The Retail Podcast (Video Feed)

The International Briefing examines five developments shaping retail around the world—and what they mean for industry leaders.
Jill Dvorak, Senior Vice President, Content at NRF, joins Alex Rezvan for this edition.
Europe’s €3 parcel charge
A new charge on low-value parcels entering the EU could change the economics of cross-border retail, particularly for lower-value orders.
The discussion looks at the implications for businesses such as SHEIN and Temu, smaller international sellers and the possibility of more inventory being held inside Europe.
JD.com
Following JD.com’s second-quarter results, Alex and Jill discuss why large marketplaces should not necessarily be judged only by merchandise sales.
As JD develops more capabilities around its wider ecosystem, the economics of B2B services become increasingly important.
India and quick commerce
Retail demand is growing strongly, but traditional retailers are simultaneously being disrupted by rapid-delivery platforms.
The conversation examines grocery, premium retailers, shopping missions and whether ten-minute delivery is genuinely something consumers need.
Global shipping
Jill discusses NRF’s Global Port Tracker, changing shipping routes, higher costs and the potential implications for retail supply chains and Q4 inventory.
Fabletics
Fabletics has reached more than $1 billion in net revenue and is continuing its move into physical retail.
Its international expansion includes markets such as Colombia, Peru, India and Central America, highlighting how digital-first brands continue to find value in stores.
The International Briefing is a global look at the developments retail leaders need to understand—not simply the headlines.
Featuring
Jill Dvorak — Senior Vice President, Content, NRFAlex Rezvan — The Retail Podcast

Five Things Friday UK Edition brings together the retail stories worth knowing this week.
Alex Rezvan of The Retail Podcast and Simone Oloman, co-founder of Need It For Tonight, discuss the developments shaping the UK retail industry and what they could mean for retailers, brands and consumers.
In this episode:
Frasers and Harvey NicholsFrasers has acquired Harvey Nichols out of administration. Alex and Simone discuss what could happen next, the future of its stores, the importance of the Knightsbridge and Edinburgh locations, and where Harvey Nichols could sit alongside Flannels in Frasers’ luxury strategy.
Poundland and the value retail challengeWith Poundland potentially facing another sale, the conversation turns to what value really means. Is price enough, or do merchandising, experience and how customers feel inside a store matter just as much?
Need It For Tonight and rapid retail deliverySimone discusses Need It For Tonight’s 90-minute and same-day delivery proposition, its work with retailers and its new 12,000 sq ft operation at Westfield White City.
They also explore how stores can operate as local fulfilment centres and why keeping inventory closer to customers could change the economics of fast retail delivery.
IKEA and second-hand retailIKEA is expanding its second-hand marketplace into multiple countries, including the UK. Alex and Simone discuss why bringing an existing resale market into IKEA’s own ecosystem makes strategic sense—and the potential challenges around collection and delivery of bulky furniture.
Five Things Friday UK Edition is hosted by Alex Rezvan and Simone Oloman.
Follow The Retail Podcast for weekly conversations about the businesses, ideas and changes shaping retail.

What does buying AI look like when a retailer has a real problem to solve? At NRF APAC 2026 in Singapore, Alex Rezvan joins Low Ngai Yuen, Managing Director of AEON360, on a live buying mission across the show floor. Ngai Yuen is not browsing demonstrations. She has a specific requirement: improve the quality, structure, localisation and usefulness of AEON’s product data before expecting AI to create value from it. 
The journey began at NRF New York, where she found two young product-data companies. In Singapore, she meets them again—this time with a clearer brief, real retail data and a route towards a proof of concept. 
The first conversation is with Lazuli, a Japanese product-data company whose location and market knowledge matter to AEON’s imported Japanese products and private brands. The team discusses turning unstructured catalogues and PDFs into structured, searchable information, then enriching products with the right language, descriptions, categories and market context. The second meeting focuses on inconsistent supplier data, missing attributes and a proof of concept involving 50,000 SKUs.
The discussion shows why retailers need reliable information before adding generative or agentic AI—and why a product catalogue must keep changing as language, trends and customer search intent evolve. This is less a conference interview than a view inside the retail buying process: identifying a problem, finding potential partners, testing them on a real case and deciding whether the technology can scale.
In this episode - Why Ngai Yuen came to NRF APAC with a live buying brief - How relationships formed at NRF New York continued in Singapore - Why local Japanese market knowledge matters to AEON - How unstructured product information becomes searchable catalogue data - What inconsistent supplier data costs retailers - Why the team is testing a 50,000-SKU proof of concept - How a “living catalogue” responds to changing search intent - What innovation showcases can offer established retailers This episode is for Retail CEOs, digital and data leaders, ecommerce teams, merchandising leaders, innovation teams, procurement leaders, retail technology founders and anyone responsible for taking AI from conference pitch to operational reality. 

