A look behind the Magic Door with Ben Kaufman, CEO CAMP

This episode we welcome Ben Kaufman, CEO and founder of Camp, the fast growing "family experience" company, which now features multiple locations in the New York area and Dallas, with more on the way (including the Los Angeles and Boston areas). We explore Camp's unique approach to the toy category--and retail more broadly--which includes a mix of play, product and programming. In addition to learning what's behind "the Magic Door", we chat about what "experiential" retail should mean and how to measure success in the blended digital and physical world.

But first we open up the episode with our quick takes on recent retail news that caught out attention, including Amazon's rumored new "department store" format and what to conclude (if anything) from recent retail earnings releases. We also unpack Warby Parker's S-1 filing and--as a prelude to our interview--dig into recent toy industry news, including Toys R Us at Macy's and Disney's expansion with Target.

Here is the prescient Forbes article Steve references in the episode.

NOTE: We'll be back to weekly episodes after Labor Day.

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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 Global E-Commerce Tech Talks and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois. You can learn more about Michael here or on LinkedIn.

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About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.