Robert Miller

Walmart's associates and tech are working smarter every second. Our associates are leveraging technology more than ever before. We're creating a better customer and associate experience. And, we're removing friction. A grocery delivery arrives 17 minutes after checkout, timed to the minute. An associate finds the exact item a customer needs, without even leaving the aisle. You see a better shopping experience. What you don’t see is the innovation running in the background that my team is proud to be part of delivering: ✅ Algorithms that predict arrival windows before you even hit “order” ✅ Digital twins that catch a store freezer failure before it happens ✅ GenAI tools that guide better interactions ✅ RFID + AR systems that give associates superpowers on the sales floor Read more here: https://walmrt.us/44UEh2W

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When I think about where retail is headed - and where Walmart is going - it’s clear we’re at a major inflection point. Technology has always shaped how we serve customers, run our business and support our people. But what’s happening now with AI - especially agentic AI - is something different. It’s not just another tool. It’s a fundamental shift in how Walmart operates. Over the past year, we’ve been rapidly building and deploying AI agents at scale. Now, we’re moving from a collection of tools to a unified agentic framework - built to empower everyone across Walmart: 🛒 Sparky: Our customer-facing agent, already live and learning - helping people plan, shop, and discover with ease. 👥 Associate Agent: A single, intuitive interface for schedules, insights, and support - designed to save time and reduce friction. 🤝 Partner Agent (Marty): Helping sellers, advertisers, and suppliers manage their work with Walmart more easily than ever. 💻 Developer Agent: Accelerating how we build, test, and deploy across the enterprise. We’ve reached a defining moment - where years of foundational work have come together to power a transformation of how Walmart runs, serves and grows. Learn more: https://walmrt.us/44UEh2W

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Home Depot shares are down around three percent since the company reported earnings on May 20. Home Depot said it does not plan to raise prices for tariffs - a different stance from some other retailers. The Home Depot CFO Richard McPhail spoke to Morgan L Brennan about the company's supply chain diversification and consumer insights. 

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Here are some interesting stories from the world of retail for Wednesday, November 18: 🛠️ The Home Depot has cut its full-year profit forecast and missed Wall Street's earnings expectations for the third straight quarter as it saw weaker home improvement demand. 🚚 Kroger will close some e-commerce fulfillment centers and expand partnerships with delivery companies, a shift in its digital strategy. The chain will result in impairment charges of $2.6 billion. 📱 China's PDD Holdings beat forecasts on Tuesday with a 14% rise in third-quarter adjusted earnings, a sign that its steep discounts and heavy marketing spending bolstered demand in its home market. 🎯 Target's third‑quarter results today are expected to lay bare the retailer’s struggles amid mounting economic uncertainty. Target has not reported any same‑store sales growth this year. 🏈  Academy Sports + Outdoors has opened five new locations to wrap up the year, expanding its presence in Arkansas, Indiana and Texas. Academy will have opened 24 total new locations by the end of fiscal 2025. 🚚 Old Navy is offering same-day deliveries via DoorDash to shoppers nationwide. Through the delivery app shoppers can order products from more than 1,000 Old Navy locations. 📦 Target has opened a sortation center that will enable next-day delivery of online orders in the Cleveland metro area. The goal of the Cleveland pilot is to determine long-term viability of a Shipt-only sortation center. 🍸 A new lawsuit claims that some of Costco's Kirkland-brand tequilas are misrepresented. The suit alleges that certain Kirkland tequilas, marketed as 100% de Agave, contain non-agave alcohol. ⛳️ Topgolf Callaway Brands has agreed to sell a 60% stake in its Topgolf and Toptracer business to private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners in a deal that values the business at about $1.1 billion. 🥩 Tyson Foods has agreed to stop claiming it will reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and will also no longer market its beef products as climate-friendly. 👕 PVH Corp Chief Financial Officer Zac Coughlin is leaving the apparel retailer to take the CFO spot at SiriusXM. Melissa Stone, a 20-year PVH veteran will take on his duties temporarily. 🥖 Panera Bread has unveiled a turnaround strategy to reverse years of traffic declines. The plan includes improving the quality of ingredients, reinvesting in labor and leaning into a barbell menu strategy. 📺 Best Buy begins its Black Friday sale Thursday, November 20 - more than a week before the official date of Black Friday. #retail #retailnews #economy #DailyRetailNews

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Very proud of our team who launched Liquid Supply Chain™ today! At this critical moment for tariffs, suppliers need real-time insights to optimize their supply chain planning and execution. Liquid Supply Chain is a fantastic example of how Circana’s data and technology provide the clarity clients need during times of uncertainty.

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On Monday, I joined Yahoo Finance’s Allie Canal to break down what the Aug. 29 end of de minimis — the provision that allowed packages under $800 to be imported into the U.S. duty-free — and other trade developments mean for both consumers and retailers. Consumers are starting to feel higher prices today, but the real sticker shock will come this fall, when fewer discounts and promotions will make the increases even more noticeable. For U.S. retailers, elimination of the de minimis loophole is a shift that challenges some and levels the playing field for others. Chinese companies had been undercutting the market with rock-bottom prices and direct-to-consumer shipping, rapidly gaining share. They no longer have the duty-free advantage which will surely impact the size of mega hauls seen on tik tok and give US retailers a better chance at competing for these consumers.  At the same time, apparel companies are scrutinizing operations and costs to navigate this new tariff environment as efficiently as possible. The big takeaway: after years of dealing with ultra-cheap imports, the industry is entering a reset. Retailers that adapt quickly — rethinking sourcing, investing in efficiency, and staying close to the consumer — will be best positioned to thrive. Curious to hear from this community: how are you seeing these trade changes influence your business or consumer behavior? Watch the full segment here: https://lnkd.in/e2eX9j3K

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Three key takeaways from my recent conversation on the NRF’s Retail Gets Real Podcast: 1. Continuous learning is essential — staying static isn’t an option in retail. 2. Your first job matters — it’s the foundation for everything that follows. 3. Innovation creates healthy pressure — new advancements push us toward better, smarter ways of working. Retail is an industry that never stands still. Success comes from adaptability and the courage to step outside your comfort zone. Exposure to new ideas brings fresh best practices that move businesses forward — something I’ve seen firsthand. At Old Navy, we’re passionate about creating those first opportunities through our This Way ONward program, helping young people build confidence and skills that set the stage for lifelong careers. Thank you to National Retail Federation and Bill Thorne for having me on the show! 🎧 Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/dG52wfUR #Retail #Leadership #Innovation #CareerGrowth #NRF 

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