Why are some retail markets able to adopt AI faster than Europe?
30% off an All Access Pass: ALEX30
NRF Registration page here: ⁠https://bit.ly/4vh5Iz5⁠.
Annabelle Serres, Director of Events for NRF Retail’s Big Show Europe, discusses the barriers created by legacy infrastructure, the lessons Europe can take from APAC and why retailers now need to accelerate implementation.
The conversation also covers what executives can expect in Paris, from keynote sessions and practical case studies to startup innovation, the Innovators Showcase and peer networking.
For retail leaders working across technology, operations, transformation and customer experience.

Five retail stories. Less than ten minutes. And several signals about where global retail could be heading next.
In this international edition of Five Things Friday, we examine five developments across retail, commerce, technology and consumer engagement.
First, Fraser’s Group and its position in Hugo Boss — and why the premium market could be ripe for further change. The conversation then moves to Tesco and Uber Eats, as quick commerce increasingly becomes part of retailers’ last-mile strategies.
Next, we look at Nike in China. After shifting aggressively toward direct-to-consumer and later rebuilding wholesale relationships, Nike is again refining its channel strategy, concentrating on selected platforms alongside its own direct business.
Then we head to Singapore and Fair Price’s Store of Tomorrow, where smart carts, RFID, digital shelf labels, in-store navigation and health-focused experiences provide a glimpse at one possible direction for the physical grocery store.
Finally, attention turns to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and what brands can learn from major global sporting events when planning consumer engagement and activation strategies.
In this episode:
Fraser’s Group and Hugo Boss
Tesco, Uber Eats and quick commerce
Decathlon and last-mile delivery
Nike’s evolving China retail strategy
Direct-to-consumer versus wholesale
Fair Price’s Store of Tomorrow
Smart carts, RFID and digital shelf labels
Retail health and wellness experiences
LA 2028 Olympic brand activations
Marketing around major global sporting events
Who should watch or listen:Retail executives, brand leaders, retail technology teams, marketers, commerce professionals and anyone tracking the evolution of physical and digital retail.
Subscribe to The Retail Podcast for global retail intelligence, interviews and analysis.

