Retail Focus Podcast: Recent Episodes
Retail Focus Podcast
Each week, we release a new podcast covering the world of retail--business developments, trends, and historical perspectives. Podcasts feature news summaries, interviews, and previews of industry goings-on, intended for a wide variety of listeners.
We’re joined by two interview guests this week—first is Rod Sides, the vice chairman and leader of U.S. retail for Deloitte, who speaks to details surrounding their 2021 Retail Industry Outlook and insights from leading retail executives on the year ahead. Then, Shash Anand, VP of Product Strategy at SOTI, joins us to address what a positive technology experience looks like for the 2021 consumer and areas retailers need to be cognizant of as they scale up in-store tech. In our news segment, we discuss a yearly convenience store report and how ownership is shifting in that retail space.
Our interview guest is Mike Provance, the CEO of 3X3; Mike joins the show to discuss the state of beer, wine, and spirits retail in 2021, trends in the space, and how independent store operators managed to keep pace in 2020 with chain competition. In our news segment, we look at Target’s stellar holiday season sales and Nordstrom’s sales moving increasingly to digital. Finally, we discuss Petco’s IPO.
Our interview guest is Tobias Buxhoidt, co-founder and CEO of parcelLab; he discusses the importance of post-sale communication in e-commerce and why retailers should take ownership of the process rather than relying on third-party logistics firms. In news, we look at L Brands’ holiday sales updates and news that Lowe’s is expanding their outlet store concept. Additionally, we glance at news of Ahold Delhaize’s acquisition of FreshDirect.
Our interview guest is Sajag Agarwal, the Founder of Movley. He discusses the current state of inspections in China of goods bound for U.S. retailers, present shortcomings of the process on the macro level, and areas in which the process could or should be improved to reduce retailers’ risk. In our news segment, we discuss early holiday spend numbers from Mastercard SpendingPulse data and we close by looking ahead to small and mid-sized market retail sales in early 2021.
Our interview guest is Dr. Santiago Gallino, Assistant Professor of Operations, Information, and Decisions from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He discusses some of his research and work with retailers regarding onboarding and training associates, and how retailers can look at data differently to determine appropriate staffing levels. Our news segment is led by a Retail Feedback Group study that suggests U.S. customers are overwhelmingly happy with their retail grocery experience, and we look ahead towards Rite Aid and Kroger’s list of potential breakthrough foods in 2021.
Our interview guest is Melissa Wong, CEO of Retail Zipline. Melissa joins the show to talk about ways in which communication within retail organizations has changed, challenges in communication posed in 2020, and why it is important for the corporate branch of a retail company to have a consistent two-way dialogue with individual stores. Our news segment looks at U.S. retail sales data for November, and we look ahead to JD Sports’ acquisition of Shoe Palace.
Our interview guest is Keith Cohn, founder and CEO of Candy Club, who offers specialty confections direct to consumers and wholesale to retailers in the U.S. He speaks about the state of confectionary retail, trends to watch for, and employing impulse buys outside of the front end. In our news segment, we discuss Academy Sports + Outdoors, who revealed stellar sales numbers as the sporting goods retail sector continues to surge. And, we look ahead to warehouse club membership sales and Chewy’s continued autoship growth.
We’re joined by two interview guests in this episode. First is Karl Haller, Consumer Center of Competency Leader at IBM, who joins us to discuss how retail shoppers are continuing to increasingly make purchase decisions based on their values. Then, Vidya Peters, Chief Marketing Officer at Marqeta, addresses their latest data regarding mobile wallet adoption by consumers. In our news segment, we look at CBRE’s latest reverse logistics report to gain insight on what the returns landscape may look like after the 2020 holiday season.
Our interview guest is Cheryl Sullivan, President of DemandTec; Cheryl looks ahead to 2021 regarding retail pricing and private label market share. Speaking of private label, Kroger set a company record in Q3 in the number of private label products released and were also incrementally profitable on the digital side of their business—we discuss them and Goldman Sachs numbers regarding consumer saving during the pandemic.
Our interview guest is Adam Halim, the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Flipp. Adam discusses the current state of flyer readership in North America as it pertains to retail, and where the advertising medium is headed over the next several years. In the news segment, we glance at Deloitte’s annual pre-Thanksgiving pulse survey as a means to determine how traffic may be falling this Thanksgiving weekend. Finally, we look ahead to a leadership change and slight merchandise shift at Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Our interview guest is Mike Webster, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Oracle Retail, who joins the show to discuss findings in their annual global holiday shopping survey. Additionally, we look to Walmart’s earnings call to determine categories of strength in general merchandise as they broke down third quarter sales at Walmart and Sam’s Club. Finally, we look ahead to Amazon potentially refocusing work at Prime Air.
