In Episode #12 of Kantar's Retail Sound Bites, hosts Barry Thomas, senior retail thought leader, and Rachel Dalton, head of retail insights, discuss the rise of VR and cutting-edge assortment technology. Also, get timely news and notes in retail, including Lowe's technology, McDonald's franchisee agreements, Canada's ban of single use plastic, and more. This episode also features Kantar’s Eric Stenbroten, senior director perfect category and Geoff Wissman, direct perfect category solutions, to discuss recent innovations in assortment and category management technology. Have a topic you would like to see us cover? Share your request by emailing Switchon@kantar.com.  News & Notes: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/21/canada-is-banning-single-use-plastics-by-the-end-of-the-year-.html https://www.instacart.com/company/updates/expanding-with-walmart-canada-to-launch-a-new-virtual-convenience-store-powered-by-instacart-platform/ https://www.getthegloss.com/news/john-lewis-botox-injectables-tweakments-cavendish-clinic McDonald’s is toughening its franchise ownership standards (restaurantbusinessonline.com) Kantar Retail Blogs https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/21/lowes-expands-into-the-metaverse-with-a-tool-to-help-visualize-projects.html Barry's contact information: barry.thomas@kantar.com Barry's LinkedIn Rachel's contact information: rachel.dalton@kantar.com Rachel's LinkedIn