How can a global retailer maintain consistency across markets without losing local relevance?
In this episode of The Retail Podcast, Katherine Melchior Ray examines why international brand strategies often break down not because executives reject localisation, but because organisations underestimate how differently trust, value, service and quality are interpreted across cultures.
The conversation explores the strategic and commercial decisions behind global brand localisation: what should remain non-negotiable, what local teams should be allowed to change, who should hold decision-making authority and how leaders can determine whether adaptation is creating genuine customer value.
Katherine also explains why the cost of entering a market incorrectly can be substantially greater than the cost and complexity of adapting properly.
About Katherine Melchior Ray
Katherine Melchior Ray is a global CMO, speaker, consultant, author and international marketing and management faculty member at UC Berkeley Haas.
Her international experience spans Japan, Europe and the United States, with more than 25 years working across markets and categories. The episode discusses her experience with brands including Louis Vuitton, Nike, Gucci, Nordstrom, Hyatt and Shiseido.
She is the co-author, with Natalie Kelly, of:
Brand Global, Adapt Local: How to Build Brand Value Across Cultures
Key Insights
Why apparently universal concepts such as trust, speed, performance and value are expressed differently across cultures.
How global brands can separate their enduring identity from the products, experiences and communications that should evolve.
Why Louis Vuitton’s heritage in travel, quality and innovation allows the brand to expand into new categories without losing its identity.
How trust between global headquarters and local leadership creates permission for meaningful innovation.
Katherine’s “freedom within a frame” model for balancing global governance with local autonomy.
Why failed market entry can be more expensive than local adaptation.
What Airbnb’s experience in China reveals about trust, payments, reviews, housekeeping and cultural assumptions.
Why AI can accelerate translation and content production but still requires human context, judgement and interpretation.
The assumptions retail CEOs should challenge before approving international expansion.
Topics Covered
Global brand localisation, international retail expansion, cultural intelligence, global marketing strategy, local market adaptation, retail governance, headquarters and local-team relationships, brand consistency, Louis Vuitton, Airbnb in China, Nike in India, AI localisation, customer trust, cultural context and international leadership.
Who This Episode Helps
This episode is relevant to:
Retail CEOs and executive teams
Global and regional marketing leaders
International expansion teams
Brand and customer-experience leaders
Retail technology providers
Strategy consultants
Business-school students
Executives managing global and local teams
Central Ideas from the Conversation
Katherine argues that brands must become explicit about the elements of their identity that cannot change. Local teams can then innovate within a clearly defined strategic frame.
She describes trust as being built through three elements:
Shared values
Open, bilateral communication
A history of promises kept
This trust gives local leadership the authority to make the brand relevant without fragmenting it.
The discussion also examines AI’s role in localisation. AI can support research, translation and analysis, but culture depends on context. As Katherine explains, insight does not simply exist in the data; it emerges through interpretation.
Join the Discussion
Where should global brand consistency end and local decision-making begin?
Share your perspective in the comments.
Subscribe to The Retail Podcast for conversations with the executives, strategists and technology leaders shaping the future of retail.

Retail crime is becoming serious enough to affect whether stores can continue operating in parts of Australia. At the same time, Costco is expanding its reach in China through JD.com, Vietnam’s e-commerce market is being shaped by Shopee and TikTok Shop, and functional foods are moving into the mainstream across Southeast Asia.
 
In this Five Things Friday APAC edition, Alex Rezvan, Ryf Quail and ⁠Ngai Yuen Low ⁠Managing Director, AEON360 discuss the retail signals shaping Australia, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
 
They examine the cost of organised retail crime, the growth of paid membership retail, the role of live commerce, the importance of grocery in e-commerce adoption, the rise of functional food and the localisation of Korean food for Southeast Asian consumers.

The UK retail industry never stands still. This week Alex and Simone unpack five of the biggest retail stories shaping customer experience, ecommerce, retail technology and consumer behaviour across the UK.In this episode:
• Charlotte Tilbury transforms Covent Garden into an immersive Unreal Glow Club pop-up experience• Online Home Shop posts impressive growth as UK ecommerce continues to evolve• Morrisons introduces new retail innovation• Argos reinvents its iconic catalogue with personalised digital shopping experiences• New ONS retail sales data raises questions about the future of ecommerce• Primark steals headlines with a cheeky response to the new Skims flagship opening on Regent Street
The discussion explores where UK retail is heading, whether ecommerce has entered another phase of structural growth, and how retailers are increasingly competing through experience, discovery and customer inspiration rather than price alone.
Stories discussedCharlotte Tilbury Unreal Glow Clubhttps://www.instagram.com/p/DbY-C2ZjTv1/?img_index=8Online Home Shophttps://www.onlinehomeshop.com/Argos Your Cataloguehttps://www.argos.co.uk/events/your-catalogueOnline Home Shop company filingshttps://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08885099/filing-historyONS Retail Sales June 2026https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/retailindustry/bulletins/retailsales/june2026Primark campaignhttps://www.instagram.com/p/DbOUY2Ct2Lm/
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The Retail Podcast delivers conversations with the world's leading retailers, technology companies and industry experts.
CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction01:08 Charlotte Tilbury's Unreal Glow Club Pop-up02:55 Online Home Shop's £100M Growth Story04:22 ONS Retail Sales & Ecommerce Trends05:37 Argos Reinvents the Catalogue07:32 Primark vs Skims on Regent Street10:04 NRF Europe Preview
💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION Which trend discussed today do you think will impact the industry most? Let us know in the comments below!

