| I believe it was the late, great Inspector Gadget who once said, “Go go gadget arms.” And that is exactly the image one should have upon hearing of Amazon’s announcement this week that it plans to bring its latest consumer-delighting innovation, its “Just Walk Out” technology, to two brand new Whole Foods stores opening next year. The move signals that Amazon officially believes it has worked out all there is to work out on the technology’s readiness for full-scale grocery shopping. The only questions that now remain are: 1) How long before Amazon begins retrofitting the tech into existing stores? 2) What grocer and what technology provider will jump on board the checkout-free grocery trend at scale next? FWIW, in regards to the second question, our money is still on Tesco and Trigo. In today’s Fast Five Podcast, sponsored by Takeoff and the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Chris and Anne: |
| – Debate the significance and many angles to consider in this momentous Amazon announcement. – Discuss Kroger’s continued storeless expansion in Florida. – Question Walmart’s newly announced partnership with Instacart to deliver groceries to New York City. – Argue the merits of the “shop-in-shop” trend by turning the microscope on Hy-Vee’s move into fitness equipment. – And, close with a discussion of what the retirement of Target CIO, Mike McNamara, means for Target and retail overall.There’s all that, plus Kanye’s velvet blankets and Anne’s favorite bush. You can give this week’s episode a listen by clicking above or on the platform of your choice below: iTunes | Spotify | SoundCloud Be careful out there, – Chris, Anne, and the Omni Talk team To learn more about the A&M Consumer & Retail Group, visit: www.alvarezandmarsal.com/industries/retail/retail To learn more about Takeoff, visit: www.takeoff.com/ Plus, check out our ranking in Feedspot’s 45 Top Retail Podcasts: blog.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/ |
Omni Talk is the retail blog for retailers, written by retailers. Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga founded Omni Talk in 2017 and have quickly turned it into one of the fastest growing blogs in retail. 