Our interview guest is Rick Watson, Founder & CEO of RMW Commerce Consulting; he joins us to discuss how retailers are attempting to navigate the muddy logistics waters of Q4 by dealing with surging costs, delays, and volume restrictions. In our news segment, we discuss how Dillard’s is reaping the rewards of a long-standing company policy and emerging profitable during the pandemic and how budget grocers could possibly (paradoxically) see waning sales as the pandemic progresses. We’re also joined by a surprise guest to discuss retail visits in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Our interview guest is Shash Anand, Vice President of Product Strategy at SOTI, who discusses the updates retailers and their suppliers are making to their back-end technology to meet changing customer demands. In our news segment, we discuss a business update from Regency Centers, a leading operator of grocery-anchored centers in the U.S., and the types of retailers filling their future lease pipeline. We close by discussing Pet Valu’s decision to close their U.S. stores and potential impacts for the likes of Pet Supplies Plus and Petsense.
Our interview guest is Woody Levin, the CEO and Co-Founder of Extend—he joins us to discuss the rapidly evolving extended warranty space, something that touches nearly every retailer yet about which little is known. Additionally, we look at O’Reilly Auto Parts’ latest quarter and seek leadership insight on why auto parts retailers are seeing a surge in sales in non-traditional categories during the pandemic. We finish by looking ahead at the rural retail real estate landscape, and how there may be less vacancy in the future as a result of potential rural migration.
Our interview guest is Meghann Martindale, Global Head of Retail Research at CBRE; she joins us to discuss CBRE’s U.S. Retail Holiday Trends Guide and what shopping center operators have learned since the onset of the pandemic. In our news segment, we focus on Albertsons as they attempt to catch up to Kroger and Walmart with a solid quarter. Additionally, we look ahead to Petco’s rebranding strategy and their planned 2021 ad campaign.
To view and download the Deloitte Holiday Survey results, visit https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/retail-distribution/holiday-retail-sales-consumer-survey.html
Our interview guest is Peter Sciara, the Senior Mobile Solutions Architect at Stratix. He joins us to discuss, among other things, the update of POS systems and other digital solutions for retailers as they rush to incorporate curbside and other mobile POS options for customers—including some of the differences in platforms (like iOS vs. Android) when doing so. In our news segment, we look at Walgreens’ recent earnings call, their stellar front-store sales, and the rebrand and relaunch of their mobile app tabbed for November.
Our interview guest is Ron Thurston, a retail expert and author of the upcoming book Retail Pride. He discusses the book, why those with retail careers should be proud of their industry, and how to develop a fulfilling career in retail. In our news segment, we take a look at Dollar General’s rollout of their new concept popshelf and how the genesis of the store concept had its origins in their NCI initiatives. And, we look ahead to Prime Day as well as Rite Aid’s purchase of Bartell Drugs in the PNW.
Our interview guest is Tjacob Smude, the produce manager at the Bisman Community Food Coop in Bismarck, ND. He discusses the structure of their coop, sourcing local product in North Dakota, and their mission to ensure community members in their metro area are well-educated about the food they purchase. In our news segment, we discuss Bed Bath & Beyond going all-in (with good success) on the college crowd, and we look ahead to a Supercenter refresh that might have Walmarts looking more like airports.
Our interview guest is Sarah Fischer, owner of Nature’s Pantry Farm in Minnesota; she discusses the unique nature of retailing products directly from a farm to consumers and working to anticipate demand to ensure a constant supply for customers. In our news segment, we discuss Costco’s latest quarterly earnings, but more importantly, some of their plans for the upcoming months, which include an adjustment to their seasonal approach from prior years and expansion of their warehouse footprint.
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Our interview guest is Jon Cheney, the CEO and co-founder of Seek, a leading imaging provider for retailers. He discusses the technology behind implementing 3D images into augmented reality services for retailers and drawing AR out of apps and into browsers for digital commerce. We look at Walmart’s launch of Walmart+ in the news segment, and why it may be more instructive to view it as an expansion of Delivery Unlimited rather than “Walmart’s Prime.” And, we wrap up with news of Chewy’s new limited-SKU distribution center.
Our interview guest is Dani Cushion, the CMO at Cardlytics, who catches us up on summer purchase data and their latest State of Spend report, as well as how the data suggests a continued potential flattening of the holiday sales curve with the shift of Prime Day. Additionally, we discuss the stalking horse bid by REITs Simon and Brookfield for JCPenney’s retail operations and what Five Below is seeing regarding Halloween sales thus far.
Our interview guest is Mike Welsh, the chief creative officer for Mobiquity. Mobiquity counts among its clients Kum & Go and Wawa, and Mike discusses considerations that go into developing effective loyalty programs that give c-stores the ability to leverage apps to improve and enhance the customer experience. We discuss Duluth Trading Co. in our news segment, as they beat analyst expectations but warn of potential future shipping pitfalls. And, we look ahead to Giant Eagle’s proposed roll out of cashierless technology in a 100,000 square foot store.
Ben Houston, the founder of Threekit, joins the show to discuss how his Hollywood background let to the creation of a platform wherein retailers can create 3D images and virtual photographs for their e-commerce sites. Additionally, he’ll discuss the next phase in AR as it pertains to retailers. In the news segment, Michaels takes center stage with their positive earnings surprise and launch of MichaelsPro, designed to target high-volume “Makers.”
