In episode 334 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Mike Relich, co-CEO of PacSun, the California lifestyle clothing, shoes and accessories brand for teens and young adults. Relich discusses his recent presentation at the 2022 National Retail Federation Big Show, outlining the business challenges that developed during the COVID-19 pandemic as omnichannel shopping behaviors became more widespread, and how the retailer solved them. He shares how accurate inventory forecasting and allocation impacts profitability at PacSun, and how store associates were leveraged to fulfill online orders from stores.

Furthermore, Relich discusses the benefits of PacSun's partnership with Antuit.ai for intelligent product allocation and replenishment, why physical stores will continue to play an important role in the retailer's omnichannel ecosystem, and what he's focused on to continue driving growth for the brand throughout 2022.

Michael (Mike) Relich was elevated to co-chief executive officer of PacSun in May 2021. Relich, who has more than 30 years of retail operations and system experience, had served as interim CEO of PSEB Group, which owns PacSun and Eddie Bauer, since August 2020. He previously served as PSEB’s chief operating officer. Prior to joining PSEB, he served in various COO roles for iconic brands such as Lucky Brand, Crate and Barrel, and GUESS?, Inc. Relich also served as the CIO and senior vice president of e-commerce for GUESS?, where he was responsible for building the system infrastructure that enabled the company to grow from a $640 million North America-centric business in 2004 to a $2.3 billion global operation with over 1,700 stores in 87 countries.