The Voice of Retail

Meet modern marketing phenomenon and upcoming RCC Retail Marketing keynote speaker Neil Patel as he shares insights behind his rise to one of the top marketing voices in the world and gives us a quick preview of his upcoming mainstage presentation. Neil is a New York Times Best-Selling Author and one of the world’s most influential marketers, according to The Wall Street Journal and Forbes. He wil...

On this episode, popular guest Kristina Rogers, Global Consumer Leader, EY, is back on the podcast to discuss the latest global and Canadian consumer insights from the 14th edition of her seminal research project, The Future Consumer Index.  Launched in the early days of the COVID era, her research continues to track consumers' changing patterns and behaviours, with echoes of pandemic shopping imp...

Meet Jason Radisson, CEO and Founder of Movo, a Human Capital Management (HCM) platform that uses advanced AI to automate the process of hiring, engaging, and retaining today’s frontline workforce with his innovative AI forward solution for retailers.   About Jason Jason Radisson is a serial unicorn breeder.  His latest venture is Movo (formerly Shift One), where he is Founder & CEO, a platform th...

Raj Grover, President and CEO of High Tide, is back on the podcast to update us about the state of the retail cannabis industry in Canada and his growing universe of retail brands together as Cana Cabana, now Canada's largest non-franchise cannabis retailer with over 170 locations.  Raj talks about this recipe for commercial success and his perspectives on global expansion to the U.S., Europe and...

Meet Susan O’Brien, EVP and Chief Brand & Customer Officer at Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC). In a wide-ranging and engaging interview, we cover a lot of ground commensurate with Susan's remit, which includes all aspects of CTC’s brand, long-term strategy around customer insights, and CTC's sponsorship, community, and ESG initiatives.  For those Canadians who might have lost track, or for interna...

Meet DUER founder and CEO Gary Lenett. This Vancouver-based brand features performance fabrics beyond denim in bottoms, tops, and outerwear for both men and women. It boasts a global wholesale network of over 1,000 doors, seven retail locations in Canada and  the US, and a rapidly expanding North American e-commerce presence. Its vision is to be plastic fibre-free by 2028, and it is a success stor...

Meet Michaela Wessels , CEO and co-founder of Style Arcade. Forbes described her innovative AI merchandising solution as the 'first of its kind' for retail, so I wanted to learn more. Michaela shares her industry insights and insights into the AI-powered tool that replaces spreadsheets with intelligent analytics and digital range planning.   About Michaela With background in finance and over a dec...

Meet Sabir Semerkant , an eCommerce consulting guru with 25+ years in e-commerce and over a billion dollars in revenue growth to his credit. Sabir shares insights into his framework, which unlocks 2X-10X growth for any e-commerce business with Product-Market Fit.       Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now,...

In a wide-ranging and overdue conversation, I catch up with James Connell , one of the industry's most experienced retail marketing, customer experience, brand and omnichannel executives.  We talk about the evolution of customer experience, marketplaces, lessons learned from Asia and abroad, and his local & global consulting work here in Canada   About James James has 25+ years of senior leadershi...

Welcome to The Voice of Retail. I'm your host Michael LeBlanc. This podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada. My guest on this Encore episode from the summer of 2023 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 commitmen...

In this episode, I tap into John Lee's decades of reverse retail logistics experience.    He discusses the importance of a seamless customer returns process, reasons for cart abandonment due to unclear return methods, and strategies using data analytics and personalization to reduce returns. We also explore managing high return rates, innovative solutions for non-restockable items, challenges in s...

On this episode, I sit down with a colleague from back in my work on the brand side, Craig Baxter, Group President ofTechtronic Industries Canada Inc., part of a global 13 billion dollar powerhouse tool house of brands that includes Milwaukee, Ryobi, andHoover. In a wide-ranging and engaging conversation, Craig talks about radical innovation, retail go-to-market strategy, leadership for growth, an...

Recorded at the Cox School of Business at SMU in Dallas, Texas, in front of a live studio audience, my guest is my good friend and Remarkable Retail podcast partner Steve Dennis on the occasion of the book launch event for Leaders Leap, his latest book already climbing up the charts as one of the top business books of the year.    About Steve Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor, board member, and...

My guests on this episode are Tanya Bevington , Head of Communications for IKEA Canada, and Anthony Chelvanathan , Chief Creative Officer at Edelman Canada. They discuss the insights and unique creative partnership behind Ikea Canada's clever and brilliant "Second-Hand Tax (SHT) is Happening" campaign. The brand discovered recently that in Canada, there is a 'harmonized sales tax' (HST) added to s...

In this episode, we're talking about evolving fraud trends in retail with Kim Sutherland, Vice President of Fraud and Identity from LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Explore strategies for mitigating fraud risks while maintaining a seamless customer experience. Gain insights from their latest True Cost of Fraud study, which revealed the significant financial impact on businesses globally. Discover how en...

In this leadership-focussed episode, something different, something new. My guest is Taylor Cavanaugh, who takes a big, complicated life and shares insights from his time with the U.S. Navy Seals and the French Foreign Legion (the first American in history to be part of both), emphasizing leadership and resilience. He discusses his public exposure on "Soft White Underbelly," one of my favourite in...

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...

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 Cana...

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, filled with insights on strategy and leadership that you need to hear again, or for the first time, in my interview from spring 2023. In this episode, Meet  Rose Patten, O.C.,  one of Canada's p...

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."   About Gary Gary Hawkins has been described as a visionary and retail in...

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 lea...

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.    About Oliver O...

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...

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.    Avery Dennison's RFID homepage The video recording of Walmart's presentation...

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 u...