The pandemic has affected customer-facing aspects of retail, but what about the vendor-retailer relationship? Paul Lee, the CEO of NHN Global (parent of FashionGo), joins us to discuss hosting FashionGo Week, an online fashion trade show running through September 6. In news, dollar store earnings were revealed this week, and despite a strong showing from Dollar Tree, Dollar General is still the unquestioned leader of the space. The show is rounded out with a look at updated retail produce sales numbers and a glance at the surprising leading growth driver for convenience stores in 2020: beer. For more about FashionGo Week, visit https://www.fashiongo.net/fashiongoweek2020.
Joining us to discuss how science, technology, and digital insights can assist retailers in making prudent inventory decisions in 2020 is Carla Anderson, Senior Director of Merchandising Strategy at Oracle Retail. Best Buy’s quarterly numbers are also addressed, as they managed fantastic comp numbers in June and July. And, we look ahead to dollar store earnings later in the week.
Our interview guest is Paul Brenner, the president of audio out-of-home and CSO of Vibenomics—he discusses the changing world of in-store audio and how retailers can tap into this resource for additional revenue streams. The show’s news topic is home improvement retail, as Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Ace all released impressive second quarter sales numbers this week. And, we look ahead to a potential logistics concern on the horizon for the holiday retail season.
The return of the Retail Focus Podcast features an interview with Daniel Sines, the CEO and co-founder of Traitify, who discusses onboarding for retail companies during a pandemic and how shifting roles have given some companies an opportunity to rethink their hiring practices. In news, Grocery Outlet’s Q2 sales were strong, but other information on the earnings call might be good news for retailers who are active in the secondary wholesale market. Additionally, we look ahead to a busy retail earnings week, with Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and other titans set to reveal numbers.
Rite Aid’s sales trends flip during the pandemic, with pharmacy sales tepid but front-store sales surging. We discuss retail pharmacy, along with GNC’s transition into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. From there, we touch on two different clearance projects for Dick’s Sporting Goods and how they may be able to leverage their real estate footprint to expand one of them. We close with more Sears and Kmart closures, Microsoft exiting brick-and-mortar retail, and Brandless making a return.
Although not as fruitful an earnings call as we hoped, we did get a glimpse into Kroger sales in Q1, including where they are seeing the most momentum on the digital front. From there, we talk about how the summer season is shaping up for fireworks retailers and yet another landlord taking umbrage with Gap. We close by discussing a PPE retailer’s endeavors to open a brick-and-mortar location and Stein Mart’s continued struggles to stay afloat.
We get a good view into a segment that’s been largely overlooked during the pandemic—convenience stores—as Casey’s releases earnings. Additionally, Chewy discusses the buying habits of newly won customers, Sam’s Club introduces curbside, and some retailers lobby against price controls by states. Our interview guest is Nikki Baird, the VP of retail innovation at Aptos, who discusses the question retailers must answer regarding pent-up inventory collected during widespread closures.
We start with Gap—although their quarter wasn’t as bad as it first seemed, their latest earnings call showed the company has a long way to go with the Gap and Banana Republic brands. From there, we talk about Southeastern Grocers’ deal with Food Lion, retail produce sales in Q1, and GameStop. Our interview guest is Cardlytics CMO Dani Cushion, who discusses Cardlytics’ first two State of Spend reports and provides insight into how U.S. consumer spend is trending as we begin June. Our podcast is brought to you by EZ Texting; get a free trial of their services by texting RETAIL to 858585.
Our show begins with the stellar Q1 earnings from Dollar General along with information from their annual investors’ day meeting. From there, Big Lots posts a positive earnings surprise and reason for optimism after May sales came in strong. We also discuss Tuesday Mornings’ bankruptcy filing, Southeastern Grocers looking to expand, and pet-related retail sales post-pandemic. Our podcast is brought to you by EZ Texting; get a free trial of their services by texting RETAIL to 858585.
We begin with JC Penney, as we discuss their recent bankruptcy filing and rumors that Amazon may be interested in part or all of the legacy retailer. From there, we look at the high sales from Walmart and Sam’s Club in Q1, followed by the even higher sales at BJ’s. Finally, we bid farewell to Pier 1’s brick-and-mortar stores and look at a regional grocer in Missouri entering the natural grocery space through a former Lucky’s location.
In a special episode of the podcast, we’re joined by two interview guests. The first, Karl Haller, is the global lead for IBM’s Consumer Center of Competency. He’ll discuss IBM’s recent study that speaks to how consumers expect to spend in the coming months, and the changes that we can expect to see from retailers when we transition to a new normal. We’re also joined by Derek O’Carroll, CEO of Brightpearl, who talks about the rise of the review culture now that consumers are shopping via digital now more than ever, and what retailers can attempt to do to prevent negative reviews in the future. Finally, we look ahead to the news we’ll cover on the next podcast, including Walmart earnings.
