Episodes
Wednesday Jan 30, 2019
Retail Focus 1/28/19 – Signet Jewelers May Scale Back, Big 5 Shows Signs of Rebound
Wednesday Jan 30, 2019
Wednesday Jan 30, 2019
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
Wednesday Jan 16, 2019
Wednesday Jan 16, 2019
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.
Tuesday Jan 08, 2019
Tuesday Jan 08, 2019
In a podcast looking largely at 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.
Tuesday Jan 01, 2019
Tuesday Jan 01, 2019
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.
Saturday Dec 22, 2018
Saturday Dec 22, 2018
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.
Sunday Dec 09, 2018
Sunday Dec 09, 2018
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.
Monday Dec 03, 2018
Monday Dec 03, 2018
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.
Saturday Nov 24, 2018
Saturday Nov 24, 2018
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.
Sunday Nov 18, 2018
Sunday Nov 18, 2018
We stick to legacy retailers to begin this podcast, as Macy’s and JCPenney both release earnings, with one a bit in front of the other in their turnaround execution. Walmart crushes it again, to no one’s surprise—but how long can they keep up their e-commerce growth? We also discuss more layoffs (and struggles) by way of Blue Apron, and a precursor to bankruptcy for David’s Bridal. Our podcast is brought to you by Blinkist; visit www.blinkist.com/retail for a seven-day free trial.
Wednesday Nov 14, 2018
Retail Focus 11/12/18 – More Black Friday Plans Revealed; No Celebrations At Party City
Wednesday Nov 14, 2018
Wednesday Nov 14, 2018
After looking at GNC’s seeming lack of progress in terms of driving sales, we take a glance at Walmart and Target’s recently revealed Black Friday brick-and-mortar plans. From there, we discuss why Party City threw the wrong kind of surprise party after tariffs and attempted inventory controls handcuffed their retail side during the third quarter. Finally, we briefly mention Amazon’s big announcement (which broke towards the end of our recording) and more holiday shopping projections.
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
We begin this week’s podcast with news from Dallas surrounding details of Sam’s Club’s latest attempt at new store technology with the rollout of a new, smaller, cashier-less pilot location. From there, we look at the how and why of Hibbett’s attempted acquisition of City Gear, Retail Properties of America’s recent earnings call, and reasons why Lumber Liquidators now can’t seem to get out of their own way.
Monday Oct 29, 2018
Monday Oct 29, 2018
Amazon released earnings to much fanfare this week, and despite market negativity, we find reasons on the retail side to be pleasantly surprised by the call. We break down Agree Realty, who discloses plans to purchase and develop even more retail properties in the next 12 months. Additionally, CVS-Aetna gets a tentative go-ahead, and Tractor Supply Company looks to e-commerce and product selection to blister past expectations. Our podcast is presented this week by Blinkist.
Sunday Oct 21, 2018
Sunday Oct 21, 2018
After Sears’ announcement this week, both Kimco and CBL waste no time in discussing their plans for the Sears Holdings locations remaining in their real estate portfolios. From there, we discuss The Tile Shop’s latest earnings call (and why analysts are concerned about tariff impacts on the company) and Sonic’s potential final earnings call as a public company. We wrap up our show with Walmart, who announced a new partnership with Advance Auto Parts and also revealed plans for saving money with—of all things—floor wax. Our podcast is presented this week by AdRoll, the e-commerce growth platform (visit adroll.com/retail for more information).
Tuesday Oct 16, 2018
Tuesday Oct 16, 2018
The story we’ve been anticipating for over two years finally comes to fruition, as Sears Holdings headed into the weekend on a crash course with bankruptcy. In more positive news, we discuss Walgreens’ earnings beat and Walmart’s Canadian investment. Additionally, we dive into a c-store trends report from Koupon Insights. Our podcast is presented this week by Blinkist and AdRoll, the e-commerce growth platform (visit adroll.com/retail for more information).
Wednesday Oct 10, 2018
Retail Focus 10/8/18 – Costco Makes E-Commerce Strides; Stitch Fix Shows a Profit
Wednesday Oct 10, 2018
Wednesday Oct 10, 2018
We begin with Costco, who showed impressive fourth quarter e-commerce growth against a backdrop of rising wages. From there, we cover two struggling retailers seeking answers--Mattress Firm and Barnes & Noble. We finish by discussing Stitch Fix, who showed remarkable growth (and a profit) in their fourth quarter and unveiled a few new initiatives for their next fiscal year. Our podcast is presented this week by Blinkist and AdRoll, the e-commerce growth platform (visit adroll.com/retail for more information).
Sunday Sep 30, 2018
Sunday Sep 30, 2018
Bed Bath & Beyond takes a step back in terms of sales, but management hopes doing so will set them up for future probability--we discuss this as well as the Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association's annual report about what we can expect to see in 2019 from a retail maintenance perspective. After our interview with Jennifer Sherman, SVP of Product & Strategy at Kibo (who discusses changing retail fulfillment dynamics), we talk a big move for Michael Kors and ascena retail group earnings. Our podcast is presented this week by AdRoll, the e-commerce growth platform (visit adroll.com/retail for more information).
Sunday Sep 23, 2018
Sunday Sep 23, 2018
AutoZone takes center stage on our podcast this week, with not only their fourth quarter earnings call but also the official unveiling of a next-day delivery program to 80% of the U.S. We also discuss Deloitte's bullish holiday retail forecasts, the Amazon Go news from an anonymous source, and a potential credit card fee settlement for some--but not all--retailers. Our podcast is presented this week by Productsup, and AdRoll, the e-commerce growth platform (visit adroll.com/retail for more information).
Saturday Sep 15, 2018
Saturday Sep 15, 2018
Retail pharmacy hits the news in a big way this week, as a regional grocer exits pharmacy altogether and fred’s and Walgreens reach an agreement. We also discuss Target’s seasonal hiring plans, GameStop, and Tailored Brands’ latest earnings. This week’s interview guest is Matt MacInnis, CEO and co-founder of Inkling, who discusses the changing world of retail training and workplace communication. Our podcast is presented this week by myemma.com, Productsup, and AdRoll, the e-commerce growth platform.
Sunday Sep 09, 2018
Sunday Sep 09, 2018
We begin with two of our favorite retailers, as Five Below once again defies analyst expectations and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet continues to see positive comp growth. From there, we take a deep dive into RH’s efforts to boost margins and appeal to the high-end consumer once more, and look at PetSmart’s new rewards program. Our podcast is presented this week by myemma.com and Productsup; visit go.productsup.io/shop.org to book a meeting with Productsup at Shop.org.
Friday Aug 31, 2018
Friday Aug 31, 2018
After noting BJ’s Wholesale’s first earnings call since their IPO this summer, we discuss California-based retailer Tilly’s, and how they’ve turned around their e-commerce platform. We briefly touch on Dick’s Sporting Goods, and then break into shoe retail with DSW’s Canadian initiatives and Shoe Carnival’s endeavors to leverage their brand. Our podcast is presented this week by myemma.com and Productsup; visit go.productsup.io/shop.org to book a meeting with Productsup at Shop.org.