Today’s Top Talk

NRF honors Kohl’s CEO Michelle Gass with “The Visionary 2020” award

As fears around automation-related job loss rise globally, Amazon pledges more than $700 million towards re-training 100,000 of their U.S. workforce for skilled technical and non-technical roles.

Crate and Barrel opened their first full-service restaurant today as retailers continue to experiment with non-conventional experiences. The restaurant features the retailer’s kitchen and table products and is headed by James Beard-nominee Bill Kim.

Source: NRF to name Kohl’s CEO Michelle Gass as The Visionary 2020 | NRF

Source: Amazon invests $700 million to retrain a third of its US workforce by 2025 | TechCrunch

Source: Crate and Barrel’s First Full-Service Restaurant Opens in Suburban Chicago | Eater Chicago

Chris Walton

Chris Walton is an accomplished Senior Executive with nearly 20 years of success within the retail and retail technology industries. He is well-versed in merchandising, store operations, inventory management, product design, forecasting, e-commerce, pricing and promotions, and tech product development.

Chris was most recently a Vice President with Target, where he led the retailer’s Store of the Future project and also ran the Target’s home furnishing division for e-commerce. He previously worked for GAP, Inc., as a Distribution Analyst and Manager.

Chris holds a BA in Economics and History from Stanford University, and a MBA from Harvard Business School.

He likes to dress as Darth Vader for Halloween, and his wife also frequently asks him to ask Alexa, "to turn off the music."