GrocerTalk

Live from the Vusion podcast studio at NRF Retail's Big Show Europe in Paris, Chris Walton sits down with Øistein Burøy Olsen, Head of Digital Customer Experience at REMA 1000 in Norway, to explore how the soft discounter is using digital to build a more connected in-store customer experience. Øistein explains how REMA 1000 has evolved its app from personalized discounts into a broader relationship with customers, why the company is focused on hyper-personalization that genuinely helps shoppers, and how its Scan & Go experience lets customers scan, bag and pay in the app before leaving through a dedicated fast-track gate. He also looks at how REMA 1000 is using AI to prototype faster and build toward a more personalized shopping experience, including helping customers figure out what to make for dinner and remember what they need to restock. In this episode: • How REMA 1000 is approaching hyper-personalization • Evolving from a discount app into a digital relationship with customers • How REMA 1000's Scan & Go experience works • Why a controlled exit is key to the Scan & Go experience • Connecting the digital app experience to the physical store • Using AI to prototype and test new customer experiences • How AI could help shoppers plan meals and build shopping lists • The future of digital customer experience at REMA 1000 🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk Retail for more conversations with the leaders shaping retail.

Live from the Vusion podcast studio at NRF Retail's Big Show Europe in Paris, Ben Miller sits down with Alexis Marcombe, CEO of Unlimitail, the retail media joint venture between Carrefour and Publicis. Alexis explains how Unlimitail built an open, cross-border retail media alliance now spanning 40+ retailers and 21 countries, why in-store measurement remains the industry's biggest unsolved problem despite 70-98% of European sales still happening in physical stores, and why Unlimitail plugs into partners' existing tech stacks rather than forcing its own. He closes with a bold prediction for 2027: a massive RFP that could reshape in-store retail media across Europe. In this episode: Inside Unlimitail: an open retail media alliance spanning 40+ retailers and 21 countries How CPG brands work with Unlimitail to solve specific sales problems Why in-store measurement is retail media's biggest unsolved challenge Balancing advertiser demand for performance with the case for brand-building A 2027 prediction: the massive RFP that could reshape in-store retail media in Europe 🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk Retail for more conversations with the leaders shaping retail.

Live from the Vusion podcast studio at NRF Retail's Big Show Europe in Paris, Ben Miller is joined by Audrey Ceuppens, Global Head of Grocery and Retail at Bolt Food, to unpack how quick commerce is evolving. Audrey walks through Bolt’s path from mobility to food delivery to grocery and retail across 50 global markets. She explains why speed has become table stakes while reliability is the new differentiator, and how Bolt balances a global playbook with local nuance, from cash payments in Africa to sustaining grocery partnerships in Ukraine. She also shares what’s next, including Bolt’s newly launched in-app replacement feature. In this episode: Bolt's evolution from mobility to food delivery to grocery and retail Why speed is now the baseline and reliability is the new differentiator Balancing a global operating model with local nuance The value delivery marketplaces bring retail partners What's next: Bolt's new in-app replacement feature and widening shopping missions 🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk Retail for more conversations with the leaders shaping retail.

Live from the Vusion podcast studio at NRF Retail's Big Show Europe in Paris, Ben Miller sits down with Guilherme Cardoso, Head of E-Commerce at Continente, Portugal's largest grocery retailer and the food retail division of Sonae MC, to unpack the state of online grocery in Portugal and what it takes to build an e-commerce business that balances growth, profitability and customer experience. Guilherme explains how Continente is balancing e-commerce growth, quick commerce and profitability while adapting to changing consumer expectations around delivery. He also looks at what's next, from AI and personalization to the lessons Continente has learned from operating its autonomous grocery store. In this episode: • Inside Continente & Sonae MC, Portugal's largest grocery retailer • Balancing e-commerce growth, profitability and customer experience • Why quick commerce is moving away from 15-minute delivery expectations • What Portuguese consumers want from fast grocery delivery • How Continente uses stores, warehouses and a Lisbon dark store for fulfillment • The role of AI agents and personalization in Continente's e-commerce strategy • Lessons from Continente's autonomous grocery store • Why the autonomous store has evolved into a hybrid model 🎧 Subscribe to Omni Talk Retail for more conversations with the leaders shaping retail.

