Retail Gets Real National Retail Federation

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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It’s graduation season and all across the country, students are transitioning from college students to young professionals. We’re talking to two young retail leaders — Courtney Nash, manager of footwear planning at Allbirds, and Eugene Choi, ecommerce merchandising manager at Munchkin — about what it’s like to start their first jobs in retail, the early lessons they’ve learned along the way, and their best advice for graduating seniors navigating their next steps.
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Kendra Scott started her eponymous jewelry company in Austin, Texas, 22 years ago with a clear vision in place: to create a fashion-for-philanthropy business. Today, CEO Tom Nolan continues to honor that vision while leading the company to even greater growth and revenues. On today’s show, Nolan talks about how he started his career in classified ad sales, the future of Kendra Scott and how philanthropy is at the heart of everything the brand does.
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NRF’s America’s Retail Champions program celebrates small retailers who are exceptional champions for retail and the communities they serve. On today’s show, we’re celebrating NRF’s 2022 Retail Champion Margaret Barrow, founder and CEO of It’s NOLA. Barrow talks about starting her plant-based snack company, the impact of mentoring and why she thinks it’s important to advocate for small businesses.
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Artificial intelligence is everywhere, and as consumers become more and more comfortable with generative AI, retailers will have to find new and innovative ways to reach shoppers. Jane Cheung, global research leader, consumer industry, IBM Institute for Business Value, joins the show to talk about IBM’s 2024 consumer study, how she got into consumer research and how AI can help improve the experience for both customers and retailers. 
Learn more at retailgetsreal.com.