The Blending of Brick-and-Mortar and Online and the Rise of ‘Dark Stores’

Designed for retail leaders and lovers alike, Retail Refined explores the in-store technology of the future, challenges the industry’s preconceived notions, and brings together retail’s biggest names to understand the brand strategies that will define the next decade in retail.

Steve Hornyak oversees Fabric’s global sales, marketing, business development and customer success business functions. He has worked in the retail technology, software, and SaaS business sectors for the past 30 years, including executive and senior management positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Oracle, SQL Financials, Clarus, Brickstream (Nomi), Trax Image Recognition, and Symphony RetailAI. He has also actively participated in, prepared for and executed two IPOs, raising over $300M in the public market.

All of that expertise makes him the perfect guest for this episode of Retail Refined with host Melissa Gonzalez, which focused on rethinking malls for the post-COVID world, closing the gap between brick-and-mortar experiences and their online counterparts, and why leveraging and repurposing existing real estate is going to be critical for eCommerce success.

Fabric helps retailers quickly scale operations, using their proprietary technology and robotic-picking systems to provide profitable, and efficient logistic solutions without sacrificing delivery times.

Below, you’ll find a portion of Gonzalez and Hornyak’s conversation. To hear all the insights in this episode, listen now.

MG: Everybody’s trying to shrink that last mile. What challenges have you seen, and how have you helped retailers fulfill it? When we see companies taking stores that have been closed and turning them into “dark stores” and centers of fulfillment, [what impact does that have]?

SH: That’s typically the first step. To take existing store and either turn it into a dark store or pickup from an existing store – and that’s going to stay around. That’s not going to go away. That’ll be there.

You’re going to have picking from storage for fulfillment where there is high velocity, high demand and high density consolidating that, and automating that will absolutely happen now. … Why are they going manual first? Well, it’s quick. It’s quick, and it’s cheap. And they can. It’s lower risk. …

We’re starting to see a transformation of and leveraging of retail footprints to be able to provide the localness for eCommerce fulfillment.

Listen to Previous Episodes of Retail Refined Right Here!

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

American Eagle
Building Loyalty Through Generational Evolutions: Inside the Mind of American Eagle CMO Craig Brommers
May 15, 2025

As Gen Z cements its role as the cultural vanguard and Gen Alpha begins to assert its voice, brands face mounting pressure to not only keep pace but to actively shape youth identity. With social commerce booming and physical retail undergoing reinvention, staying relevant means delivering experiences as dynamic as the customers themselves. One…

Read More
sports agent
Legendary Sports Agent Leigh Steinberg Reveals How Purpose, Trust, and Legacy Redefine Athlete Representation
May 14, 2025

Amid growing public scrutiny of sports agents and questions around athlete empowerment, few voices carry the weight of lived example like Leigh Steinberg. Known as the inspiration behind Jerry Maguire, Steinberg has redefined what it means to represent athletes with integrity, purpose, and impact. At a time when college athletes are navigating NIL deals…

Read More
leadership
The Power of Purpose – Leadership and Vision with Byron Sanders
May 14, 2025

Welcome to this transformative episode of the Undisputed Podcast, where your host, Ty Bledsoe, CEO of Undisputed LLC, engages in a riveting conversation with Byron Sanders, a visionary changing the landscape of community leadership and public health. A former president and renowned CEO, Byron shares his journey from humble beginnings in Southern Dallas to reshaping…

Read More
democratize
AI in Education Can Democratize Expertise—But Only If Systems Evolve
May 14, 2025

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in our everyday lives, AI and education are becoming more tightly intertwined. Many teachers and students are experimenting with AI in education, from personalized tutoring tools to automated lesson planning. While traditional edtech tools struggled to deliver on the promise of personalized learning, today’s generative AI appears poised to…

Read More