Grocers are investing heavily in electronic shelf labels, but what happens when the hardware is in place and the software can't keep up with the complexity of grocery pricing? In this edition of 5 Insightful Minutes, Kim Schneider, VP of Sales for Vestcom North America Retail at Avery Dennison, joins Ben Miller and Chris Walton to explain why the key to maximizing shelf-edge technology investments starts with the software behind the labels. Kim breaks down why Vestcom's expertise goes far beyond paper shelf tags, and how its storeLink software acts as a central brain for managing the complex data, pricing rules, promotions, and operational demands of the grocery shelf edge. She explains why going digital doesn't eliminate the challenges of retail execution, especially when grocers are managing a combination of paper and electronic shelf labels, and how intelligent software can help retailers protect their ROI, avoid vendor lock-in, and maintain accurate pricing across every store. Key Topics Covered: • Why electronic shelf labels are only as effective as the software behind them • How Vestcom's 40 years of shelf-edge expertise informs its technology solutions • Why grocery pricing data is so complex • How storeLink manages pricing, promotions, and shelf-edge data • The operational challenges of balancing paper and digital shelf labels • Why going digital doesn't automatically eliminate pricing and execution issues • How software can act as a single source of truth across paper and digital labels • Why hardware-agnostic software helps retailers avoid vendor lock-in • How retailers can protect the ROI of their ESL investments • The hidden operational costs of pricing errors and sync failures • How storeLink proactively identifies data issues, layout errors, and offline tags • Why software should never be an afterthought in an ESL rollout • What grocery CEOs and CIOs should consider before investing in digital shelf labels Read Kim Schneider's article: Could an ESL Blindspot Sabotage Your ROI? Music by hooksounds.com Sponsored Content

In this episode, sponsored by Instacart Enterprise , Portager , Vusion , and Sifter Solutions , Ben Miller is joined by Chris Walton , President and CEO of Omni Talk, live from NRF Retail’s Big Show Europe in Paris, to unpack the latest grocery news and trends shaping the global grocery and CPG industry. This week, they discuss: • Kroger’s stalled performance and lowered 2026 sales outlook, examining whether the challenges facing the supermarket giant are specific to Kroger, the broader supermarket format, or consumer confidence. ( Source ) • Instacart and Shipt launching AI-powered shopping assistants, and what the latest developments in AI-powered grocery shopping mean for the customer experience retailers should be working toward. ( Source ) • Walgreens partnering with Looma to deploy in-store advertising screens, and whether working with a partner that provides hardware, content production, and measurement is the right approach to in-store digitization. ( Source ) • Albertsons expanding its board and naming Meg Whitman as its first Executive Chair, examining what the appointment could signal for the company and the wider grocery industry. ( Source ) Plus, Kim Schneider of Vestcom joins us for Five Insightful Minutes to explore how grocers can maximize their investment in shelf-edge technologies. A few things worth checking out from this week’s episode: Don’t miss our exclusive interviews from NRF Retail’s Big Show Europe in Paris, featuring the retail leaders and innovators shaping the future of grocery and retail. Catch them on the Omni Talk LinkedIn page , podcast channels and YouTube . Register for Omni Talk’s Fall Conference Season “Must-See” Tech Preview: https://www.linkedin.com/events/omnitalk-sfallconferenceseason-7486477216600518656/theater/ Episode 005. Welcome to GrocerTalk. P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/ Music by hooksounds.com .

In this episode, sponsored by Instacart Enterprise , Portager , Vusion , and Sifter Solutions , Ben Miller is joined by Sarah Engel , President of digital marketing agency and consultancy January Digital and one of Adweek’s 50 most influential marketing executives, to take stock of the latest developments in Agentic Commerce and unpack the global grocery news stories from this week that we believe are worth paying attention to. This week, they discuss: • Anthropic’s new blueprints for Shopping and Merchant Agents, Amazon’s latest Alexa for Shopping update, and what the rise of Agentic Commerce means for grocery. ( Source ) • Sprouts Farmers Market’s CEO succession plan, with Jack Sinclair stepping down and COO Nick Konat set to take over. ( Source ) • Kroger and Meijer’s September wellness events, and whether in-store health and wellness activations can really move the needle. ( Source ) • Walmart expanding restaurant delivery through Dunkin’, and why the move could be a smart way to build delivery demand and order density. ( Source ) • Aldi letting shoppers vote on new private label coffee creamer flavors, and whether it’s smart engagement or simply a fun gimmick. ( Source ) Plus, GrocerTalk Grab & Go brings even more stories to the table, including Aldi’s Barbie-themed UK exclusive, Sarah’s pick of the week, and Ben questioning whether Starbucks’ new UK autumn menu is helping clarify what the brand actually wants to be. A few things worth checking out from this week’s episode: • Register for our Fall Conference “Must See” Tech Preview on September 17: https://www.linkedin.com/events/omnitalk-sfallconferenceseason-7486477216600518656/theater/ • Watch Jack Sinclair’s Groceryshop keynote from last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPdm5IAecYc GrocerTalk is your weekly dose of the trends, tech and big ideas shaping grocery and CPG. Episode 004. Welcome to GrocerTalk. P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/ Music by hooksounds.com

