Chris and Anne are back with another fast-moving episode of Omni Talk Retail Fast Five. In this week’s episode, Shoptalk’s Joe Laszlo joined Chris and Anne to discuss the retail stories shaping 2026. From Kroger’s CEO shakeup and Target’s frontline labor reset to AI advertising wars and Spotify’s move into physical books, this episode is packed with insight, brought to you by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso and Veloq:
• 00:07:31 – Kroger Names Former Walmart Executive Greg Foran as CEO
• 00:12:28 – Target Cuts 500 Jobs While Investing in Frontline Store Staffing
• 00:18:52 – Anthropic’s Super Bowl Ad Campaign Takes Aim at OpenAI
• 00:24:55 – Albertsons Expands Cart Tracking Technology to Measure Retail Media Effectiveness
• 00:31:43 – Spotify Partners with Bookshop.org to Sell Physical Books
• 00:35:57 – Lightning Round: Luxury Hotels, Valentine’s Spending & McNugget Caviar
Plus, Joe previews Shoptalk Spring 2026, the 10th anniversary of the event, themed “Retail in the Age of AI.”
Tap in for sharp debate and real-world perspective on leadership strategy, retail media measurement, and AI’s growing influence across the industry.
Be careful out there,
– Chris, Anne, and the Omni Talk team
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https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/
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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.