Omni Talk Retail

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton speaks with Malin Andrée, Global Retail Industry Leader at EY, and Steven Bailey, Americas Retail Leader at EY Studio+, about how AI could fundamentally reshape the future of retail over the next decade. Drawing from EY’s latest retail futures report, the conversation explores four possible sc...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from day two of World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton talks with Andreas von Paleske, CEO of Naivas, about scaling one of East Africa’s fastest-growing grocery retailers while balancing operational discipline, employee development, and technology transformation. Drawing from his background in private equity, Andreas shares how Naivas g...

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group , Mirakl , Ocampo Capital , Infios , Quorso and Veloq , Chris Walton and special guest Shelley Huff, former CEO of Serta Simmons Bedding, former Walmart executive, and current co-founder of The Interval community, discussed: • An AI-powered retail store in San Francisco run by “Luna,” an AI agent managing...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton speaks with Scott Price, Group Chief Executive of DFI Retail Group, about how one of Asia’s largest retail groups is driving omnichannel growth, loyalty innovation, and AI transformation across its business. Scott explains how DFI has doubled online order volumes, increased ecommerce penetrati...

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Duvo and Mirakl . In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses: Target asks 150 remote merchandising employees to relocate to its Minneapolis headquarters or accept severance, as new CEO Michael Fiddelke bets on in-person collaboration to rebuild the retailer's merchandising authority and execute its turnaround strategy...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton chats with Paolo Bonsignore, Commercial and Marketing Director at Coop Italian Food, to discuss why private label can no longer compete on price alone. Paolo shares how Coop Italian Food has evolved private label into a true point of differentiation by building emotionally driven brands, categ...

In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton connects with Kristin Wolf, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer at Ulta Beauty, to discuss how one of beauty retail’s biggest players is thinking about long-term growth, AI, and global expansion. Kristin shares how her newly created executive role reflects Ulta’s focus on balancing core busine...

In this Omni Talk Retail episode, recorded live at World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton sits down with David Boynton, Managing Director of Northern Europe at Pandora, for a conversation on the evolving intersection of AI, physical retail, and emotional commerce. Drawing from leadership roles across brands including The Body Shop, L'Occitane, and Charles Tyrwhitt, David shares why sto...

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Duvo and Mirakl . In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses: Walmart's 2026 Annual Report reveals $713 billion in revenue and 24% global e-commerce growth to $150.4 billion, as new CEO John Furner leans hard into AI and Supercenters make a meaningful comeback. Lowe's expands its partnership with Relex Solutions to un...

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Duvo and Mirakl . In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses: Home Depot i s rolling out an AI voice agent phone system to all U.S. stores after a 50-store pilot showed the technology resolves customer calls four times faster than traditional phone menus, while keeping human associates in the loop for complex inquirie...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five Lightning Round segment closes out the show with rapid-fire questions, unexpected takes, and a few laughs. Chris Walton and Ben Miller go from Danny DeVito tattoos to must-have Apple products and debate their Eddie Murphy Mount Rushmore, all while wrapping up a packed episode from London. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #LightningRound, #DannyDeVito, #Apple, #...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Aldi’s new modular store format and why it could unlock faster expansion across the U.S. Chris Walton and Ben Miller break down how flexibility in store design supports acquisitions, real estate strategy, and long-term growth for one of the fastest-growing grocers in the world. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #RetailNews, #Aldi, #GroceryRetail...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Walmart’s first major redesign of its Great Value private label brand in over a decade. Chris Walton and Ben Miller discuss how packaging, perception, and pricing power all play into private label growth and why this move could help Walmart win with higher-income shoppers. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #RetailNews, #Walmart, #PrivateLabel, #...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Instacart’s acquisition of InstaLeap and what it signals about the company’s global ambitions. Chris Walton and Ben Miller discuss why relationships with grocers may be just as valuable as technology and how this move could accelerate Instacart’s platform and retail media strategy worldwide. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #RetailNews, #Instac...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Starbucks’ new ChatGPT-powered drink discovery experience and whether it actually improves the customer journey. Chris Walton and Ben Miller debate if this is meaningful innovation or just experimentation, and question whether AI integrations like this solve real problems or create unnecessary complexity. ⏩ Tune in for the full episode here. #Retai...

This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Walmart’s expansion into GLP-1 weight management and what it could mean for the future of grocery. Chris Walton and Ben Miller break down why GLP-1 adoption may significantly shift consumer spending across food categories and how Walmart is positioning itself at the center of that change through its pharmacy and digital ecosystem. ⏩ Tune in for the...

In this Omni Talk Retail episode, recorded live at Retail Technology Show 2026 in London from the Vusion podcast studio, Chris Walton caught up with George Sullivan, CEO & Founder of The Sole Supplier, to unpack why culture still sits at the center of sneaker and streetwear commerce. George shares how a personal obsession with sneakers turned into one of the UK’s leading platforms for discover...

In this Omni Talk Retail episode, recorded live at Retail Technology Show 2026 in London from the Vusion podcast studio, Chris Walton speaks with Richard Lim, CEO and Founder of Retail Economics, about the accelerating pace of change reshaping retail. Richard shares how today’s macroeconomic environment, from inflation pressures to global energy shifts, is forcing retailers to rethink how they ope...

In this Omni Talk Retail episode, recorded live at Retail Technology Show 2026 in London from the Vusion podcast studio, Chris Walton speaks with Marisa Poster, Co-Founder of PerfectTed, about how a deeply personal founder story turned into a fast-scaling global consumer brand. Marisa shares how her own experience with anxiety and ADHD shaped the creation of PerfectTed, and why leaning into that s...

In this Omni Talk Retail episode, recorded live at the Retail Technology Show 2026 in London, Chris Walton speaks with Simone Oloman, Co-Founder and CEO of NIFT, about how instant delivery is reshaping retail expectations. Simone breaks down the idea behind “Need It For Tonight,” a platform turning stores into hyper-local fulfillment centers with 90-minute and same-day delivery. She explains why s...

In this Omni Talk Retail episode, recorded live at the Retail Technology Show 2026 in London, Chris Walton speaks with Nikki Baird, VP of Strategy & Product at Aptos, about what is actually shaping the future of retail. Nikki explains why every meaningful technology decision must start with the consumer, and how understanding shifts in behavior is what ultimately drives operations, strategy, a...

In this Omni Talk Retail episode, recorded live at Retail Technology Show 2026 in London, Chris Walton is honored to talk with Archie Norman, Chairman of Marks & Spencer, about what it really takes to lead a successful business turnaround in today’s retail environment. Archie shares why struggling organizations often create internal narratives that mask reality, and explains how transformation...

In this Omni Talk Retail episode, recorded live at Retail Technology Show 2026 in London from the Vusion podcast studio, Chris Walton sits down with Maria Hollins, CEO of Ann Summers, to discuss what it takes to lead a bold brand in a highly restricted digital landscape. Maria shares her unconventional journey to the CEO role and explains how Ann Summers found itself losing clarity by softening it...

In this Omni Talk Retail episode, recorded live at Retail Technology Show 2026 in London, Chris Walton speaks with Kate Hardcastle, also known as the Customer Whisperer, about what truly drives consumer behavior in today’s retail landscape. Kate shares why shopping is fundamentally emotional, not rational, and explains how brands often misread customers by relying too heavily on data without under...

In this Omni Talk Retail episode, recorded live at Retail Technology Show 2026 in London from the Vusion podcast studio, Chris Walton speaks with Meriel Neighbour, Director of Technology Delivery and Transformation at River Island, about what it really takes to execute large-scale transformation in retail today. Meriel shares her unique career journey from hospitality into retail technology, and h...