Consumer and retail PR teams in 2026 should pitch three groups: commerce editors at Adweek, Modern Retail, Glossy and Retail Dive, retail reporters at CNBC and other national outlets, and retail podcasts such as The Modern Retail Podcast. Adweek's retail coverage carried named bylines through late September 2026. Every name below carries a dated source.
Who leads commerce coverage at Adweek, Modern Retail and Glossy?
Five editors and reporters at Adweek, Modern Retail and Glossy have 2026 evidence of their roles.
| Name | Outlet and role | Source and date |
|---|
| Lauren Johnson | Adweek, deputy editor of commerce; runs retail and influencer marketing coverage; joined Adweek in 2024 | Adweek author page, bylines September 21 to 29, 2026 |
| Jill Manoff | Editor-in-chief of Modern Retail and Glossy | Modern Retail event recap, about May 2026 |
| Gabi Barkho | Modern Retail, senior reporter; co-host of The Modern Retail Podcast | Modern Retail event recap, about May 2026; podcast listing through October 3, 2026 |
| Melissa Daniels | Modern Retail, senior reporter and special projects editor; co-host of The Modern Retail Podcast | Podcast listings, 2026 |
| Danny Parisi | Glossy, senior fashion reporter | Modern Retail event recap, about May 2026 |
Johnson's September 2026 stories covered Amazon's ad platform, retail media networks, McDonald's advertising business and direct-to-consumer brands rebuilding their playbooks around retailers, which shows the retail media and retailer-partnership angles she is assigning now.
Who covers retail at Retail Dive?
Retail Dive's February 2026 outlook pages show three named contacts, and an undated guide adds a fourth.
| Name | Role and beat | Source |
|---|
| Caroline Jansen | Senior editor on home and specialty retail and e-commerce; produces The Backroom podcast | Retail Dive byline, February 17, 2026; DealStream guide, undated |
| Cara Salpini | Reporter on retailer bankruptcy risk | Retail Dive byline, February 17, 2026 |
| Daphne Howland | Senior reporter on department stores, specialty chains and restructurings | Retail Dive photo credit, February 17, 2026; DealStream guide, undated |
Which national retail reporters appear in older lists?
Six national retail reporters appear in lists from about mid-2025 to late 2025, so confirm each role before pitching: Melissa Repko, Courtney Reagan and Gabrielle Fonrouge at CNBC, Richard Collings at Axios Pro, Nathaniel Meyersohn at CNN Business, and Lisa Fickenscher at the New York Post, plus Cathaleen Chen, listed as retail editor at The Business of Fashion.
Which retail podcasts should PR teams pitch?
Modern Retail and Retail Dive each run a retail podcast with documented hosts or staff and 2026 episodes.
| Show | Producer and hosts | Detail | Source |
|---|
| The Modern Retail Podcast | Modern Retail, senior reporters Gabi Barkho and Melissa Daniels | New episode every Saturday, with the latest listed on October 3, 2026; episodes have featured a crisis PR consultant and founder-led brands | Podwise and Castbox listings, 2026 |
| The Backroom with Retail Dive | Retail Dive staff | Episodes on January 29, February 26, March 26 and April 30, 2026, including a consumer sentiment guest from the Kearney Consumer Institute | Muck Rack and Retail Dive listings, 2026 |
Check the outlet's masthead and the editor's newest bylines before every pitch, because retail mastheads change. The DealStream guide lists Cale Guthrie Weissman as Modern Retail's editor-in-chief, while Modern Retail's own 2026 event recap names Jill Manoff as editor-in-chief of Modern Retail and Glossy.
Pitch with a retailer angle, not a brand announcement alone. Why it works: Johnson's September 21, 2026 Adweek story reported that direct-to-consumer brands are rebuilding their strategies around shelf space at Walmart, Target and other stores, so a pitch that names the retail partner and the shelf strategy matches a topic Adweek is assigning. EPR's guide to building a media list covers the full process.
How to build a media list
Effective media pitches
Why the podcast tour replaced the press tour
Podcast PR and AI visibility
Before the next retail pitch, read the editor's last three bylines, name the retail partner in the pitch, and send it to the one editor whose coverage fits.
Last updated: October 8, 2026.
