Remarkable Retail in the Land Down Under

This week we welcome Michael Schneider the Managing Director of a truly remarkable retailer: Bunnings Group, the leading retailer of home improvement and outdoor living products in Australia and New Zealand. In our discussion we discover how Bunnings became Australia's most trusted brand, the different ways they pivoted to deal with the pandemic and what lessons all retailers can glean to drive growth and innovation in the post-COVID world.

After our discussion we jump into our new weekly segment “Remarkable or Forgettable?” where we give our hot takes on retail headlines, and deem them wow-worthy, best ignored or somewhere in between. This week's highlights include growing cargo issues, the impact of the US stimulus package, how Burlington Stores, Dollar Tree and others failed to get the retail apocalypse memo, big changes at Ulta, Coupang's blockbuster IPO and Poshmark's tepid outlook.

Special Offer! If you would like to see the new edition of Remarkable Retail before April 13, place a pre-order for the hardcover edition from any place books are sold worldwide. Then simply email us the receipt, and we will send you the ebook version right away. Send the email order confirmation to books@sageberryconsulting.com with "Podcast Offer" in the subject line and we will send you the ebook file. Note, this offers expires March 31, 2021.

Michael Schneider: With a genuine care for, and commitment to our team, I'm very much a retailer at heart, having spent the vast majority of my career in this ever changing, dynamic industry. After more than 10 years in the business I was appointed Managing Director, Bunnings Australia & New Zealand in March 2016 and have enjoyed the transition and challenge that it's brought. Prior to this, I led the store operations teams across Bunnings Australia and New Zealand, after joining Bunnings in 2005. Before joining Bunnings, I held a range of senior operational, commercial and human resource roles across regional and national markets, both in retail and financial services with The Warehouse Group and Westpac.
I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of NSW and I've completed the Advanced Management Program at INSEAD, and the Advanced Strategic Management Program at IMD which helps round out my intuitive sense for our customers and team, balanced with a strong commercial focus. As we continue to live our value of innovation and continue to evolve our ever changing business I am excited by the opportunities technology and data create to build on a remarkable legacy, but also create opportunities for growth both for the business, the customers we serve and the teams we work with.

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 will be released April 13th and is now available for preorder 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.

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 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.