Episode Details

"The first rule of Retail Fight Club is to tell everybody about Retail Fight Club."

- Michael LeBlanc

This week we debut a new segment: Retail Fight Club, where we debate a contentious issue that just about everyone in retail is talking about. Ethan Chernovsky, Placer.ai's VP of Marketing returns to the pod and steps into the ring with Steve for our inaugural episode to present opposing view points on the likelihood of Kohl's mounting a meaningful return to its former glory. Will their bold set of strategic initiatives be on target, or merely amount to a slightly better version of mediocre?

But first we give our hot-takes on the week's retail news, including the latest read on inflation and US monthly retail sales. We also weigh in on recessionary declarations from FedEx, the World Bank and RH's CEO Gary Friedman, before reviewing new sales projections for the holiday season. Then it's Yeezy come, Yeezy go as the artist formerly known as Kanye West and the Gap part ways. We also revisit the Wobbly Unicorn Corner to discuss the train wreck that is Rent the Runway, before briefly touching on an interesting merger of digitally native brands and an apparent change of heart when it comes to Walmart as an interesting distribution partner. We end on an inspiring note, discussing the big news that Patagonia's founder is giving away the company to support action on the climate crisis.

Photo by Attentie Attentie on Unsplash

CNBC Kanye West, who goes by Ye, interview. 

Fight Club | 20th Anniversary | 20th Century FOX

About Ethan

Ethan Chernofsky is the VP of Marketing at Placer.ai. Previously, Ethan was the VP of Marketing at Orbs. Ethan holds an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

About Us

Steve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his       website.    The expanded and revised edition of his bestselling book  Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption is now available at  Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a      Forbes senior contributor and on       Twitter and       LinkedIn. You can also check out his speaker "sizzle" reel      here.

Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast,       The Voice of Retail, plus  

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