US retail sales rose more than 11% year over year in June across the core categories tracked by Retail Dive. But the headline number is only one part of this week’s retail story.
Alex Rezvan and Jill Dvorak examine five developments affecting consumer behaviour, store experience, fulfilment and food technology.
First, they consider the possible influence of the FIFA World Cup on retail activity and discuss how international fans turned Walmart into an unexpected American tourist experience.
Walmart responded to the organic attention by working with LaLiga on guided store tours—an example of a retailer identifying a cultural moment and acting while the audience was still engaged.
The conversation then moves to Amazon’s planned $48 million robotics-enabled fulfilment facility in Georgetown, Texas. Alex and Jill consider how goods-to-person automation could affect operating costs, fulfilment speed and the role of people inside the warehouse.
Sephora is introducing Quiet Hours across its global regions after a pilot involving 32 stores in eight markets. Lower music, fewer screen distractions and reduced sensory stimulation are intended to make stores more accessible and comfortable for neurodivergent customers and anyone seeking a calmer environment.
Finally, the episode examines Wonder following its $650 million Series D round at a $9 billion pre-money valuation. Founded by Marc Lore, Wonder combines multiple restaurant concepts, delivery, kitchen technology and personalisation within one platform.
The central question is whether Wonder can use technology and operational consolidation to give households more choice while making ordering simpler.
Topics covered:
• US retail sales and consumer spending• Retail and the FIFA World Cup• Walmart store tours and cultural relevance• Social listening and rapid retail activation• Amazon robotics and fulfilment automation• Sephora Quiet Hours• Neuroinclusive and sensory-friendly retail• Wonder and Marc Lore• Food halls, ghost kitchens and restaurant technology• Delivery, personalisation and customer convenience
Presented by Alex Rezvan and Jill Dvorak.
Five Things Friday USA is part of The Retail Podcast, covering the developments shaping retail, technology, AI, stores and consumer behaviour.
Sources discussed include Retail Dive, Business Insider, Sephora Newsroom, Wonder Newsroom and reporting on Amazon’s Georgetown development.

AI is moving beyond individual productivity tools. The more important question is whether companies will redesign their operating models around it.
In this edition of Five Things Friday: APAC Edition, Ryf Quail and the panel examine five developments connecting technology, market expansion, regulation, cultural identity and on-demand retail.
The lead discussion comes from the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, where the focus extended beyond chatbots and content generation. The panel considers a future in which an orchestrating AI coordinates specialised agents across demand prediction, media allocation and business measurement, leaving people to focus on judgement, creativity and strategy.
The episode also explores:
• JD’s proposed acquisition of CECONOMY and the regulatory challenges facing Chinese companies expanding into Europe
• Seafolly’s decision to expand into China and why this represents an unusual direction for an Australian consumer brand
• The LVMH–Molly Tea trademark dispute and the response from consumers who saw the contested floral design as part of Chinese cultural heritage
• The growing confidence and cultural influence of local Chinese brands
• Decathlon and Uber Eats testing on-demand delivery for sporting goods in Australia
This episode is for retail leaders, marketers, technology executives and international brands trying to understand how AI, localisation and cross-border expansion are reshaping the APAC retail market.
Follow The Retail Podcast for weekly analysis and conversations with the people shaping global retail.