Stewart Samuel, Director of Retail Futures at IGD, on Global Grocery Retail Best Practices & What Retail Looks Like in Ten Years

Recorded live inside a Real Canadian Superstore in Port Coquitlam, this episode of The FEED Powered by Loblaw features an in-depth conversation with Stewart Samuel, Director of Retail Futures at IGD. Together, we explore the future of grocery retail, AI-driven commerce, hypermarket reinvention, and the evolving expectations of Canadian shoppers. Stewart leads IGD’s global insights and foresight work, tracking retail signals and innovations that will shape the next five to seven years. He outlines IGD’s “Store of the Future” framework — built on four pillars: enhanced experience, optimized operations, value delivery, and positive impact (including health and sustainability). This very store ranks among IGD’s global Top 25 must-see stores — and Stewart explains why. We examine how Loblaw’s hypermarket model is evolving amid global pressure on large-format retail. From elevated beauty and health services to clear value messaging, loyalty integration, and improved sightlines, the modern store blends experience with efficiency. Stewart highlights how omnichannel fulfillment — especially in-store picking and third-party partnerships — has become foundational post-COVID, reflecting a structural shift in grocery e-commerce penetration. A major theme of the episode: AI’s accelerating role in grocery. From demand forecasting and pricing optimization to generative AI and emerging “agentic AI,” Stewart shares why he believes non-food retail will see transformation first, while grocery follows at a more deliberate pace. We discuss AI agents making autonomous purchase decisions, the future of personalization, and the implications for retail media and digital monetization. Stewart also predicts that even by 2040, grocery e-commerce will likely remain under 20% of total sales — reinforcing that physical stores remain central. However, they will become increasingly “hyper-connected,” powered by data that enhances workforce productivity, operational efficiency, and customer engagement. Finally, we explore trust as retail’s emerging superpower in an AI-driven world. As consumers navigate misinformation and digital complexity, trusted grocery brands may hold a distinct competitive advantage. If you want to understand where grocery retail is headed — from format innovation to AI, omnichannel, loyalty ecosystems, and the future of store operations — this conversation delivers clarity, strategy, and foresight. About Your Host, Michael LeBlancMichael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur.  He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025 and 2026. Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail.   If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael’s cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.