All Insights - The Robin Report

Experience

An Industry Manifesto: The Antidote to Retail Boredom

In their quest for scale, many legacy retail brands have transitioned from curators of wonderment to experts in expansion and operational effectiveness. Public listings, expansion mandates, and cost-cutting initiatives can propel these operators into performance engines by managing expenses through operational effectiveness. The smart operators blend concept innovation with performance.

Kevin Roche October 22, 2025

Management

Lead Like Her: Kat DePizzo, President, Justice Design Lab

Kat DePizzo, President of Justice Design Lab, reinvented the brand under dramatic circumstances. During the pandemic, with 15 people and a garage full of samples, she relaunched the #1 tween brand in America across 4,400 Walmart doors.

The Robin Report October 21, 2025

Experience

Luxury Brands Chase F1

F1’s prestige, defined by values such as excellence, precision, and endurance, aligns seamlessly with those of luxury and prestige. And LVMH’s 10-year partnership has given the elite sport a fresh makeover as the title partner for the first race of the season, where it unveiled Louis Vuitton Trophy Trunks.

Glyn Atwal October 20, 2025

Retail Unwrapped Podcast

Why Traditional Retail Stores Are Missing Return on Experience

When you are an architect who works on projects around the world, your perspective about American retail changes through a refined filter. Kevin Roche, Founder of Roche Design Strategy, has the advantage of understanding firsthand the power of Return on Experience (ROE).

Retail Unwrapped October 17, 2025

Operations

Who Knew Our National Security Depends on Wood?

Canadian lumber tariffs, started on October 14, are effectively 45 percent. On the retail front, the two home improvement giants, Home Depot and Lowe’s, clearly are going to get hit the hardest by these increased costs. But so too will flooring specialists like Floor & Décor and Lumber Liquidators, as well as the hundreds or thousands of independent lumber yards and sellers around the country.

Warren Shoulberg October 16, 2025

Beauty

Big Beauty Bets: Louis Vuitton and Old Navy

We should not normalize these LV prices. Whether we can afford it or not, it’s makeup. It’s not a bag that lasts for decades. We put it on, wash it off, and then it expires. Hermès doesn’t even charge this much. Absolutely insane.

Dana Wood October 15, 2025

Technology

The Overwhelm Era: Tech-Obsessed Brands Alienate Overstimulated Shoppers

Retailers say they’re digitally transforming to capture next gen shoppers’ loyalty. That’s because self-serving studies from digital solution providers have conditioned retailers to think that’s what young consumers want.

Jasmine Glasheen October 14, 2025

Operations

A Ukrainian Mall Rises Out of the Ashes

A Russian missile hit the mall’s roof, causing a fire on the fourth floor. It destroyed the ventilation chamber on the fifth floor and affected multiple other areas, including the dome, façade, climate systems, glass installations, and multimedia displays. Inside, the atrium supports collapsed, glass storefronts shattered, and interior decor spanning the second to fourth floors was heavily damaged.

Mark Faithfull October 13, 2025

Retail Unwrapped Podcast

Leading with Impact and Purpose

Join Shelley and Melissa Gonzalez, Principal and founder of MG2 in a conversation about her new book, The Purpose Pivot, which explores why understanding your genuine zone of impact requires ruthlessly eliminating everything without purpose.

Retail Unwrapped October 10, 2025

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