US Core Retail Sales Data and Trends

Our guest this week is Anish Melwani, Chairman and CEO of LVMH, North America. LVMH is the home to 75 distinguished Houses rooted in six different sectors and includes some of the most iconic global luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, Tiffany, Bulgari, Sephora, and many more.

We explore the differences between LVMH's North American business and the rest of the world, along with understanding  the connective tissue and values that run through all the brands. We dig into how heritage plays a key role in concert with creativity to ultimately makes each brand and the collective portfolio remarkable before exploring how the luxury market has evolved over the past decade, with a particular focus on the role of digital. We end by delving into the growing role of owned stores in the portfolio and how that intersects with the future of wholesale distribution.

As usual we kick things off with our analysis of the week in retail news, including the US retail monthly sales report, some key drivers of disparate performance, Best Buy's complaints about "fun-flation", and what it all portends for the future. Then we move on to what to make of somewhat conflicting data on reported reductions in work-from-home and Amazon's related releasing of the Kraken against those that don't conform to the company's new policy. We wrap up with whether we believe Victoria's Secret can successfully bring sexy back.

About Anish

Anish Melwani is the Chairman & CEO, LVMH for North America. In this role, he oversees and coordinates the activities of the LVMH Group across 75+ Maisons. He sits on the board of directors for Fresh, Marc Jacobs, Colgin Cellars, Starboard Cruise Services and Tiffany & Co.

Prior to joining LVMH in 2015, he was a Senior Partner in the New York Office of McKinsey and Company where he co-led the Global Strategy & Corporate Finance practice and supported clients across industries. At McKinsey since 1999, he counseled senior executives of leading global companies on issues related to corporate strategy, M&A, alliances, portfolio management and organization. He worked in McKinsey’s Singapore and Hong Kong offices and was then relocated to the New York office, where he advised leaders of public sector institutions in New York City.

Melwani is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Board of the United Way of New York City where he serves on the Marketing Committee, and the National Retail Federation’s Board of Directors. He holds a BA in Economics from Harvard University.

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor, keynote speaker, and bestselling author of focused on growth, innovation, and the impact of digital disruption. He is widely considered one of the foremost and influential voices in the retail industry. You can learn more about Steve on his  website.  His #1 bestselling book Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption is available at  Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior contributor and on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can also check out his speaker "sizzle" reel here.

Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast,       The Voice of Retail, plus  Global eCommerce Leaders podcast, and The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.    You can learn more about Michael   here  or on     LinkedIn. 

Be sure and check out Michael's latest venture for fun and influencer riches - Last Request Barbecue,  his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!

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.