Stay ConnectedOmni Talk Retail provides news, analysis, and commentary on the latest trends and issues in the retail industry. Created by a retailer, Chris Walton, for retailers, Omni Talk Retail covers a wide range of topics related to retail, including e-commerce, technology, marketing, and consumer behavior.
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Live from the Vusion podcast studio at booth 913 at Groceryshop 2026 in Las Vegas, Ben Miller sits down with Arthur Sylvestre, VP of Media & Digital at Danone North America, for a GrocerTalk conversation on the forces shaping media, digital commerce and consumer engagement across the grocery industry.
Arthur brings a CPG perspective to the conversation, exploring how brands like Danone are navigating an increasingly digital retail environment and the changing ways consumers discover and engage with products. The discussion looks at the intersection of media, digital strategy and the evolving grocery landscape.
In this episode:
• Danone North America’s media and digital strategy
• How digital is changing the grocery and CPG landscape
• The evolving relationship between brands and retailers
• Changing consumer behaviors and digital discovery
• Where media and digital strategy are headed next
• What the future of grocery means for CPG brands
🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery and retail.
Live from the Vusion podcast studio at booth 913 at Groceryshop 2026 in Las Vegas, Ben Miller sits down with Jeremy Gosch, Chairman & CEO of Hy-Vee, following his Groceryshop keynote to unpack the biggest themes shaping the future of grocery.
Jeremy and Ben revisit the ideas from his keynote and take a closer look at the challenges and opportunities facing grocery retailers today. The conversation brings the perspective of one of the industry's major regional grocers to the floor at Groceryshop, with a focus on where Hy-Vee and the broader grocery business go from here.
In this episode:
• Key takeaways from Jeremy Gosch’s Groceryshop keynote
• The biggest forces shaping the grocery industry
• How Hy-Vee is thinking about the future of the business
• The challenges facing grocery retailers today
• Opportunities ahead for Hy-Vee and the grocery sector
• What comes next for the retailer
🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery and retail.
In this edition of 5 Insightful Minutes, Chad Lusk, Partner and Managing Director at A&M Consumer and Retail Group, joins Omni Talk live from Groceryshop 2026 to unpack how changing consumer expectations are reshaping food and beverage, from wellness and functional nutrition to value and premiumization.
Chad explains why GLP-1s are not creating these trends, but accelerating shifts that have been building for years. As consumers become more intentional about what they eat, he explores the rise of “fewer hollow bites” and why shoppers are increasingly asking, “What’s actually worth it?”
He also breaks down how consumers are shopping based on specific needs and outcomes, why private label is competing on more than price, and why premiumization remains alive for products that deliver a meaningful difference in taste, ingredients, experience, or emotional payoff.
Key Topics Covered:
• How GLP-1s are accelerating existing food and beverage trends
• The rise of “fewer hollow bites” and more intentional consumption
• Why consumers are shopping based on outcomes, not just categories
• How wellness and indulgence can both drive purchase decisions
• Why private label is competing on quality, assortment, and lifestyle fit
• Why premiumization remains alive despite increased price sensitivity
• How brands can align their value proposition with what consumers actually value
Music by hooksounds.com
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Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by R&S Logistics, ZenlineAI, and Mirakl.
In today's Retail Daily Minute, Omni Talk's Chris Walton discusses:
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Live from the Vusion podcast studio at booth 913 at Groceryshop 2026 in Las Vegas, Ben Miller welcomes Jim Trahanas, Chief Technology Officer at Fruitist, to explore how a fruit company is using technology, data and AI across its entire value chain.
Jim breaks down what it actually means to apply AI and machine learning across the business, from the underlying data and technology foundations to the culture required to support innovation. He also discusses Fruitist’s recognition as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026 and what it takes to build a technically progressive organization.
In this episode:
• The scale and technology strategy behind Fruitist
• Why Fruitist was recognized among Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies
• What applying AI and ML across the value chain actually means
• The data and technology foundations required to make it work
• How AI can extend beyond individual use cases
• Building and maintaining a technically progressive culture
🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery and retail.
Live from the Vusion podcast studio at Groceryshop 2026 in Las Vegas, Ben Miller welcomes Andrew Lederman, VP of Global Digital Commerce at Mondelēz International, to explore how grocery shopping is evolving online and what that means for one of the world’s major consumer packaged goods companies.
Andrew discusses the global shift toward digital grocery, changing shopping behaviors and the growing expectation for speed across markets. He also looks at the challenge of bringing impulse products into digital environments, how search and discovery are changing and what brands need to do to remain discoverable as algorithms, LLMs and agentic commerce reshape the path to purchase.
In this episode:
• How digital grocery is evolving across global markets
• What’s driving consumers toward online grocery shopping
• The growing expectation for speed and convenience
• How a CPG company approaches impulse products online
• How search and digital discovery are changing
• Building discoverability across algorithms and LLMs
• What agentic commerce could mean for CPG brands
• Strategies for converting digital demand
🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery and retail.
