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- 27 min

Interview

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Leading With Craft: Jonathan Adler’s Next Chapter

📍New York, NY

Eight weeks into her role as President of Jonathan Adler, Mary Beth Sheridan is already clear on what matters. Craftsmanship, customer connection, and emotional resonance are not marketing language for the brand, they are the foundation. In a wide-ranging conversation with Paula Macaggi on OFFBounds Sheridan offers an early look at how she is approaching leadership at one of the most recognizable names in home and design.

Jonathan Adler has always been a brand you can feel. Rooted in pottery and built on a strong point of view, it stands apart in a crowded home category precisely because it does not try to appeal to everyone. From neighborhood stores and a flagship pottery studio in Soho to global interior design projects and a fast-growing digital business, the brand’s power lies in its ability to feel personal at every touchpoint. That sense of intimacy is not accidental. It is carefully protected as the business scales.

Sheridan brings a merchant’s mindset to the role, shaped by years of working closely with product, customers, and the shop floor. Growth, in her view, is not simply about expanding distribution. It is about introducing the brand to more people without losing its soul. Partnerships, digital-first storytelling, and experiential retail all play a role, but they are guided by instinct as much as data. Being customer-led, she argues, requires both empathy and taste.

Technology and AI, often framed as disruptors in creative industries, are treated here as supporting players. Used well, they can accelerate visualization, streamline design decisions, and enhance the customer journey without replacing human judgment. Sheridan’s perspective is pragmatic and grounded, reinforcing a broader truth about modern retail leadership. The brands that endure are the ones that balance craft and scale, intuition and intelligence, while staying unmistakably themselves.

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Retail Intelligence in Action

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Retail Intelligence in Action

Across Ometria’s client base, Black Friday revenue grew 15 percent year on year, with orders, average order value, and basket size all increasing.

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Across Ometria’s client base, Black Friday revenue grew 15 percent year on year, with orders, average order value, and basket size all increasing.

Interview

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For years, retailers operated with managed service models that limited transparency and slowed execution. Now, brands want direct control, real-time measurement, and unified planning across media formats.

For years, retailers operated with managed service models that limited transparency and slowed execution. Now, brands want direct control, real-time measurement, and unified planning across media formats.

Interview

For years, retailers operated with managed service models that limited transparency and slowed execution. Now, brands want direct control, real-time measurement, and unified planning across media formats.

Why Retail Media Is Entering Its Most Transformative Phase

For years, retailers operated with managed service models that limited transparency and slowed execution. Now, brands want direct control, real-time measurement, and unified planning across media formats.

Interview

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Interview

Retail moves fast. Customer expectations shift, digital journeys evolve and emerging technologies constantly reshape what good looks like.

Why Retailers Need a Blueprint Mindset to Survive the Next Decade

Retail moves fast. Customer expectations shift, digital journeys evolve and emerging technologies constantly reshape what good looks like.

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Jill Dvorak spends her time at the intersection of retailers, policymakers, and global markets, which gives her a unique and honest perspective on what is really happening inside the industry.

Trends

Jill Dvorak spends her time at the intersection of retailers, policymakers, and global markets, which gives her a unique and honest perspective on what is really happening inside the industry.

Retail 2025 and NRF 2026: Insights from Jill Dvorak

Jill Dvorak spends her time at the intersection of retailers, policymakers, and global markets, which gives her a unique and honest perspective on what is really happening inside the industry.

Interview

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Norrøna’s commitment to nature goes beyond gear. The brand has increasingly invested in community building through adventure travel, hospitality and events.

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Interview

Norrøna’s commitment to nature goes beyond gear. The brand has increasingly invested in community building through adventure travel, hospitality and events.

The Norrøna Way: A Century of Design, Nature and Loyal Communities

Norrøna’s commitment to nature goes beyond gear. The brand has increasingly invested in community building through adventure travel, hospitality and events.

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