What does an AI-powered retail organization actually look like?

Retail real estate has spent decades trying to optimize speed, scale, and execution. Now AI is forcing the industry to rethink all three.

Surfaice Pro is taking this to a different level using mission-critical systems engineering to solve for issues along the store lifecycle, from leasing, through construction, and real estate. Joe Valeri, and Alim Uderbekov, co-founders of Surfaice.pro explain to Chris Ressa where AI is actually gaining traction inside retail organizations and why the operational side of retail may be changing faster than most people realize.

Moving beyond AI buzzwords, Joe and Alim are speaking the language of retailers and using practical applications to make the case that the next major competitive advantage in retail won’t just come from merchandising or location strategy. It’ll come from operational speed. The retailers opening stores faster, spotting risks earlier, and making smarter portfolio decisions in real time will separate themselves from the rest of the market.

The discussion also gets into the uncomfortable realities surrounding AI adoption: fear inside organizations, skepticism from operators, software fatigue, and the growing pressure executives feel to “do something” with AI before competitors move ahead.

One thing becomes clear throughout the conversation: AI in retail is no longer theoretical. The question now is who adopts it early enough to benefit from it and who waits too long.

What You’ll Hear

Why AI adoption in retail is moving faster than most people realize
How retailers are cutting manual work out of lease administration
The difference between generic AI tools and retail-specific systems
Why speed is becoming a competitive advantage in store development
How AI can identify project delays before they happen
The real conversation retailers are having internally about AI and jobs

Chapters

00:01 — Meet the co-founders of Surfaice.pro

Joe Valeri and Alim Uderbekov explain how they’re building AI for the full store lifecycle.

02:48 — Why retail became the perfect AI battleground

Why the speed and scale of store development made retail an ideal fit for AI adoption.

04:27 — The data retailers are sitting on

How leases, contracts, and construction documents are becoming operational intelligence.

05:51 — From site selection to store closeout

Breaking down what “store lifecycle management” really means.

07:01 — The three things every retailer wants

Speed, risk reduction, and smarter operational decision-making.

10:31 — AI overload is already here

Chris challenges the flood of AI tools entering the industry.

16:35 — Retail’s AI tipping point

How close the industry may be to large-scale adoption.

20:25 — Why adoption is harder than it sounds

The internal hesitation, budget conversations, and fear surrounding AI.

23:56 — The fear factor nobody wants to talk about

How companies are thinking about jobs, efficiency, and operational change.

25:37 — Inside Surfaice.pro’s real-world rollout

How JD Sports is already using AI to streamline operations.

29:54 — Why generic AI won’t cut it

The difference between broad AI tools and retail-specific systems.

35:30 — What AI could unlock for retail

A bigger conversation around creativity, efficiency, and operational scale.

37:40 — The cost of standing still

Why waiting too long on AI may become a competitive risk.