Remarkable Retail Michael LeBlanc, Steve Dennis

Welcome to a special Remarkable Retail podcast summer series focused on what leaders need to do to help their organizations win the future and leap to higher ground. In a world where anything less than delivering highly differentiated and truly remarkable customer value is often ignored, sucking less, merely closing the gap on competitive performance (“innovating to parity”) or offering a slightly better version of mediocre is choosing to move into a zone of irrelevance, or perhaps even putting your organization on the path to outright extinction.

This summer we're taking our own advice and trying something new, something more radical than conventional. For the next six episodes Steve will be unpacking themes from his new book Leaders Leap and placing them squarely and provocatively in the current retail context. He'll be talking about how playing it safe it often the riskiest choice of all, what shifts are most important to focus on right now, how we are often are own worst enemies, and and a whole lot more. Each highly digestible episode will also highlight the key questions you need to answer for your organization to take the bold action necessary to transform at the speed of disruption.

In our final episode of Season 8 we welcome Janet Hayes, CEO of Crate and Barrel Holdings, the leading home furnishings player with over 100 stores in 9 countries. Janet shares leadership lessons from a remarkable career with brands like Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Nike, and Gap and, now, in her current role driving growth as the CEO of Crate & Barrel, CB2, and Hudson Grace.
We delve into her perspectives on the role of technology, the changing nature of work in a post-COVID world, and more. We also get a glimpse into the drive forces behind their new flagship store in New York's Flatiron District.

In our final episode recorded at Shoptalk Europe in the Bambuser remote podcast studio our guest is Arianne Parisi, EVP & Global Chief Digital Officer for JD Sports. JD Sports is a fast growing sports fashion retailer, with over 3,400 stores across Europe, North America, and Asia. Arianne shares the keys behind JD's remarkable global growth trajectory while also taking us inside how digital and physical shopping experiences are converging, and what that means for the evolution of customer journeys. We also discuss the idea that "silos belong on farms, and the broader challenges of leading a digital transformation.

Welcome to a special bonus episode of the Remarkable Retail #podcast, recorded live in Barcelona at Shoptalk Europe. Our guest is the talented and dynamic  Maryam (Mary) Ghahremani, CEO of Bambuser.  Together, we delve into the future of global retail and commerce, focusing on the video platforms and merchandising that is revolutionizing the shopping experience for millions worldwide and here in North America.

In the third of our episodes recorded at Shoptalk Europe in the Bambuser remote podcast studio our guest is Javier Figar, Chief Retail Officer for Tendam. Tendam is a Spanish fashion retailer, with presence in 79 countries and a total of 2,056 points of sale.
Javier helps us understand what makes Tendam unique and how their portfolio has grown through a mix of organic growth and acquisitions. He also shares his valuable leadership insights gleaned from his diverse background and having worked and lived in eight different countries. We also learn about Tendam's expansion plans and potential IPO later this year.