Getting Closer to the Customer with Lars-Johan Jarnheimer, Chairman of IKEA and Sarah Engel, President January Digital

Remarkable Retail

In the second of our episodes recorded at Shoptalk Europe in the Bambuser remote podcast studio we mix up our format with two shorter interviews.

First up is c, Chairman of INGKA Holding B.V., the holding company that controls the majority of IKEA stores worldwide. He shares about how leading with purpose and kindness is essential to the IKEA culture and its decades long record of remarkable success. We also learn about the company's strong commitment to sustainability and how smaller new stores formats are helping IKEA get closer to the customer.

Then Sarah Engel, President of January Digital, joins us fresh off the stage interviewing LJ on Shoptalk Europe's main stage. She reflects on their conversation before giving us her thoughts on how the digital landscape continues to evolve and what's important globally as brands look to the future.

We kick things off with some quick reflections on Shoptalk Europe as well as some remarkable experiences from Steve's time in Bangkok.

Then we do our usual unpacking of the most important retail news of the week starting with the first interest rate cuts since 2019, body cams being used to cut theft at TJX, updated Forrester e-commerce growth rates, and earnings from Lululemon (meh) and Victoria's Secret (yuck).

References in the podcast:

Central Embassy (Bangkok luxury mall)

Gaggan (Asia's #1 restaurant)

Leaders Leap FREE audiobook offer (US and UK only). Buy the hardcover and send your receipt to [e-mail] and we will send you a code for a free download of the Audible version of Steve's newest bestseller. Offer expires June 21, 2024.

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.

Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.

Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael’s cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.

Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.