Live from the Vusion podcast studio at booth 913 at Groceryshop 2026 in Las Vegas, Ben Miller connects with Sjoerd Holleman, Chief Product and AI Officer at Albert Heijn, to explore how AI is reshaping the shopping experience.
Sjoerd shares lessons from Albert Heijn’s AI shopping assistant Steijn, including what shoppers are using and how those learnings can translate beyond the Dutch market. The conversation also looks at the growing role of personal AI agents, the future of customer experience through AI and how Ahold Delhaize is using AI assistants internally to support store associates.
In this episode:
• How AI is changing the shopping experience at Albert Heijn
• Lessons from Steijn, Albert Heijn’s AI shopping assistant
• Which AI assistant functionalities shoppers are using most
• What Dutch shopper behavior can teach the broader grocery industry
• How AI innovations can scale across Ahold Delhaize brands
• Keeping retailer-built assistants relevant as personal AI agents grow
• The future of customer experience through AI
• How AI assistants are supporting store associates
🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery and retail.
Live from the Vusion podcast studio at booth 913 at Groceryshop 2026 in Las Vegas, Ben Miller sits down with Bobby Watts, SVP and Executive Lead of AD Retail Media at Ahold Delhaize USA, to explore how retail media is evolving and where the industry goes next.
Bobby explains the scope of AD Retail Media across Ahold Delhaize USA’s banners and shares his perspective on the priorities shaping retail media today. The conversation covers the opportunity within physical store portfolios, what advertisers are looking for from retail media and the platforms and technology needed to meet increasingly sophisticated demands.
In this episode:
• What falls under AD Retail Media across Ahold Delhaize USA
• The biggest priorities shaping retail media today
• Unlocking the value of physical store portfolios
• What advertisers are seeking from retail media
• Balancing awareness and conversion
• The technology required to support sophisticated advertisers
• What could be the biggest development in retail media in 2027
🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery and retail.
In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Quorso, Veloq, and R&S Logistics, Chris Walton is joined by Omni Talk contributor and GrocerTalk host Ben Miller for another round of Fast Five fun, recorded live from the Vusion podcast studio at Groceryshop 2026 in Las Vegas. This week, Walmart fills up, Costco delivers, Harps gets AI, Toys R Us gets bigger, and Meta gets its glasses on.
Chris and Ben dig into five of the biggest stories in retail this week, including:
• Walmart+ adding CITGO to its Gas Savings benefit, expanding the program from 13,000 to more than 17,000 participating stations nationwide and giving members 10 cents off per gallon. (Source)
• Costco expanding its delivery reach by joining both DoorDash and Uber Eats nationwide, giving members another way to get same-day and scheduled orders from nearly all of its U.S. warehouses. (Source)
• Harps Food Stores naming longtime employee and former meat and seafood category manager Will McDoniel as its first director of AI strategy and innovation. (Source)
• Toys R Us opening 120 new stand-alone stores this holiday season, bringing its stand-alone footprint to 160 locations and adding features like Creator Studios, cafes and candy shops. (Source)
• Meta Lab, the store concept behind Meta’s AI glasses, nearly doubling its retail footprint with six new locations while expanding its Best Buy shop-in-shop presence. (Source)
The episode wraps with a lightning round covering which retailer deserves its own prestige TV drama, what words should be added or removed from the dictionary, and plenty more retail and pop culture fun.
Plus, everyone’s favorite A&Mer, Chad Lusk, joins Chris for 5 Insightful Minutes.
P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/
P.P.S. Also be sure to check out our podcast rankings on Feedspot.
Music by hooksounds.
Breaking news from Groceryshop 2026: Dollar General is joining the Instacart Marketplace, a new partnership exclusively revealed to Omni Talk Retail by Ryan Hamburger, Chief Commercial Officer at Instacart, during a live conversation with Ben Miller from the Vusion podcast studio at booth 913 in Las Vegas.
Ben and Ryan also unpack Instacart CEO Chris Rogers’ opening Mainstage Keynote, including the potential impact of AI agents and assistants on grocery, the continued affordability imperative, and the challenges retailers are working to solve. Ryan shares how Instacart supports its retail partners through Instacart Enterprise and discusses other major brands joining the Instacart Marketplace, including Gopuff and Airbnb.
In this episode:
• Dollar General joining the Instacart Marketplace
• What the Chief Commercial Officer role covers at Instacart
• Ryan’s biggest takeaways from Chris Rogers’ Groceryshop keynote
• Why AI agents and assistants could reshape grocery
• The continued importance of affordability
• How Instacart Enterprise supports retailers
• The biggest challenges Instacart is hearing from retail partners
• Gopuff and Airbnb joining the Instacart Marketplace
• What Ryan thinks was missing from the opening keynote
🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk for more conversations with the leaders shaping grocery and retail.
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