What Happened, What’s Coming?
A Deep Dive into Offline Retail

Originally aired December 15 — 12:30-1:30 ET

Trying to figure out evolving consumer trends and how the pandemic has changed brick-and-mortar retail? Join us for an insightful look at what happened this Holiday sales season and how it may influence physical retail going forward. Who are the real winners and losers? We also took a look at what’s going on in the major U.S. malls and predictions about the future of the retail industry. Robin Lewis is in conversation with Ethan Chernofsky, VP of Marketing at Placer.ai. to dissect, deconstruct and make sense of the turbulent world of retail.

Holiday 2020: Fasten Your Seat Belts!

With the retail industry reeling from the converging storm fronts of a global health crisis, massive economic disruption and ongoing civil unrest, Holiday 2020 will be unpredictable, at best. Will consumers have enough discretionary spending power to make the last sprint of the year profitable for retail? Better yet, will customers have the appetite to buy to overcompensate for the past nine months, or will they hold back?

Robin Lewis and his guests, Jennifer Davis, Managing Director, Head of Retail Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs, Dick Johnson, CEO Footlocker and Steve Sadove, former Chairman and CEO of Saks Fifth Avenue and now head of his own consulting firm, Stephen Sadove and Associates, discussed the future of retail through the prism of Holiday 2020. They took a deep dive into the key socio-economic issues that will influence Holiday including the election, pandemic and consumer confidence, along with operational challenges including supply chain, inventory, distribution, fulfillment, staffing and store closures. They deconstructed how inspired leadership and innovation will play a starring role in re-engineering Holiday 2020.