We begin with a deep dive into an area of grocery that is oft ignored by media in frozen food—data from AFFI suggest that it might be a future area of opportunity for many retailers coming out of panic buying patterns. We also discuss Office Depot’s pleasantly surprising first quarter numbers, a snapshot from Connex regarding retail facilities maintenance, and a few updates from Kimco. Our interview guest is Meghann Martindale, the global head of retail research at CBRE, who talks about some of their most recent data regarding retail rents and traffic surrounding various types of retail centers.
We spend the first half of the show discussing the reopening plans for several non-essential retailers who must now strike a tenuous balance while following local regulations. Additionally, eBay releases their earnings, Walmart unveils an accelerated last mile plan, and Forrester projections cast a shadow. Our guest is Paul Cohen, the national sales director for CREXi, who discusses the current general state of retail real estate.
We start with our quarterly check-up on the auto parts retail sector; while O’Reilly sales went up organizationally, they saw comps fall as a result of stay-at-home orders. We also discuss a potential fallout of the deal between Sycamore Partners and L Brands, Target’s latest business update, and retailers taking a pass on paying rent. Our interview guest is Nicole Amsler, VP of Marketing at Formation, who discusses, among other things, the difference between personalization and segmentation and how retailers seeing a flood of traffic during stay-at-home orders can maintain top-of-mind awareness.
We hit the ground running with Rite Aid, whose earnings call gave us a look into the potential momentum they are seeing through the first few months of the year, even if their bottom line looks less than stellar. We also discuss Neiman Marcus’ saga, a partnership between a footwear retailer and a regional grocer, and Bed Bath & Beyond selling One Kings Lane. Our interview guest is Bobby Marhamat, CEO of Raydiant, who discusses their report on the state of consumer behavior in 2020.
Grocery is on everyone’s minds right now, and we cover four grocery-centric stories from the past week to lead the show. We also discuss Tractor Supply Company’s first quarter sales updates, Whole Foods running behind, and potential positives and negatives surrounding the immediate future of retail garden centers. Our interview guest is Kristine Aslanyan, manager of the Good Dispensary in Mesa, Arizona, who discusses the complexities of running a dispensary during COVID-19 restrictions.
We get an intriguing update from Dollar Tree this week regarding sales at both Dollar Tree and Family Dollar through March. We look through those details and discuss potential supply chain issues in the dairy and produce industries and why they may impact retail stores during panic buying. Our interview guest is DataOwl co-founder Dan Hirsch, who joins us to discuss the current landscape in dispensary sales, as well as some unique tools that dispensaries are using to serve their customers in a time of both heightened and relaxed restrictions.
As we fight to keep up with the now rapid-fire changes in the retail landscape, we start our show with retailers releasing information on what consumer purchase trends look like in the era of coronavirus. From there, we discuss the disappointing (but likely inevitable) news of retail furloughs and layoffs, what the CARES Act may mean for small retailers, and how consumer (and retail real estate) attitudes may change once all is said and done.
In this free-flowing episode, we scrap the rundown and discuss observations surrounding the drastically altered retail landscape, as well as retailers that stand to potentially improve their image post-coronavirus. Our interview guest is Karly Caylor, a performance content writer at VMLY&R, who discusses the research and approach necessary to effectively write for an e-commerce site.
We begin the show discussing the potential impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) on retail, including our discussion with retail store managers and what we’ve heard on various earnings calls. From there, we discuss Costco’s latest earnings, Dollar Tree’s goals for 2020 surrounding different initiatives, and Kroger’s Q4 call. Our interview guest is Cardlytics CMO Dani Cushion, who discusses their data that suggests customers that come back to a retailer in Q1 could be the most important.
Home Depot leads the show, after they release not only earnings but some interesting merchandising initiatives for their outdoor product lines. We also discuss the new Amazon Go Grocery store and Lumber Liquidators’ year-end earnings report. Our interview guest is Alex Barseghian, author and former head of retail for Blackhawk Network, who joins us to discuss the current state of gift cards in retail and some developments to keep a watchful eye on over the next year-plus.
As Walmart closes out their fiscal year, we take a look back at some of the initiatives they started during the last 12 months, and look at their sales forecasts for the next 12 months. Additionally, we discuss Floor & Décor’s dramatic growth plans, and how SpartanNash’s numbers suggest strengths in independent grocery. Our interview guest is Jeff Hunt, founder and CEO of Snap36, the leading provider of 360° product photography on major e-commerce sites, who discusses the logistics and technology behind their operations. Our sponsor is Start From Zero; check them out at startfromzero.com/retail.
We start with positive news from Ahold Delhaize (as Food Lion showcased solid comps) and CVS (as their front-store comps were up yet again). We also discuss the largest point-of-sale provider in the U.S. in NCR, Quiktrip’s expansion into Alabama, and the shuttering of Brandless. Our interview guests are Shlomo Chopp and Ryan Wolfe of ShopFulfill, who talk about the background behind Anchor Shops, a new brick-and-mortar retail concept and fulfillment mechanism developed to assist e-commerce pureplays and direct-to-consumer brands.
