In episode 401 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Bill Barton, president and CEO of Bob's Discount Furniture, one of the country's fastest-growing omnichannel furniture retailers. During the conversation Barton discusses what excites him about leading the organization (0:50), some of the factors that have led to Bob's growth (2:00), and how he's positioning the business to succeed in a challenging macro economic environment (3:48). He shares how he sees digital and physical stores working together for future omnichannel growth (5:55), and offers insights into the fluid cross-team collaboration happening at Bob's to provide a seamless customer experience (9:10).

Furthermore, Barton details Bob's Discount Furniture's focus on top talent and diversity — it was recently recognized by Newsweek’s America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity 2023 award (10:30), his stewardship and enhancement of the company's culture (12:40), and how transparent goal setting increases employee engagement (16:53). Lastly, he shares how his leadership evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic (17:55) and how he's acting on Bob Discount Furniture's commitment to "deliver value without compromise" for all consumers (19:58).

Bill Barton was appointed president and CEO of Bob's Discount Furniture in October 2020. He brings more than three decades of experience developing and leading high-growth businesses to his role at Bob’s Discount Furniture. Most recently, Barton spent 11 years as CEO of California Closets, the category leader in home organization solutions and a unit of FirstService Brands, which is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation. During his tenure, Barton worked with the leadership team to drive sustained growth by introducing new products and materials, opening the company’s first two U.S. manufacturing plants, launching its e-commerce platform, and creating collaborations with major lifestyle brands including Marquee Brands and Martha Stewart.