Retail Gets Real

Organized retail crime is an issue that plagues retailers — and offenders are only getting more sophisticated. Representative Glenn Ivey, D-Md., and Angela Hofmann, head of government relations for JCPenney, explain what organized retail crime really means and how it’s evolved over the years. Plus, we discuss the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act and how it's counteracting this insidious trend. 

(00:00:00) Introductions

(00:01:2...

It’s spooky season, and here’s the real treat — Halloween spending is projected to hit nearly $12 billion. Katherine Cullen, NRF's vice president of industry and consumer insights, talks about Halloween spending trends, popular costumes, why consumers are shopping early and who is most excited to celebrate this October. Plus, a look at expected winter holiday consumer spending.

(00:00:38) Introductions

(00:02:45) Why People Shop Ea...

Anjana Harve serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer of BJ’s Wholesale Club, where she leads technology innovation at the high-frequency club store.  In this episode, Harve joins us to talk about the BJ’s member experience, how the company is leveraging AI, her personal career journey and what’s on the horizon for tech and retail.

(00:00:00) Introductions

(00:01:28) Anjana’s Career Journey

(00:05:45) The Membe...

Homefield is a collegiate apparel company specializing in vintage-inspired designs that offers licensed t-shirts, fleece, jackets and headwear from more than 200 universities. We talk to Co-founder and CEO Connor Hitchcock about how he started Homefield at age 23, why he doesn’t follow the usual marketing playbook, how the company creates unique customer experiences and his plans for future growth. 

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The increase in both the severity and the unpredictable nature of weather has significant ramifications for retailers on multiple fronts, including sales, infrastructure and supply chains. Evan Gold, executive vice president, global partnerships and alliances at business weather intelligence firm Planalytics, shares findings from NRF and Planalytics’ most recent report, “Climate-Proofing Retail.” We’ll also discuss the practical st...

The first-ever Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific 2024 successfully wrapped up in Singapore with stellar attendance and a resounding impact on the future of retail. Martine Reardon, senior advisor for retail insights and content creation for NRF, discusses the exciting inaugural event, key insights from the programming, and what she’s looking forward to when NRF hosts an even bigger Big Show APAC next year, June 3-5, 2025.

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Replay from Retail Gets Real episode 326:  As SVP of Leadership & Organizational Development, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, and Community Impact for Burlington Stores, Mecca Mitchell leads efforts to cultivate a culture that leverages diversity, inclusion and equity best practices to drive business objectives, while responding to the diverse needs of its workforce, its customers, and the community. We’re talking to Mecca about he...

With a lifelong love of mountain and alpine sports, and over 20 years of global experience in retail and vertical premium brands, Stuart Haselden says leading high-performance outerwear company Arc’teryx is a “dream job.” On this episode, Haselden talks about how he went from an Army officer to retail CEO, his lessons in leadership and how he has helped guide the wholesale, niche company into a global, vertical brand.

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Ikea is on track to cut its pollution by half by 2030, and thanks to responsible sourcing and energy efficiency improvements, it has already reduced its climate footprint by 22% since 2016. On today’s show, Mardi Ditze, country sustainability manager for Ikea U.S., talks about her passion for environmental stewardship, Ikea’s impressive sustainability efforts and goals, and the role of retail in the circular economy.

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