The Retail Podcast

Creators are the new beauty counter. That is how Charlotte Lock, Chief Customer Officer, Boots, describes where customers now discover products and find advice they trust. Recorded at YouTube Festival London 2026, just after Charlotte came off the main stage, this conversation with Alex Rezvan, Host of The Retail Podcast, asks what that shift means for a retailer founded in 1849. Charlotte says Boots is piloting YouTube's Shopping affiliate programme, so a viewer can buy the Boots products a creator is using without leaving the video for a link in bio. She also explains how Boots chooses the creators it works with (fit with the brand, not free product), why a brand with a long history has to pick the few things that make it different, and why Boots pairs long-term brand building with being easy to shop, on a phone or in store. Chapters 0:00 Creators are the new beauty counter 2:18 Shopping straight from creator videos 3:06 How Boots chooses its creators 3:42 Purpose, Macmillan, and what to say 5:48 Brand building meets easy shopping Part of our three-part series from YouTube Festival London 2026, with Sophie Neary, Managing Director, Retail & Consumer Goods, Google, and creator Jade Beason. Retail intelligence, every week: theretailpodcast.com/newsletter #RetailMarketing #CreatorMarketing #YouTubeShopping

YouTube is no longer just where shoppers see your brand. It is where they decide to buy it. On the red carpet at YouTube Festival London 2026, Alex Rezvan, Host of The Retail Podcast, talks to Sophie Neary, Managing Director, Retail & Consumer Goods, Google. Where a retailer should start on YouTube, why brand and creator content belong in one plan, how shoppable video now reaches the living room TV and the high street, and why your videos now feed AI search. Chapters 0:00 Where shoppers now decide to buy 0:58 Where to start: your channel plus creators 2:05 Connected TV and the high street 2:59 From inspiration to purchase 3:25 AI search: models read your videos In this episode - Three strands of a YouTube content strategy: your own brand channel, user-generated content and creator content - Your brand is the what, your creators are the how and the why. You need both. - Every surface on YouTube is now shoppable, including connected TV - YouTube reaches 49 million UK adults every month (YouTube press release, September 2026) - Large language models read your videos, transcripts and comments Part of our three-part series from YouTube Festival London 2026, with creator Jade Beason and Charlotte Lock, Chief Customer Officer, Boots. Retail intelligence, e

The Ahold Delhaize outage has left websites and apps down since Sunday and Dutch stores showing last week's shelf prices, a reminder that pricing now depends on central IT. Kroger is cutting 3,000 corporate jobs, UK shoppers are holding back before the budget, and Shein, Temu and AliExpress are losing ground in Germany. 00:00 Intro 00:08 BRC: UK retail sales subdued in September 00:36 CBRE: £400m on London luxury flagships 01:01 Aldi puts £19.5m into Scotland in 2027 01:14 Kroger to cut 3,000 corporate jobs 01:30 Ross Stores completes 115 new stores 01:46 Ahold Delhaize IT outage since Sunday 02:19 Shein, Temu, AliExpress German sales fall 35.5% 02:42 Kaufland marketplace launches in Spain Sources: - British Retail Consortium: BRC: September Retail Sales Subdued as Households Hold Back Ahead of Budget https://brc.org.uk/news-and-events/news/sluggish-sales-as-shoppers-look-for-budget-boost/ - Retail Times: CBRE: Luxury Brands Invest Estimated £400m in London Flagship Fit-outs Since 2025 https://retailtimes.co.uk/london-holds-unrivalled-global-position-for-flagship-retail-finds-cbre-report/ - Retail Times: Aldi Allocates £19.5m to Scotland in 2027 as Part of £900m UK Investment Programme https://retailtimes.co.uk/scotland-set-to-benefit-from-aldis-900m-investment/ - Grocery Dive: Kroger Plans 3,000 Corporate Job Cuts Over Three Years https://www.grocerydive.com/news/kroger-corporate-layoffs-3000-employees/832811/ - Retail Dive: Ross Stores Completes 115-Store FY2026 Plan; Opens First Massachusetts Sites https://www.retaildive.com/news/ross-opens-51-new-stores/832721/ - RetailDetail EU: Ahold Delhaize IT Outage Takes Websites and Apps Offline Since Sunday https://www.retaildetail.eu/news/food/major-cyber-incident-at-ahold-delhaize-albert-heijn-etos-and-gall-gall-brought-to-a-standstill/ - bevh (German E-Commerce and Distance Selling Association): Shein, Temu and AliExpress German Sales Fall 35.5% in Q3; Share Drops to 3.1% https://bevh.org/detail/nach-abschaffung-der-zollfreigrenze-asiatische-plattformen-verlieren-deutlich-marktanteile - Kaufland: Kaufland Online Marketplace Launches in Spain; Nine European Countries Now Active https://unternehmen.kaufland.de/presse/newsroom/2026/oktober/ab-sofort-in-neun-laendern-kaufland-waechst-mit-launch-in-spanien-zum-groessten-marktplatz-netzwerk-aus-europa