We begin with a rare deep dive on the latest from Boot Barn, as they ride their loyal customers to continued sales growth but are endeavoring to draw new customers through exclusive clothing lines. From there, it is on to Natural Grocers, Earth Wise, and pleasant numbers from Simon
After following up on the newly announced Lucky’s Market bankruptcy, we dive into reasons behind Tanger Outlets’ industry-leading high occupancy rates and whether they will continue into 2020. We also discuss Amazon’s earnings call, Stein Mart potentially going private, and Kohl’s commitment to smaller footprints. Our interview guest is Andrew Park, VP of CX at InMoment (inmoment.com), who joins us to discuss dynamics of the experience economy as it pertains to retail and gives case studies on why retailers should broaden their understanding of the customer experience.
We lead off with sad news from the natural food retail space, as Lucky’s Market announced closures of over 75% of their store base this week. After discussing potential ramifications, we move on to New York City’s new cash requirements for retail and food outlets, and Mars Retail Group announcing an expansion of their M&M’s retail concept. Our interview guest is Marianne Slamich, Head of Marketing at Pointr, who discusses their progress in bringing location-based retail technologies to U.S. retailers.
A few big news stories headline our show, including Walmart’s continued rollout of robotics for both the back and front of the store, and Gap calling off their planned split of Old Navy. We also discuss Amazon’s backtrack regarding FedEx Ground, and an investigation at Best Buy. Our interview guest is Marci Weisler, Chief Commercial Officer of Vengo Labs, who discusses bringing retail to non-traditional retail locations and the future of in-store sampling as a retail marketing tool.
We start the show with holiday sales updates, which came out en masse last week. We talk in some depth about Mark Tritton’s first earnings call as Bed Bath & Beyond CEO, and we look at a deal that could enable grocer Save A Lot some flexibility as they search for stability. Our interview guest is Michael Hurst of Starch Creative (whatsyourstarch.com), who discusses the new frontier of retail design, including changing in-store layouts to have a more open dialogue with customers.
Although we cover some brief news from Amazon and Kroger, we spend the bulk of this episode ranking our top and bottom five retailers for calendar year 2019. Who makes the list for the first time, and who takes the number one spot? Our interview guest is Cardlytics CMO Dani Cushion, who joins us to talk the data behind taking market share from distressed or closing retailers.
In a show that tilts towards e-commerce news, we begin with the news surrounding Amazon and FedEx, as Amazon makes it more difficult for third-party sellers to use the shipping platform for Prime sales. From there we head to Chewy’s earnings call, and positivity surrounding their steadily increasing margins and private label products. We close the show by discussing dynamics of digital returns and the pressures they are projected to place on warehouse space, and the wholesale leadership changes under Mark Tritton at Bed Bath & Beyond.
We start with a regional grocer in Ingles Markets this week, as they continue to display solid same-store sales trends. From there, we discuss Casey’s most recent earnings call and a new distribution center that will potentially allow them further expansion. We wrap up with Conn’s and their pivot in electronics and an acquisition of New Seasons Market. Our interview guest is Rob McGovern, the founder and CEO of PreciseTarget, who discusses the necessity of retailers building a more complete view of their customer base and how they can do so.
We begin with sad news—that of Ollie’s CEO Mark Butler’s passing. From there, we discuss Aldi’s postponement of building in Arizona, Kroger’s latest earnings call, and retailers we both paid a visit to last week. Additionally, we conduct a deep dive on Big Lots, discussing how their “Store of the Future” layout and their movement away from essentials marks another pivot for the company. In closing, we look ahead to Conn’s earnings and how tariffs may affect Five Below’s runaway success.
As promised in our last show, it is an off-price extravaganza this week, with TJX, Ross, and Burlington all hosting earnings calls in the last seven days. We compare the retailers, specifically as it pertains to the all-important holiday inventory levels and deal flow. In closing, we briefly touch on A.C. Moore’s announced closures and Dick’s Sporting Goods relative recent success.
We lead our show with Target, who once again impressed the retail world with a solid earnings call—we go beyond the numbers to discuss their initiatives on tap for the upcoming quarter and year. After, we discuss two very different calls from the home improvement sector in Home Depot and Lowe’s, and look ahead to our off-price show next week. Our interview guest is Meghann Martindale, the Global Head of Retail Research at CBRE, who joins us to discuss CBRE’s recent report detailing forecasts for food and beverage (and it’s interplay with retail real estate) as well as their Holiday Retail Trends report. As an aside, we would like to thank Feedspot, who included the Retail Focus Podcast as a top 25 retail podcast in their blog posted this week.
