Podcast

The Backroom with Retail Dive

What you read on Retail Dive is only part of the story. Our reporters and editors are constantly researching, reading and talking about the retail industry. Here’s a peek behind the curtain to what we are discussing in our newsroom. Welcome to the Backroom. Stay tuned for more episodes by following us on iTunes or on Stitcher.

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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: How the holidays are shaping up

    With the first sales events of the season already come and gone, the team looks at the clues of how it will go this year.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Oct. 26, 2023
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: Marisa Meltzer and the creation of Glossier

    The journalist’s new book "Glossy" makes waves as it pulls back the curtain on Glossier founder Emily Weiss and the beauty brand that changed the industry.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Sept. 28, 2023
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: A look back on the first half of 2023 for DTC brands

    The team talks about the latest financial results from various players as the holidays quickly approach.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Aug. 31, 2023
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: Jason Del Rey and ‘Winner Sells All’

    One of the most prolific journalists covering the retail industry leverages his deep sourcing for an in-depth book about Amazon versus Walmart.

    By Retail Dive Staff • July 27, 2023
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: Target’s silent Pride Month

    The team talks about the realities of the backlash, including who is fomenting it and how other retailers’ Pride campaigns stack up.

    By Retail Dive Staff • June 29, 2023
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: How the consumer is doing so far this year

    Discretionary goods are a low priority amid an uncertain economy and a desire to spend on experiences, but retailers are holding their own. What about the rest of 2023?

    By Retail Dive Staff • May 25, 2023
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: Why is Walmart selling off so many DTC brands?

    The retailer bought, and sold off, several digital natives including Bonobos and Eloquii. The team discusses what this signals about the company's game plan.

    By Retail Dive Staff • April 27, 2023
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: Unearthing financial details about J.C. Penney

    The team talks about the treasure trove of information on the department store’s financial health, found thanks to a tip from one of its new owners.

    By Retail Dive Staff • March 30, 2023
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: What the ‘MetaBirkin’ NFT verdict means for art and commerce

    The team chats about how Hermès' legal win impacts retail at large, and why Mason Rothschild plans to appeal.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Feb. 23, 2023
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: What’s going on with DTC this year?

    The team introduces new co-host Dani James and talks about changes in the direct-to-consumer space and the ongoing importance of brick and mortar.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Jan. 26, 2023
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: Ushering in the new year with Doug Stephens

    What retailers should know about the realities of the metaverse and more futuristic observations from the retail prophet.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Dec. 29, 2022
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: What holiday looks like from here

    The team sits down to discuss what recent events suggest about this year's unpredictable shopping season.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Nov. 24, 2022
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: Retail bankruptcies are poised for a comeback

    What can we learn about the industry as a whole by looking at its weakest players?

    By Retail Dive Staff • Oct. 27, 2022
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: The idiosyncrasies of this year’s holiday consumer

    Retailers are navigating a challenge likely to define the 2022 season: inflation.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Sept. 29, 2022
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: The remains of Sears

    Senior Reporter Ben Unglesbee discusses his recent trip to one of the few remaining Sears department stores in the country.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Aug. 25, 2022
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: Planet retail

    Retailers know they have an important role in addressing climate change. But navigating sustainability is riddled with challenges.

    By Retail Dive Staff • July 28, 2022
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: Enjoy Technology set out to disrupt retail. But it got disrupted instead.

    Led by former J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson, the now-bankrupt “commerce-at-home” company has suffered from constrained supply and high costs.

    By Retail Dive Staff • June 30, 2022
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: What Walmart and Target tell us about the state of retail in 2022

    Rising food and gas prices are causing consumers to pull back on discretionary spending. That hurt retailers in the first quarter.

    By Retail Dive Staff • May 26, 2022
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: What's going on at Amazon?

    The e-commerce giant is grappling with many challenges, including union efforts and its Prime delivery promises.

    By Retail Dive Staff • April 28, 2022
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: The world according to AlixPartners' Joel Bines

    The consultant has spent decades working in and for the retail industry. We sat down with him to get his take on where the industry is headed.

    By Retail Dive Staff • March 31, 2022
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: Kohl's vs. Wall Street

    Activist investors have pressured the retailer to divest assets and potentially even sell itself. Retail Dive reporters discuss the implications of such moves.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Feb. 24, 2022
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: The surprising importance of the retail middleman, with BMO Capital Markets' Simeon Siegel

    The last two decades of retail disruption were supposed to mean the death of wholesale. Recent research shows that brands should think twice about that.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Jan. 27, 2022
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: Our traditional interview with the retail prophet, Doug Stephens

    While the pandemic isn't over, 2021 seemed to show that physical locations remain important to retail. But each store must have something to offer.

    By • Dec. 30, 2021
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: Another disruptive holiday season

    Vaccines have changed the shopping landscape this year, as have supply chain bottlenecks. Retail Dive reporters look at how the season is playing out.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Nov. 25, 2021
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    Kendall Davis/Retail Dive
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    The Backroom: Why is the idea of splitting off e-commerce so popular all of a sudden?

    Senior Reporters Daphne Howland and Ben Unglesbee discuss why Wall Street likes it, why others don't and how Sears' decline serves as a cautionary tale.

    By Retail Dive Staff • Oct. 28, 2021