Putting the Pride & Joy Back into Retail

Steve knows a thing or two about how hard it is to write a best-selling business book on retail. And our guest, Ron Thurston has done just that. ... on this episode we delve into a few of the key themes in Ron's great new book Retail Pride: The Guide to Celebrating Your Accidental Career. We discuss why those who work in retail deserve to be celebrated, what it takes to deliver a remarkable, joyful customer experience and how COVID has--or hasn't--changed the key aspects of great retail. We also explore Ron's "Three Pillars of Retail Expertise": empathy, curiosity and focus. All in all, it's an uplifting and optimistic look at the past, present and future of shopping.

After our interview we jump into our fun new segment "Remarkable or Forgettable?" where we give our hot takes on a selection of retail headlines, and deem them wow-worthy, best ignored or somewhere in between. This week's we review some big Amazon news, Victoria Secret's spin-off from L Brands, the possible resurgence of department stores, escalating product returns, and two interesting tid-bits from the world of digitally native brands.

Ron Thurston loves retail. And he's proud of it. Ron has led the retail teams for some of America's most prominent brands, inspired thousands of store employees, and traveled relentlessly across the country to sit and listen to what they have to say. From a part-time sales associate to a Vice President of Stores, Ron has put in the hard work that a retail career requires and wrote this book to share what he learned along the way. Ron currently leads the retail organization for INTERMIX, a division of GAP INC, and sits on the board of directors for GOODWILL NY/NJ. You can learn more about Ron and keep in touch on his website here.

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.

This episode is sponsored by The Poirier Group.

Do you want to move faster, streamline your processes and have larger margins? If you’re a retailer in 2021, chances are you do. The Poirier Group’s award-winning team of industrial engineers and performance improvement experts specialize in driving results for retailers and grocers across North America. From reducing call-center wait times, to improving stocking and replenishment processes in warehouses, to seamlessly integrating IT systems and more-- they are the trusted partner you need.

TPG doesn't just design solutions - they leverage years of actual industry experience to implement them and set you up for long-term sustainable success. Just ask their clients: over 15 years in business, 100% have been a positive reference.

Visit www.thepoiriergroup.com/remarkable to learn more - and tell them you heard all about them on the Remarkable Retail podcast!

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.