Mark Ibbotson on Navigating Retail Chaos | AI, Black Swans & What Comes Next

Omni Talk Retail catches up with Mark Ibbotson, former EVP at Walmart and current VusionGroup advisor, live at World Retail Congress 2025 to break down the state of retail volatility. From economic whiplash to geopolitical black swan events, Mark paints a clear picture of the new retail reality and explains why precision, not perfection, is the future. He also shares advice for innovation teams on how to make a case for change inside cost-conscious organizations. ⏱ Key Moments: 0:33 – Mark’s background: From Sainsbury’s to Asda to Walmart 1:39 – Highlights from WRC: Tesco’s keynote, and Deloitte’s economist 2:44 – The only certainty is uncertainty: Black swans are now the norm 4:14 – Rising complexity: Wars, inflation, changing policies 5:00 – How retailers should prepare: Embrace discomfort and create the future 5:16 – Data & AI for supply chain precision and reduced working capital 6:28 – Why past processes won’t work: It’s time to rewire retail 7:07 – Knowledge is shifting from people to systems, but judgment still matters 7:46 – Advice to innovation teams: Prove value, not just tech hype 8:00 – “We’re not capital constrained. We’re return constrained.” #retailstrategy #retailai #worldretailcongress #retailleadership #omnitalkretail #futureofretail #RetailPrecision #retailinnovation This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy