Our guest this week is Michael Ward, CEO of Harrod's.  Harrod's is truly among the most iconic and remarkable retailers in the world, and Michael gives us a glimpse inside what makes the brand and store so special. He also shares details about how they provide exceptional levels of customer service, the best of the best products, and how they stay on the leading edge of innovation. We also learn about their new members club in Shanghai, and get a glimpse into his upcoming talk at the World Retail Congress in Paris next month.As usual, we kick things off by delving into the week in retail, starting with the growing higher rates for longer, before moving on to a discussion of surprising management changes at Under Armour and Fossil. Then there is a mix of many store openings from Aldi and On Running, while Family Dollar goes in a totally different direction, Outdoor Voices bails on brick & mortar entirely, and Body Shop mostly bails on North America. We also revisit the mounting problems at Allbirds, which includes some store closings as well. Kohl's reported a weak quarter, but announced a potentially intriguing partnership with Babies R Us.World Retail Congress:  Non-retailer passes and discount offer codes:Non-Retailer pass: REM-SPONRRetailer discount code: REM20Dive into the future of retail with the World Retail Congress's End of Year Report! Explore the latest trends, innovations, and insights shaping the competitive retail landscape, presented in collaboration with the Congress’s Knowledge Partners. The Congress’s report is a must-read for retailers to become world class in today’s retail climate. The End of Year Report reinforces the focus of next year’s World Retail Congress on High Performance Retail and our key pillars of winning the customer, winning with innovation, winning with purpose, the winning business models and building winning teams. Furthermore, the report brings together 14 of the world’s top retailers’ reflections from stores such as Action, Ikea, Zalando, Kmart Group, Woolworths and Wumart to present insights from around the world. 
About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor, board member, and keynote speaker focused on strategic growth and transformation and the impact of digital disruption. He is the author of the bestselling book Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption and the forthcoming Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption , which will be published in April 2024 and is now available for pre-order at book retailers everywhere. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior contributor and on social media..Don't forget to join Steve's new Linked Group for his new book.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, a keynote speaker around the world and consumer growth consultant.   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 , Canada's top food industry podcasts and one of the top management podcasts in the nation according to Apple, with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.    You can learn more about Michael  on  LinkedIn. Be sure and check out Michael's Last Request Barbecue,  his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!