It is earnings season, and as per our obligation, we start the show by covering Walmart’s earnings. After, we discuss Grocery Outlet’s promise as an expanding concept, JC Penney’s earnings, and Layton’s retail experiences in Detroit. Our interview guest is Sean Turner, Co-Founder & CTO of Swiftly, who joins us to discuss implementation of e-commerce and AI technologies in small- to mid-sized grocers.
As far as the news portion of the podcast is concerned, we touch on Kroger’s recent investor conference and their rebranding announcements, followed by Sally Beauty earnings and a study from UBS that made headlines regarding mall food courts. Our interview guest is Dani Cushion, CMO at Cardlytics, who joins us to discuss Cardlytics’ recent holiday data and break down potential opportunities for retailers on the marketing front.
As earnings season gets under way, we go beyond the main earnings metrics for Carter’s to find that children’s clothing retail may be more robust than thought, especially given declining birth rates. From there, we take a look at Walgreens’ front-store sales and an earnings call from ROIC that suggests neighborhood shopping centers are popular as ever. We close by discussing Amazon’s latest grocery delivery efforts and Wayfair’s quest to stop hemorrhaging money.
With their latest earnings report, privately-held Albertsons appears to be trending in a positive direction. We lead our show with a deep dive and positives and negatives from their second quarter information. From there, we discuss a new report from the NRF that suggests November imports will be on the rise as a result of potential tariffs, and Major League Baseball opening a flagship store in NYC against significant headwinds. We close with a quick discussion of Five Below’s new gaming venture and Mark Tritton leaving Target to take the reins at Bed Bath & Beyond.
We lead the show with an intriguing study from First Insight that suggests price elasticity may be declining across most apparel categories as well as home goods. After discussing the potential implications for retailers, we move on to Costco’s latest earnings call, and then to the NRF’s yearly holiday sales projections. As we conclude the show, we look at Kroger’s solution to a potential food desert after a store closure and a list of potential retail bankruptcies in the next 12 months.
Amidst an ongoing turnaround plan, Pier 1 puts forth a difficult quarter but hopes their strategy will begin to pay off for the holidays. Meanwhile, more rumors surround a potential deal between two REITs and Forever 21, and we discuss convenience store operators’ relative optimism for the winter season. We wrap up by looking at IKEA’s new smaller store in Queens and projections for a potential decline in Halloween sales.
Projections come out from Deloitte and AlixPartners suggesting the holiday season may see a robust increase in sales year-over-year, countering a more bearish outlook from Wells Fargo. We discuss this, as well as hhgregg (or H.H. Gregg, depending on which style you prefer) making a foray back into brick-and-mortar. Additionally, we take a look at Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores earnings, a full rollout of new technology from Meijer, and Stage finally handing over the keys to Gordmans.
We begin our show by looking at Michaels earnings results—more specifically, we look at Michaels’ continued attempts to differentiate in the craft retail space and hone in on their core consumer. From there, we discuss the potential impacts of Hurricane Dorian on U.S. retail, paper shrink in organics, and Kimberly-Clark’s confidence. Additionally, we address Kirkland’s “accelerating in a not-positive direction,” as Layton puts it.
In a packed podcast, we talk about Target’s record earnings call (and share price) before discussing L Brands’ Jekyll and Hyde status. From there, we discuss Sears Hometown’s most recent suitor, how a once-bankrupt brand may be helping to save Stage, and various initiatives at Ross before wrapping up by glancing at Costco’s China entrance and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet.
After discussing another quarter in which Walmart provides a positive earnings surprise, we turn our attention to JCPenney’s announced partnership with thredUP, and why it may surpass critics’ expectations. From there, we talk point-of-sale—a new study from creditcards.com suggests customers are still using cash for small purchases at a high rate. We wrap up by looking at Amazon’s…interesting…video promotion.
CVS and Walgreens were both in the news this week, albeit for vastly different reasons—we discuss CVS’ great quarter and more closures for WBA. We then look to the most recent Sears and Kmart closures for optimism, of all things, before turning our attention to a recent story about retail landlords potentially having interest in serving as de facto lenders to struggling tenants.
After referencing Amazon’s earnings to begin the show, we re-hash Albertsons’ latest quarter and some of their ongoing initiatives as the company seeks to make themselves desirable for a potential IPO. From there, we discuss a bellwether in home improvement, as Sherwin-Williams surges on the retail front once again. We wrap up by discussing GNC’s negative (!) e-commerce sales trends and eBay’s newest fulfillment project.
Our yearly obligatory coverage of Prime Day leads the show, as many of the same storylines are pasted in from last year. From there, we discuss Chewy’s first earnings call and their potential path to profitability, and Rent-A-Center’s deal for a virtual lease provider. We wrap up by looking ahead to GNC’s earnings call, and Layton tackles the idea of whether plant-based products are actually taking substantial market share just yet.
We start with Bed Bath & Beyond’s first earnings call with their interim CEO Mark Winston, and attempt to decipher whether or not the company’s directives have actually changed since the previous call. From there, we look at 7-Eleven’s desire to sell more fresh foods—and with it, their desire to clean up their stores’ image. Finally, we talk about Deloitte’s back-to-school forecasts, figs, and Amazon’s new proposed training initiatives.
