In episode 285 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Gregg Melnick, executive vice president and chief stores officer at Bed Bath & Beyond. Listen in as Melnick discusses how the retail chain has transformed at an accelerated rate due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the value of operating within an "omni-always" lens, and how the company is responding to constant changes in consumer behavior.

In addition, Melnick shares details on the internal collaboration needed to stay agile and pivot during uncertain times, why Bed Bath & Beyond is keeping flexible workflows to stay nimble going forward, and the new role of the company's brick-and-mortar stores. Melnick discusses why he feels new purchase behaviors such as buy online, pick up in-store are here to stay, as well as how data is transforming the way that Bed Bath & Beyond interacts with its customers in-stores and online. Lastly, he shares what he's focused on to continue growth at the company and the trends he sees taking hold this year in the retail industry.

Gregg Melnick joined Bed Bath & Beyond in 2018 as chief operations officer, digital, where he has overseen the significant growth of the company's digital business. More recently, he served as the company's interim chief digital officer until May 2020. Prior to that, Gregg served as president of Party City Holdings, the world's largest vertically integrated designer, manufacturer, distributor and retailer of party goods, with $2.4 billion in annual revenue. Previously, Gregg served as the president of Party City Retail Group, managing retail operations for over 900 stores in the United States and Canada, plus e-commerce operations in North America and the United Kingdom. He has also held senior positions at Dow Jones Inc. and Liz Claiborne, Inc. Gregg holds a bachelor’s degree from The University of Vermont.