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Artwork for The Voice of Retail

The Voice of Retail

Michael LeBlanc
E-Commerce
Retail
Artificial Intelligence
Leadership
Consumer Behavior
Retail Industry
Sustainability
Customer Experience
AI In Retail
Innovation
Retail Strategy
Leaders Leap
Retail Council Of Canada
Retail Technology
Retail Transformation
Customer Engagement
Digital Transformation
Covid-19
Generative AI
Customer Loyalty

The Voice of Retail is a weekly podcast hosted by retail pioneer, advisor and keynote speaker Michael LeBlanc and is produced in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada. Each and every week I interview the most interesting people in and around the retail industry, examining the key issues and strategies on the minds of thought leaders in Canada, the U.S. and around the world. © 2018-2026 M.E. Le... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes544Founded8 years ago
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ManagementBusinessMarketing

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Artwork for The Voice of Retail

Latest Episodes

On this episode of The Voice of Retail, host Michael LeBlanc welcomes Jackie Swanson, Managing Partner at Gartner Consulting, for a wide-ranging and highly practical conversation about artificial intelligence, agentic commerce, and the rapidly changi... more

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On this episode of The Voice of Retail, host Michael LeBlanc welcomes back Deb Craven to the podcast, President of Longo’s and Retail Council of Canada’s Distinguished Retailer of the Year for 2026, for an in-depth conversation about leadership, groc... more

YouTube

On this episode of The Voice of Retail, host Michael LeBlanc sits down with Stephen Bailey, Chief Marketing Officer of Vancouver's John Fluevog Shoes—one of North America’s most distinctive independent retail brands.

For over 56 years, Fluevog has b... more

YouTube

Recorded live from the stage at the SIAL Innovation Show in Montreal, this special episode of The Voice of Retail dives headfirst into one of the most disruptive forces reshaping commerce: artificial intelligence and its growing influence on how cons... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Deb Craven
President of Longo's
Longo's
Episode: Deb Craven, President of Longo’s, on 70 Years of Retail Excellence and being named Retail Council of Canada’s Distinguished Retailer of the Year for 2026
Stephen Bailey
Chief Marketing Officer, John Fluevog Shoes
John Fluevog Shoes
Episode: Stephen Bailey, Chief Marketing Officer at John Fluevog Shoes, on Building a Global Cult Retail Brand Through Community, Creativity & Retail Courage
Guillaume Mathieu
Co-founder and partner of Ilo; editor-in-chief of Boillon
ILO / Boillon
Episode: AI Is Rewriting Food Retail & Brand Discovery with Guillaume Mathieu, Co-Founder & Partner, ilot, live on the stage at the SIAL Food Innovation Show, Montreal
Jake Karls
Co-founder and rainmaker of Mid-Day Squares
Mid-Day Squares
Episode: AI, Authenticity, and Retail Attention with Mid-Day Squares Co-Founder & Rainmaker Jake Karls and retail futurist and technology guru Carl Boutet, Live In Person from Montreal
Carl Boutet
Retail futurist and technology guru
Self-employed / consultant
Episode: AI, Authenticity, and Retail Attention with Mid-Day Squares Co-Founder & Rainmaker Jake Karls and retail futurist and technology guru Carl Boutet, Live In Person from Montreal
Mat Povse
President, Best Buy Canada
Best Buy Canada
Episode: Mat Povse, President of Best Buy Canada, on People-First Leadership and Retail Reinvention (ENCORE)
Jess Crownover
Veteran logistics and global trade expert, Livingston International
Livingston International
Episode: Navigating Global Trade Chaos with Jes Crownover, VP e-Commerce & Digital Solutions, Livingston International (from the Global eCommerce Leaders Podcast)
Rohit Sriram
Senior Vice-President, Loblaw Digital; leads e-commerce and PC Optimum loyalty
Loblaw Companies Limited
Episode: Exclusive RCC STORE Preview: Rohit Sriram, Senior Vice-President, eCommerce at Loblaw on “AI That Powers a More Confident Customer Journey.”
Trinadha Kandi
Retail and customer transformation leader at Deloitte
Deloitte Digital
Episode: Agentic Commerce and the Next Era of Retail Personalization: Trinadha Kandi, Managing Director – Customer & Marketing, Deloitte Digital

Host

Michael LeBlanc
Host of The Voice of Retail; advisor and keynote speaker with deep involvement in retail industry initiatives.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 49 ratings
  • Great experience!

    Michael is a great host and creates great interview experiences for his guests! He dives into the content with his guests to bring lots of value to his audience!

