO at High Tide, is not only Canada's biggest non-franchised cannabis retailer but also one of the world's savviest consumer focussed operators in the entire industry. Raj returns to the podcast, and we catch up on two-plus years of consolidation, growth and acceleration in Canada and beyond.

On this episode, an excerpt from my Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, Lisa Perlmutter, Senior Vice President, Marketing & E-Commerce at Brilliant Earth and Lauren Thomas, Retail Reporter, CNBC talk about sustainability and sustainable competitive advantage

Meet Marianne Lewis, co-author of the breakthrough new book from the Harvard Business Review Press, Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems

Recorded live on the main stage at RCC's Toronto STORE 2022 conference in June, Ron Wilson, President of Best Buy Canada and Mat Povse, Senior Vice President Retail, Geek Squad Services & Best Buy Business, sit down with me for a lively, wide-ranging discussion covering the nature of the post-COVID era consumer, retail marketplaces, new format locations and talk about enriching retail through technology.

In this episode, Michael Medline, President and CEO of Empire Company Limited, is back on the podcast, joined by Mohit Grover, Senior Vice President, Innovation, Sustainability and Strategy, to talk about what Empire is doing at all levels around real progress in environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

In this special edition episode, I am thrilled to be sharing one of the many fantastic interviews Recorded live in person at the 2022 CommerceNext E-commerce Growth Show back in June. I sat down with some of the top trailblazers and change-makers that joined our community in New York City to discuss the future of digital commerce and share the latest strategies for E-commerce acceleration. So now, let's meet Craig Brommers, CMO American Eagle Outfitters, as he takes on the state of modern post-pandemic retail marketing and the metaverse.

According to Soon Yu in his new book "Friction: Adding Value By Making People Work For It", the idea of friction as a uniformly bad thing that needs to be rooted out is too simple, two dimensional.

In this special episode, an interview I've been looking forward to for a long time, a Canadian business icon, exceptional citizen, and one of the world's most respected entertainment operators, Ellis Jacob, CEO, Cineplex. We chat briefly about his origin story and spend lots of time talking about the state of the entertainment and movie industry, what innovation looks like in theatres across Canada, and how the changes brought on by the COVID era will forever shape the strategy of Cineplex.