In episode 502 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Mike Hayes, chief commercial officer, Americas at Newell Brands, a leading global consumer products company with a large portfolio of iconic brands such as Graco®, Coleman®, Oster®, Rubbermaid®, and Sharpie®. The discussion begins with Hayes sharing the company's strategic vision behind creating the Customer Experience Center (CEC) and how it reflects Newell Brands' broader shift towards experience-led selling (2:00). He expands on the collaborations with major retailers at the CEC (5:00), how the CEC helps retail partners better understand shopper behavior and trends (11:20), and shares an example for how the CEC accelerates innovation (13:10).

Additionally, Hayes notes that the CEC improves joint business planning, influences assortment decisions, and prompts mobile “meeting-in-a-box” ideas (15:00). He also explains how experiential environments like the CEC could reshape future relationships between brands and retailers (21:00), as well as the value in its strategic location near Manhattan (22:45).

As chief commercial officer, Americas at Newell Brands, Mike Hayes is responsible for leading the company’s customer relationships, building and implementing our One Newell go-to-market model with top customers, and driving end-to-end strategies with each of our business segments. He's focused on accelerating sustainable, profitable revenue growth, category growth, and market share across the company. Before joining Newell Brands, Hayes held the position of senior vice president of sales and sales strategy for the North America consumer business at Georgia-Pacific. In that role, he led customer management initiatives in the region, overseeing a portfolio that included brands like Angel Soft®, Quilted Northern®, Brawny®, and Dixie® disposable products. Hayes previously held sales and marketing leadership roles at Sara Lee Corporation, Information Resources, Inc., The Dial Corporation, and the Small Business Association.