Jill Dvorak, SVP Content at NRF, on Prime Day, Walmart's $300m bulky-item hub and the Nike sales decline in China. Is early discounting growing holiday demand or just moving it? Alex Rezvan, Host of The Retail Podcast, and Jill Dvorak, SVP Content at NRF, cover the week's five US retail stories: the Amazon vs Walmart holiday race, Target's plan for more than 30 new stores in 2026, Mattel taking its toy brands into water parks, and Nike's Greater China revenue falling 22% reported (26% currency-neutral) in Q1 FY27. 00:00 Cold open 00:19 Five Things Friday, US edition 00:57 Walmart puts $300m into a bulky-item fulfilment hub 02:14 Prime Day rivals race to pull holiday spend forward 04:42 Target opens 30 new stores ahead of holiday 05:34 Mattel moves its toy brands into water parks 07:21 Nike restructures again as China sales slide 09:11 Wrap Sources: JobsOhio / REDI Cincinnati (28 Sep 2026); Target Corporate (5 Mar 2026); NIKE, Inc. Q1 FY27 results (Oct 2026). Newsletter: https://theretailpodcast.com/newsletter

ChatGPT virtual try-on puts OpenAI between the shopper and the checkout, while UK footfall fell 2.9% in September and every format went down. Today's briefing also covers Ocado's clean-label aisle, Refresco's possible IPO above $10bn and Seven & i's plan to make Europe a growth pillar for 7-Eleven. 00:00 Intro 00:09 UK footfall falls 2.9% in September 00:48 Ocado launches Simple Ingredients aisle 01:05 Myprotein and Krispy Kreme shake at Boots 01:22 ICSC: US shoppers fear holiday gift costs 01:36 ChatGPT adds virtual try-on 01:51 KKR's Refresco weighs IPO above $10bn 02:07 Swedish online sales up 8% in Q2 02:19 Carrefour and Kruidvat sell crypto gift cards 02:33 Chinese retailers push overseas 02:51 Seven & i targets Europe for 7-Eleven Sources: - BRC-Sensormatic Footfall Monitor: Budget must deliver for shoppers as footfall drops https://brc.org.uk/news-and-events/news/corporate-affairs/2026/ungated/budget-must-deliver-for-shoppers-as-footfall-drops/ - Grocery Gazette: Ocado Launches 'Simple Ingredients' Online Aisle for Clean-Label Shoppers https://www.grocerygazette.co.uk/2026/10/09/ocado-launches-simple-ingredients-online-aisle/ - Retail Times: Myprotein and Krispy Kreme Protein Milkshake Rolls Into 730 Boots Stores https://retailtimes.co.uk/myprotein-and-krispy-kreme-launch-protein-milkshake-rolling-out-across-730-boots-stores/ - ICSC: ICSC: Nearly Half of US Shoppers Fear Holiday Gift Budget Shortfall https://www.icsc.com/news-and-views/icsc-exchange/icscs-2026-holiday-intentions-survey-finds-consumers-prioritize-holiday-traditions-over-financial-pressures - Retail Dive: ChatGPT Adds Virtual Try-On for Clothing and Accessories https://www.retaildive.com/news/virtual-try-on-launch-chatgpt/832244/ - ESM Magazine: KKR's Refresco Takes Bank Pitches for Potential IPO Above $10bn https://www.esmmagazine.com/packaging-design/refresco-plots-potential-ipo-at-10bn-plus-valuation-sources-say-323397 - PostNord: Swedish E-Commerce Grows 8% Year-on-Year in Q2, All Sectors Up https://news.cision.com/se/postnord-sverige/r/svensk-e-handel-pa-vag-mot-ny-rekordniva,c4398930 - RetailDetail EU: Carrefour and Kruidvat Add Cryptocurrency Gift Cards to Their Shelves https://www.retaildetail.eu/news/general/carrefour-and-kruidvat-are-offering-cryptocurrencies-on-their-shelves/ - Inside Retail Asia: Chinese Retailers Prioritise Store Quality Over Speed as Overseas Push Accelerates https://insideretail.asia/2026/10/12/why-are-chinese-retailers-looking-overseas-for-growth/ - Inside Retail Asia: Seven & i Sets Europe as 7-Eleven's Fourth Major Growth Pillar https://insideretail.asia/2026/10/12/7-eleven-owner-looks-to-europe-for-next-phase-of-global-growth/