The Retail Pilot

Bracken Darrell CEO, the VF Corp and his brand adventures North

Three years ago, Bracken Darrell walked into VF Corp with a problem most incoming CEOs would run from: a $10B+ apparel holding company with declining revenue, shrinking g

Jan Rogers Kniffen on the Q4 2026 Retail Forecast, Agentic AI & Who Wins This Holiday Season

Jan Rogers Kniffen has been calling the retail recession for four years. It still hasn’t happened. “This is the recession that’s been six months off for the last four yea

Nitin Mangtani, EVP & GM of Salesforce Commerce Cloud: Inside the Future of Unified Commerce

Nitin Mangtani has pivoted a company more than once. He built PredictSpring in a garage in 2013 as a white label mobile app platform, watched it work with brands like Ral

Shea Jensen, President of Urban Outfitters North America: Inside the Brand's Comeback

When Shea Jensen took over as President of Urban Outfitters North America in February 2024, the brand was posting double-digit comp declines. Eighteen months later, it's

Neil Saunders, Managing Director of GlobalData: Inside Retail's Winners, Losers & the Back Half of 2026

There's a common assumption in retail right now that the top of the market is the only thing growing. Neil Saunders, Managing Director of GlobalData Retail and one of the

Vuori Founder Joe Kudla: From Garage Startup to $5Billion+ Activewear Brand

When Joe Kudla launched Vuori out of a Southern California garage in 2013, he was betting against his own track record. He'd already tried the apparel business twice and

James Reinhart, Co-Founder & CEO of Thredup: Building the Future of Resale

When James Reinhart walked into a Cambridge consignment store with a bag of business school clothes in 2008 – a J.Crew cashmere sweater, a Brooks Brothers coat – and was

Denise Incandela, EVP of Walmart Fashion: How Walmart Became a True Fashion Destination

Walmart just named Denise Incandela a Sam Walton Entrepreneur of the Year — one of the highest honors inside the company, and one rarely given to merchants. It's a fittin

Tanya Golesic, CEO of Mackage: From Canadian down to a Global Luxury Brand

When Tanya Golesic took the helm of Mackage in July 2021, she inherited a Canadian brand with extraordinary product and almost no story. "The minute you put the product o

Pete Nordstrom: From public to private, Nordstrom’s gains momentum.

In this episode of The Retail Pilot, Ken sits down with Pete Nordstrom – Co-CEO of the 125-year-old fashion retailer – to unpack the eight-year journey to go private, the

Retail Legend Mickey Drexler: From Building Gap & Old Navy to Running Alex Mill Like a Startup

Retail icon Mickey Drexler doesn't do retirement. At 80, the man who built Gap into a $14 billion empire, founded Old Navy, and revitalized J.Crew is running Alex Mill li

Rhone CEO Nate Checketts on Mind & Body Wellness: How Mental Fitness Built a $100M Performance Brand

Most performance apparel brands tell you they're building a lifestyle. Nate Checketts actually means it. As CEO and co-founder of Rhone, he's built a company where mental

Guggenheim Analyst Simeon Siegel: Why Revenue Matters More Than Hype in Retail + 2026 Stock Picks

Retail earnings season just wrapped, and the headlines are telling one story while the data tells another. Consumer sentiment is dismal. Tariffs are squeezing margins. Ge

The Department Store Crisis: Terry Lundgren & Jan Rogers Kniffen on Saks Global Bankruptcy and What The Future Holds for Department Stores

The department store industry just witnessed one of its most dramatic collapses. When Saks Global filed for bankruptcy in early 2026, it marked the end of an ambitious—bu

Lizanne Kindler Leading A $6 Billion Fashion Empire, The KnitWell Group

What does it take to lead eight iconic fashion brands generating over $6 billion in revenue? Lizanne Kindler's journey began at age 11 in a Washington D.C. department sto

Breaking the Salon Ceiling: How Madison Reed Redefined Hair Color with Amy Errett

Amy Errett didn’t just enter the hair‑color category — she rewired it. In a space dominated by legacy brands, fragmented salons, and decades of “the way it’s always been

Why Retail Is Holding Up Better Than Expected with Matt Shay

NRF President and CEO Matt Shay joins The Retail Pilot to break down what is really happening inside retail as the holiday season reaches its peak. From consumer resilien

A Legacy of Style and Innovation with Gene Pressman

In this episode of The Retail Pilot, we sit down with Gene Pressman, a third-generation leader behind the iconic Barneys New York, to unpack how a single store became a c

The Evolution of Coach: Lew Frankfort on Culture, Consumers, and Creative Leadership

In this episode, Ken Pilot speaks with Lew Frankfort, CEO of Coach, who helped guide the company from a $6 million leather goods business to a global brand generating mor

Inside Tecovas: The $300 Million Brand Redefining Western Retail

In this episode of The Retail Pilot, I sit down with David Lafitte, CEO of Tecovas, the Austin-based Western footwear and apparel brand reshaping what it means to build a