Sprouts’ New CEO, Costco Exits Its Marketplace & Ulta Is Told To Get The Flock Out | Fast Five

In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Quorso, Veloq, and R&S Logistics, Shelley Huff is back again, joining Chris Walton for another round of Fast Five fun. The former Serta Simmons CEO and Walmart executive, now CEO and Co-Founder of the Interval, joins Chris to discuss: • Amazon’s latest limited-time grocery storefront for Labor Day and whether these smaller, occasion-based sales events are smart incremental share-building moves or just a gimmick that doesn’t move the needle: https://chainstoreage.com/news-briefs/2026-08-31?article=amazon-offers-digital-labor-day-grocery-store • Ulta Beauty’s social media backlash over its use of Flock Safety’s automated license-plate reader technology at a small number of stores, and whether retailers can justify surveillance technology as a tool against organized retail crime while managing the inevitable public backlash: https://www.retaildive.com/news/ulta-flock-technology-backlash/829623/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202026-09-04%20Retail%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:88897%5D&utm_term=Retail%20Dive • Costco quietly shutting down Costco Next, its member-only online marketplace, and what the move says about the role marketplaces should play in club retail: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2026/09/02/costco-shuts-down-costco-next/91577977007/ • Sephora piloting a new “Drop Shop” storefront on TikTok Shop, featuring exclusive monthly product drops and livestream shopping events, and why brands may see more opportunity in social commerce than traditional marketplaces: https://chainstoreage.com/sephora-debut-tiktok-shop-monthly-drops? • Sprouts Farmers Market naming President and COO Nick Konat as its next CEO as comparable-store sales turn negative, and what his priorities should be as he takes the reins in January: https://www.grocerydive.com/news/sprouts-farmers-market-jack-sinclair-nick-konat-ceo-change/829586/ Plus, Chris and Shelley tackle the lightning round, including their thoughts on Obsession, one-wish willows, and the age-old question: Genie or Samantha? P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/ P.P.S. Also be sure to check out our podcast rankings on Feedspot: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/ Music by https://www.hooksounds.com/