    Diverse and consistently great content about all things retail from around the world!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Tkdjdl
    Canada2 years ago
  • Consistantly good

    Great content, great host.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Foodie in the zone
    Canada2 years ago
  • Michael is a great host

    I thoroughly enjoyed being a guest on Michael’s Voice of Retail podcast and learned a lot from his own experience as we prepared for the episode. Thank you RCC for helping to make this happen.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Josser405
    Canada4 years ago
  • Retail rockstars!

    Michael and his incredibly knowledgeable guests shine the brightest of lights on the retail industry and the hardworking people in it! Informative, educational, and engaging are just a few of the words I'd use to describe the time you'll spend with them. Thanks so much for putting out such a robust resource Michael - keep up the great work!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Katie Joy B.
    United States7 years ago
  • Weekly Must

    Michael shares great content, personalities and interesting topical info every week. Great way for anyone in retail to stay on top of current news and more in-depth retail stories. Entertaining and informative. We liked it so much we decided to sponsor.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ted from Stream Commerce
    Canada7 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests and topics are consistently valuable for retail professionals.
The show is seen as a robust resource on global retail trends and technology.
Listeners praise the host for deep retail expertise and interview quality.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Stephen Bailey, Chief Marketing Officer at John Fluevog Shoes, on Building a Global Cult Retail Brand Through Community, Creativity & Retail Courage
Q: What are the risks of chasing immediate results with new technologies or trends?
The guest warns against over-reliance on quick wins from AI or NFTs, stressing the importance of long-term brand health, consistent storytelling, and delivering real value rather than short-term gimmicks.
Stephen Bailey, Chief Marketing Officer at John Fluevog Shoes, on Building a Global Cult Retail Brand Through Community, Creativity & Retail Courage
Q: What role does community play in Fluevog's business model and how can independent retailers replicate that?
Bailey emphasizes patient, human-centric community building—focusing on genuine interactions, the 'Fluevogologists,' and a consistent brand voice. This creates word-of-mouth growth and a self-perpetuating loyalty that scales with the brand's values over time.
Stephen Bailey, Chief Marketing Officer at John Fluevog Shoes, on Building a Global Cult Retail Brand Through Community, Creativity & Retail Courage
Q: How does Fluevog balance heritage with staying relevant in a fast-changing retail landscape?
Stephen Bailey explains that Fluevog leans into its niche energy and creative heritage, using limited runs and unique store experiences to differentiate itself while gradually integrating new tools and channels in a measured way to avoid sacrificing its core character.
Deb Craven, President of Longo’s, on 70 Years of Retail Excellence and being named Retail Council of Canada’s Distinguished Retailer of the Year for 2026
Q: What has surprised you in your leadership since taking on the role?
The importance of listening to every team member and understanding the culture deeply, which has highlighted the value of curiosity and feedback in driving continuous improvement.
Deb Craven, President of Longo’s, on 70 Years of Retail Excellence and being named Retail Council of Canada’s Distinguished Retailer of the Year for 2026
Q: How is Longo's planning for growth across a large but still decentralized footprint?
The strategy focuses on store-centric delivery, scalable distribution, and leveraging partnerships like Empire Group to share services, while staying true to local communities and providing consistent guest experiences.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Voice of Retail

What is The Voice of Retail about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A business-focused show centered on retail strategy, technology, and leadership. Guests range from senior retailers and brand builders to AI and logistics experts, discussing store transformation, omnichannel experiences, AI-enabled personalization, and industry collaboration. Notable strengths include a consistent emphasis on people-first leadership, practical guidance for handling disruption, and a track record of credible guests who blend hands-on retail operations with strategic vision. The format often blends personal stories with actionable takeaways for retailers, suppliers, and tech providers looking to excel in modern commerce.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Voice of Retail?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Voice of Retail. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Voice of Retail and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Voice of Retail get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Voice of Retail, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Voice of Retail?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Voice of Retail, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Voice of Retail have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Voice of Retail has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Voice of Retail?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Voice of Retail:

1. Revisionist History
2. The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
3. How Leaders Lead with David Novak
4. The Daily
5. Front Burner

How many episodes of The Voice of Retail are there?

The Voice of Retail launched 8 years ago and published 544 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Voice of Retail?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Voice of Retail?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Voice of Retail from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Voice of Retail?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Voice of Retail. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Voice of Retail?

Recent guests on The Voice of Retail include:

1. Deb Craven
2. Stephen Bailey
3. Guillaume Mathieu
4. Jake Karls
5. Carl Boutet
6. Mat Povse
7. Jess Crownover
8. Rohit Sriram

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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