We begin by focusing on a Recode article that got plenty of attention this holiday week, claiming that Walmart’s e-commerce division may show a $1 billion loss for 2019. We talk about why the main points in the article might be overblown a bit by other media, as well as a new convenience store survey that suggests retailers are very optimistic for the third quarter. We close by talking about the Hawaiian retail landscape, Chico’s shooting down Sycamore’s buyout proposal, and Rite Aid.
This week, we tackle Toys”R”Us—or the newest iteration of Toys”R”Us—as plans leak out about what their new brick-and-mortar presence might look like under Tru Kids. We also discuss analysts’ downward revision of Amazon’s market share, how Stage appears to be ahead of schedule with their Gordmans pivot, and how Home Depot is planning to endure potential tariff impacts.
In a quick podcast, we discuss Layton’s trip to Colombia, the current state of retail in the South American country, and whether there is anything Colombia can adapt from U.S. retail (and vice-versa). We also discuss Target’s no good, very bad weekend, and two stories that we’ll cover in more detail on the June 24th podcast, including new analyst numbers surrounding Amazon.
We begin with Five Below, who, as per usual, released stellar earnings. Of more concern to us, however, are different initiatives the retailer is testing in order to maintain its fast growth. From there, we discuss GameStop, as the company hopes that a SKU revitalization will be its equivalent to a green mushroom. We also talk about the state of cold warehouse storage in the U.S., Barnes & Noble, and Transform Holdco’s attempt to purchase Sears Hometown & Outlet stores.
Although it is a podcast with plenty of positivity, we start with a bit of a downer, as ascena retail group announces their intention to “wind down” Dressbarn as a brand. Meanwhile, Dick’s Sporting Goods beats on earnings, and we compare their recent sales numbers to others in the industry while talking about a category the company feels might be weighing them down. Finally, we compare progress on initiatives from Dollar General and Dollar Tree, as both companies released earnings this week.
We lead with Best Buy earnings, mostly to discuss their Best Buy 2020 initiatives and their new rent-to-own program rolled out in the first quarter. From there, we touch on two mall retailers heading in different directions. First, Foot Locker, whose Champs Sports brand is seeing remarkable success, and then The Buckle, whose price points are headed downward in an effort to win back customers. We close the show by discussing Target’s call as well.
The legacy retailer Macy’s leads our show, not only with their latest earnings report, but as they update progress on their five initiatives to drive both brick-and-mortar and digital traffic back to the retailer. From there, we discuss Walmart’s new NextDay shipping adventure, and the limitations of the program from the customer’s perspective. We also address The Container Store’s stellar earnings, the CEO departure at Bed Bath & Beyond, and Kohl’s rumored interest in At Home.
We lead our show with Tuesday Morning’s latest earnings report, but more than earnings, we discuss potential shift in the way they handle inventory within their supply chain. After that, there’s a look into Office Depot/Max and their continued pivot away from retail and towards service offerings, and a discussion of Cub and comments their CEO made regarding a potential sale. Finally, we glance at helium’s impact on Party City, and Walmart’s latest move to attract pet owners.
After talking about Stop & Shop and Wegmans, each of whom in the news for very different reasons, we discuss the landscape of single-tenant retail real estate through the lens of National Retail Properties. From there, it’s on to discussing CVS, Kohl’s, a new private label brand at Target, and a new store structuring initiative from Walmart.
We start our show by discussing Rite Aid and fred’s, back-to-back. Rite Aid reiterated some of their initiatives coming out of a transition period, while fred’s reveals a clearance program that leaves us both scratching our heads. We then discuss new data from Thasos that suggests which retail REITs might be leading the way in generating traffic, before talking about Pier 1’s direction forward.
Leading off our show, we take a deep dive into Duluth Trading Co., focusing on the positives and negatives from their past and future initiatives after their earnings call. Then, we turn our attention to Sears, as they announced new store openings, and news broke of a potential reunion with their Hometown stores. We close by discussing news of At Home’s potential sale bid, and an activist investor backing off Dollar Tree.
In two separate segments, and for two different reasons, Shoe Carnival and Sportsman’s Warehouse talked a lot in their respective earnings calls about making plays for available market share. We break down both retailers’ efforts, discuss Albertsons scaling back Plated’s retail presence, and look towards Wayfair’s first permanent brick-and-mortar store.
A podcast heavily weighted towards retailers focused on small- and mid-sized markets, we begin by covering Hibbett Sports’ latest earnings call—and why it was much more positive than most media outlets let on. From there, we discuss Cato’s seeming lack of digital initiatives, ascena’s big announcement, and how new varieties of berries may allow grocers more options in the produce section.
