Omni Talk Retail

Chris Niesen is back for episode 2 of Making Space Real Time, presented by the Association of Retail Consumer Professionals (aka ARC) in partnership with Omni Talk. Omni Talk CEO Chris Walton returns as guest host, and this time both Chrises walked all three stores before hitting record.In this episodeMeta Lab at Best Buy. The AI glasses and VR headset shop-in-shop launched in June and is now in 50 stores, while Meta takes its standalone labs from 8 to 14. Chris Niesen breaks down placement, design, and experience at the Roseville, MN store: strong framing and hands-on demos, but broken smart mirrors and 600 square feet of empty floor next door. Chris Walton argues the real question for Best Buy's shop-in-shops (Meta, IKEA, Yardbird) is who pays for the staffing, and explains why this was the first display that made him see a future for smart glasses.Lululemon's rough quarter. Q2 revenue fell 4.3%, comps fell 9%, women's leggings dropped 20%, and store openings are being cut as new CEO Heidi O'Neill steps in. Chris Niesen's diagnosis is that the brand no longer has a clear point of view, especially next to Alo, Vuori, and the Gymshark shop at Dick's. Chris Walton was the only customer in the store at 2 p.m. on a Saturday, and he explains why "SKU reduction" is code for "we need to focus" and why localization won't fix a product problem.Kohl's doubles down on Babies"R"Us. The concept is expanding to 56 more stores on top of the 200 opened in 2024, even as Sephora at Kohl's (about 10% of sales) keeps sliding. Chris Niesen makes the case that the stores themselves are fundamentally broken and that Kohl's should cut 20% of its fixtures and product before chasing the next shop-in-shop. Chris Walton pushes back slightly: baby could be the right traffic play, and he'd stop taking Amazon returns before he'd kill Babies"R"Us.The Checkout. Why Altar'd State is a visual merchandising standout, what Lush's Ruth Andrade told Ben Miller about walking away from social media, college sports allegiances, and favorite Christopher Nolan movies.Final Sale. Chris Walton's assignment for Chris Niesen and a future show: the 100+ Toys"R"Us pop-up stores opening this year, and whether they're Spirit Halloween part two.Timestamps0:00 Welcome and what this show is about2:11 Chris Walton on conference season4:42 Story 1: Meta Lab at Best Buy11:33 Who pays for shop-in-shop staffing?18:14 Story 2: Lululemon's quarter and what it looks like in store23:50 How new leadership should approach the turnaround28:53 Story 3: Kohl's and Babies"R"Us33:42 Is Babies"R"Us the right move?37:41 The Checkout42:16 Final Sale: Toys"R"Us pop-ups43:16 Wrap-upLinksWatch on YouTube: youtube.com/omnitalkretailListen: search "Omni Talk Retail" wherever you get your podcastsChris Niesen's writing: chrisniesen.substack.comNew episodes every other week. If you enjoyed the conversation, please leave a like or a review. We'll see you on the floor.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by R&S Logistics, ZenlineAI, and Mirakl.In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:McDonald's launches the McDonald's Media Network, piloting third-party ads on drive-thru menu boards with its sights set on a $1 billion ad business.DoorDash adds Macy's, Anthropologie, The North Face, Vans, and Timberland to its marketplace and launches $7.99 Dasher Returns.Shopify opens checkout to browser-based AI agents, going the opposite direction of Amazon, which is blocking them.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail news.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Quorso, Veloq, and R&S Logistics, Chris Walton is trying something he’s never done before: going solo.Coming to you from a hotel room in Nashville after a whirlwind stretch of conference travel, Chris takes on all five headlines himself, with Producer Ella stepping in to put him on the spot with the questions from the A&M Consumer and Retail Group. And this week, there’s a pretty clear theme running through the show: who gets to control the customer, whether it’s an AI agent, a delivery platform, a retailer, or even a company-issued shirt.Chris digs into five of the biggest stories in retail this week, including:• Amazon blocking Meta’s new Muse AI shopping agent from Amazon.com, raising the question of who ultimately holds the power in agentic commerce: the AI super app or the e-commerce marketplace. (Source)• Tapestry making Coach and Kate Spade products purchasable through Google’s Gemini app and AI Mode, bringing the battle over who owns the customer and checkout moment into focus. (Source)• Kroger rolling out a new dress code for nearly 400,000 store associates, as Chris weighs whether a more recognizable workforce can help improve the in-store experience. (Source)• Amazon letting retailers offer Prime delivery directly on their own websites, prompting the question: gift to mid-sized retailers or Trojan horse? (Source)• Lowe’s teaming up with DoorDash and Wing to offer 20-minute drone delivery on more than 100 home improvement essentials. (Source)Then Producer Ella takes over the lightning round, putting Chris on the spot about the greatest retail employee uniform of all time, one night in Nashville vs. Vegas, the one thing he wants delivered to his backyard by drone, and whether camera-free AI smart glasses might finally convince him to buy in.P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/P.P.S. Also be sure to check out our podcast rankings on Feedspot.Music by hooksounds.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by R&S Logistics, ZenlineAI, and Mirakl.In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:McDonald's faces scrutiny over a Reuters report that it uses AI to set location-by-location menu prices, with franchisees saying they feel pressured to comply.Marks & Spencer and Sephora partner to open Sephora at M&S shop-in-shops in 100 UK stores and online starting spring 2027.Toast launches Toast Fuel, putting pump payments, in-store retail, and foodservice on one platform for independent convenience store operators.The Retail Daily Minute has been rocketing up the Feedspot charts, so stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail news.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

In this episode, sponsored by Instacart Enterprise, Portager, Vusion, and Sifter Solutions, Ben Miller is joined by Jordan Berke, Founder & CEO of retail consultancy TOMORROW, for his first time on GrocerTalk. Jordan shares a little about his retail background and the work he’s doing at TOMORROW before he and Ben jump into surveillance pricing, the realities of rapid delivery, AI hype becoming reality, and whether retailers are actually listening to their shoppers.This week, they discuss:• Seattle approving its Fair and Transparent Pricing policy to ban so-called “surveillance pricing,” and Walmart CEO John Furner laying out the principles that will guide Walmart’s use of AI and pricing technology. (Source) (Source)• Tesco store employees raising concerns about the operational impact of its Uber Eats and Deliveroo partnerships, and what grocers need to consider as more ecommerce fulfillment shifts into stores. (Source)• Instacart CEO Chris Rogers’ claim that AI will transform grocery more than any other retail category, what AI shopping agents could mean for the industry, and the growing questions around who ultimately owns the customer relationship. (Source) (Source)• Sam’s Club giving its members a bigger role in shaping what it sells through its Member’s Mark Community, which now includes more than 200,000 shoppers providing feedback on products, merchandising decisions and the broader member experience. (Source)Plus, Jordan joins Ben for GrocerTalk Grab & Go, where they share the grocery stories that have caught their attention this week. Ben digs into Instacart’s latest marketplace partnerships, including Dollar General joining the platform with no price markups, and keeps an eye on the potential sale of Tesco’s Central European operations.A few things worth checking out from this week’s episode:Catch up on Omni Talk’s Groceryshop 2026 coverage, including conversations with some of the biggest names across grocery, retail, technology and CPG. Watch the latest interviews and episodes across the Omni Talk LinkedIn page, podcast channels and YouTube.Episode 007. Welcome to GrocerTalk.P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/Music by hooksounds.com.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy