Modern Retail Podcast

Hosted ByCale Weissman & Gabi Barkho

The Modern Retail Podcast is a podcast about the retail space, from legacy companies to the buzzy world of DTC startups. Every Thursday, Cale Weissman, editor of Modern Retail, interviews executives about their growth and marketing strategies. And every Saturday Gabi Barkho, senior reporter, sits down with the Modern Retail staff to chat about the latest headlines in the retail world.


All Episodes

The Modern Retail Podcast | How coffee liqueur Mr. Black rode the espresso martini wave

The espresso martini has been having a moment for the last few years. According to NIQ CGA’s cocktail tracker, in 2023, orders for espresso martinis doubled in velocity and...

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The Modern Retail Podcast | Rundown: Red Lobster’s rebrand, Tapestry-Capri merger falls apart and Amazon expands telehealth services

On this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, the staff discusses Red Lobster’s rebrand plan, which was outlined by its new CEO, Damola Adamolekun. Then, after more than a year of...

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The Modern Retail Podcast | How KiwiCo is leaning on retail expansion to grow holiday sales

KiwiCo has built a profitable subscription business, but it sees retail expansion as key for this year’s holiday sales. “We’re really excited about our retail efforts,” KiwiCo founder and...

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The Modern Retail Podcast | Rundown: Trump’s proposed tariffs, more bankruptcies & The Children’s Place’s Shein debut

On this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, an overview of the potential importing tariffs the retail industry faces, as proposed by Trump’s incoming administration. Elsewhere, retail bankruptcies continue as companies...

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The Modern Retail Podcast | How Jake Paul’s personal care brand W is leveraging its influencer founder

“Even the most vanilla celebrity will do something stupid from time to time,” admitted Woodie Hillyard. But Hillyard isn’t working with the most vanilla celebrity — he’s working with...

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The Modern Retail Podcast | Rundown: Coffee sales struggle, Etsy’s posts solid growth and Subway sued over ads

On this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, the staff breaks down the struggling sales of coffee giants Starbucks and Keurig. Next, Etsy posts early positive signs of holiday sales. Finally,...

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The Modern Retail Podcast | How Awe Inspired leveraged its celebrity fan base to become a DTC jewelry powerhouse

There are a lot of mixed signals about how holiday sales will perform this year, but DTC jewelry brand Awe Inspired is bullish. Awe Inspired sells jewelry like necklaces...

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The Modern Retail Podcast | Rundown: Keurig Dr Pepper acquires Ghost, Tupperware sold to lenders and Peloton partners with Costco

On this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, the staff breaks down the latest M&A play, Keurig Dr Pepper’s acquisition of the 8-year-old energy drink startup Ghost. This week, Tupperware’s assets...

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The Modern Retail Podcast | How the company behind the bar Death & Co is becoming a global brand

Death & Co is an internationally known cocktail bar. It first began in New York but has expanded to other cities like Los Angeles and Washington, DC. But the...

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The Modern Retail Podcast | Rundown: Beyond Inc. partners with The Container Store, holiday shoppers take on debt and Urban Outfitters cuts prices

On this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, the staff breaks down Bed Bath & Beyond’s parent company Beyond Inc.’s decision to invest $40 million in The Container Store through a...

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The Modern Retail Podcast | Made By Gather’s formula for finding the best celebrity partner

Celebrity-led brands have become one of the biggest trends. But it’s not enough to simply have a big name associated with a company — the person actually has to...

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The Modern Retail Podcast | Rundown: Congress combats shrinkflation, NRF rethinks shrink and Halloween candy

On this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, the staff discusses a recent letter from two high-profile politicians sent to CPG leaders like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola over their pricing practices. Then,...

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The Modern Retail Podcast | How Malk is expanding as the plant-based milk space matures

Plant-based milk has reached a point of maturation — and Malk is helping take the products even more to the mainstream. The company launched in 2015, starting first in...

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The Modern Retail Podcast | Rundown: Levi’s weighing Dockers sale, QVC gets into pickleball & PepsiCo acquires Siete

On this week’s Modern Retail Rundown, the editorial team discusses the latest Levi’s earnings, including the potential sale of the under-performing Dockers brand. Meanwhile, QVC struck a deal with...

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The Modern Retail Podcast | How Grove Collaborative revamped its business model to focus on profitability

Grove Collaborative thinks it has found the way to become the Chewy of sustainable home products. The company has been around since 2012 but has gone through many iterations....

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