In this episode, sponsored by Instacart Enterprise , Portager , and Vusion , Ben Miller is joined by Stewart Samuel , Director of Retail Futures at IGD and a leading grocery retail analyst and industry expert, to unpack the global grocery news stories from this week that we believe are worth paying attention to. This week, they discuss: • Whether weak US consumer confidence is finally translating into changes in grocery shopping behavior, from strong results at Dollar Tree and Dollar General to lower-income shoppers pulling back at Walmart. ( Source ) • BJ’s Wholesale Club’s plans to reduce its SKU count by 20%, and whether cutting back on choice is the right move for the membership retailer. ( Source ) • Target’s new Beauty Studio concept, launching across 600 stores, and whether it can successfully rebuild the retailer’s beauty proposition following the end of its Ulta partnership. ( Source ) • Aldi’s decision to close its grocery delivery business in Switzerland, and whether the move is a one-off or a broader reality check for online grocery. ( Source ) • Walmart bringing its Scintilla commerce intelligence platform to Sam’s Club, and what it means for suppliers, retail media and Sam’s future. ( Source ) Plus, GrocerTalk Grab & Go brings even more stories to the table, including Simbe’s Tally expanding with Tesco, Erewhon’s latest store opening, a new Sobeys concept store, and Costco bringing custom cakes and party platters to online delivery through Instacart. GrocerTalk is a weekly podcast from the Omni Talk Podcast Network covering the trends, innovations and technologies shaping global grocery. Episode 003. Welcome to GrocerTalk. P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/ Music by hooksounds.com .

In this episode, sponsored by Instacart Enterprise , Portager , and Vusion , Ben Miller is joined by Martin Bailie , Global Retail CEO, AI & Growth Expert and Founder of MWB Advisory to unpack the news stories from global grocery this week that we believe are worth paying attention to. Martin brings decades of hands-on grocery experience across three continents, with a career spanning Tesco, Tata India, Primark and Lidl. This week, they discuss: • Target’s Q2 results, and whether stronger sales, grocery growth and improved store traffic signal a genuine turnaround or simply a bounce from a weak comparison. ( Source ) • Sainsbury’s pause on AI facial recognition, following a case of mistaken identity, and whether retailers can use technology to protect colleagues and customers without creating new problems. ( Source ) • Amazon’s six-fold expansion of drone delivery, and why Martin believes drone delivery is moving beyond novelty and becoming part of retail infrastructure. ( Source ) • Uber’s partnership with Zipline, including its ambition for one million drone deliveries a day by 2029, and what the race for drone delivery says about the future of convenience and quick commerce. ( Source ) • Ocado’s latest European technology partnership, and what its newest customer tells us about the future of automated grocery fulfillment. ( Source ) Plus, GrocerTalk Grab & Go brings even more stories to the table from another busy week in global grocery. GrocerTalk is a weekly podcast from the Omni Talk Podcast Network covering the trends, innovations and technologies shaping global grocery. Episode 002. Welcome to GrocerTalk. P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/ Music by hooksounds.com .

Welcome to GrocerTalk! In this launch episode, sponsored by Instacart Enterprise , Portager , and Vusion , Ben Miller is joined by Omni Talk President & CEO Chris Walton to unpack the news stories from global grocery this week that we believe are worth paying attention to. This week, they discuss: • Couche-Tard’s US$8.7bn bid for Żabka, and what it signals about the future of convenience retail. ( Source ) • Kroger combining grocery and prescription deliveries, with Instacart, and what’s next for Kroger’s ecommerce strategy. ( Source ) • Schnucks’ new AI shopping assistant, and whether conversational commerce is becoming table stakes. ( Source ) • Just Eat’s AI Voice Assistant, and what grocers can learn from how foodservice companies are adopting AI voice tools. ( Source ) • Amazon’s agreement with AutoStore, and what it tells us about grocery fulfillment automation. ( Source ) Plus, GrocerTalk Grab & Go brings more stories to the table, including Walmart’s move into store-based micro-fulfillment, C&S’s Winn-Dixie ambitions, Ahold Delhaize’s savings kiosks, and Waitrose’s new AI assistant for store associates. GrocerTalk is a new weekly podcast from the Omni Talk Podcast Network covering the trends, innovations and technologies shaping global grocery. Episode 001. Welcome to GrocerTalk. P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/ Music by hooksounds.com .