A quick podcast covers Dollar General’s earnings—and why we’re more optimistic than most on their projections for 2019—as well as independents taking market share away from PetSmart and Petco in pet retail. We also discuss why Neiman Marcus’ digital numbers during their recent earnings call were a bit disappointing, and how Shopko’s liquidation may affect the retail real estate landscape in the U.S.
A big earnings week for the retail world, and we discuss how Target is bearing fruits from their trials two years ago, while Kroger is hoping to bear fruits in two years from their trials today. We also discuss the state of airport retail after a superb Retail Dive article on the subject, what Dollar Tree could or should do with Family Dollar, and whether Walmart’s new returns initiative might actually take hold.
After talking about two brief stories—Amazon’s new grocery concept and Gap’s plan to spin Old Navy off—we dive into JCPenney’s latest earnings and initiatives under new CEO Jill Soltau. We then turn attention to JCPenney’s former CEO (Marvin Ellison) and his latest earnings call at Lowe’s before looking at a potential up-and-coming retailer from the Dallas area seeking to expand. We close our show by peering at how earnings from one pet food company may suggest people are changing their pet-related buying habits.
We discuss Walmart’s latest earnings, along with their initiatives on the table for 2019, to lead the show. Then, it’s a deep dive into Advance Auto Parts—despite their comp store sales going up, we revisit how they seem to be losing market share to their two main competitors. We close by discussing Samsung’s retail foray, a retail-centric REIT, and the long-term potential of CVS.
A few weeks after an initial deal, we get clarity on Eddie Lampert’s deal to save Sears—at least for now. We discuss Under Armour’s latest earnings call, which largely beat analyst expectations but left something to be desired in U.S. sales figures. From there, we discuss JCPenney’s big move, an abrupt about-face for Amazon’s HQ2 in New York, and a potential slew of store closings from Payless that may have a ripple effect on retail real estate.
We lead with Amazon—because we have to—but from there it is on to discussing Simon and their most recent occupancy rates numbers. Then, we discuss Tuesday Morning’s second straight positive earnings call and their potential return to long-term profitability, and Mastercard’s record-breaking numbers. We close by looking ahead at potential H&M store closures and Natural Grocers’ choice to open stores in less-populated areas.
In an area of retail we don’t discuss often, Signet Jewelers updates holiday sales, and the poor showing leads to management suggestions regarding scaling back brick-and-mortar. From there, positive signs at Big 5 Sporting Goods after a strong December sales showing, and a potential bankruptcy at Things Remembered. We wrap up with fresh credit card data, Shopko’s pharmacy suitors, and Google Express. Our podcast is brought to you by Blinkist—start a free seven day trial by visiting www.blinkist.com/retail
We begin with an abrupt about-face in the retail news cycle, as Sears Holdings goes from doomed to liquidation to still alive (just barely) in the span of a few days. From there, it’s on to early December sales tallies for Kohl’s and Macy’s, earnings for Bed Bath & Beyond, and Sprouts seeking to expand their footprint by three more markets.
In a podcast looking at largely macro trends, we discuss a retail real estate report that suggests that mall occupancy rates are stabilizing heading into 2019, and the potential impact of a slew of minimum wage increases. After discussing Amazon/Whole Foods, we take a deep dive into Fleet Farm’s westward expansion, and their buildout of existing stores to include new product categories.
In our final podcast of the year, we detail early numbers from Mastercard that suggest holiday sales may have been even better than estimates. We spend the bulk of the episode counting down our picks for the top five and bottom five retailers in terms of 2018 performance, before covering a potential shift in retail real estate purchasing habits with interest rates rising.
We begin with Costco, whose earnings call revealed continued growth but was not up to analyst expectations by the slimmest of margins. Additionally, we talk a notable purchase in the pet retail space and the state of dairy in retail stores in 2018. Our interview guest is Kevin Kelley of Shook Kelley, who was responsible for leading up the design of the newest Gelson’s Markets store in California.
Shopko leads off our show, as the regional general merchandise retailer announces a slew of closings…we discuss what this means for both the company and rural retail in general. We talk earnings from At Home and Michaels, and do a deep dive into Kroger’s many initiatives to boost margins even after price investments on the food side threaten to erode their bottom line. Finally, we look ahead to a change of leadership at Sprouts and whether or not ESL Investments can save Sears.
We begin the show with two earnings calls—first Dollar Tree, to see if potential rising costs of goods might pose a risk to their future bottom line, then Ross, to see how they are stacking up against their off-price competition. From there, we look to early Cyber Monday data from Edison Trends to see which businesses saw a boost over last year (hint: Sears did not), and fresh data from YouGov that suggests a positive change in perception surrounding Victoria’s Secret.
For this special Black Friday edition of the Retail Focus Podcast, we look into Target and Best Buy earnings, as Layton visited both retailers during the shopping rush and endeavors to discuss implementation of management initiatives. We also talk Kroger’s new warehouse plans with Ocado, and are joined by Cardlytics CMO Dani Cushion and CBRE Senior Economic Advisor Spencer Levy, each of whom discuss their firm’s respective retail holiday data reports.