The Retail Focus Podcast

Retail Focus 1/23/22 – The 2022 Retail Industry Outlook; Potential Changes for Save A Lot in Florida

Our interview guest is Rod Sides, vice chairman and leader of U.S. retail, wholesale, and distribution for Deloitte LLP. He re-joins the show to discuss Deloitte’s recent 2022 Retail Industry Outlook, which covers areas of concern for retailers, anticipated internal investments, and a high-level consumer overview for the year ahead based on a survey of senior retail executives. In news, we look at how a company headed up by former Fresh Thyme executives may be looking to put their spin on Save A Lot in Florida, 2021 online grocery sales movements, and glace at the week to come with Boot Barn and Tractor Supply Company earnings.

Deloitte’s 2022 Retail Industry Outlook may be accessed here: https://bit.ly/3KzYbW1

Retail Focus 1/17/22 – Accessibility in E-Commerce; Big Lots Spies Brick-and-Mortar Growth

Our interview guest is Simon Dermer, executive chairman and co-founder of eSSENTIAL Accessibility, who joins us to discuss the importance of e-commerce accessibility, commonly overlooked areas for retailers, and why accessibility is of vital importance in digital retail. In news, we look at Big Lots’ plans for brick-and-mortar expansion over the next several years, Office Depot’s split being put on hold for now, and look ahead to a large beverage industry takeover.

Retail Focus 1/9/22 – Building an Effective Retail Promotions Platform; Holiday Sales Numbers Trickle In

Our interview guest is Dan Surtees, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at XCCommerce. He joins us to discuss the importance of flexibility in retailers’ promotions platforms, the ins and outs of developing the platforms for retailers with multiple brands, and where retailers may not currently be optimizing their promotions. In news, we discuss holiday sales numbers by way of Bath & Body Works and Bed Bath & Beyond as well as Target’s reported brick-and-mortar traffic increases during the 2021 holiday season.

Retail Focus 1/2/22 – Developments in Implementation of In-Store Audio; Hy-Vee Seeks National Growth

Our interview guest is Paul Brenner, President of Audio Out-Of-Home and Chief Strategy Officer at Vibenomics; he re-joins the show to discuss various developments in in-store audio over the past two years, how c-store audio programs differ from traditional retail, and ways in which retailers can improve their approach to the medium. In news, Hy-Vee seeks “national” expansion, in the words of their CEO, and we look ahead to potential tightening in the retail real estate market as new capital floods in.

Retail Focus 12/26/21 – Retail Technology Implementation in 2022; Rite Aid’s Inventory Turns Improve

Our interview guest is Deviprasad Rambhatla, senior vice president and vertical head of retail distribution at Wipro Limited. He joins the show to discuss the landscape of retail technology in 2022, including which technologies may see more widespread implementation in the coming year. In news, Rite Aid shows evidence of greater inventory turns amidst their efforts to reduce SKU count and streamline inventory, and a KPMG survey indicates that grocery spend may once again be on the rise in 2022.

Retail Focus 12/19/21 – Finding the Right Retail Executive; Lowe’s Presents Their 2022 Preview

Our interview guest is Caitlin MacNamara, who co-leads the retail practice at executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates. She joins us to discuss the process behind finding the right executives for retail c-suite openings, ways in which to evaluate appropriate fits for culture and responsibilities, and the hidden costs behind not matching the right person with a c-suite position. In news, Lowe’s issues their 2022 outlook which featured some anticipated slowing of tailwinds for home improvement, Hobby Lobby raises wages, and Neiman Marcus is rumored to potentially desire a split into three companies.

Retail Focus 12/12/21 – Creating an Effective Retail Returns Process; Good News/Bad News with Costco & GameStop

Our interview guest is Shannon Colquhoun, the VP of global industry strategy for retail and CPG with Talkdesk. She joins us to discuss the likely retail returns landscape in Q1 of 2022 and best practices for retailers seeking to streamline or provide self-path options for returns on behalf of customers. In news, GameStop and Costco both provide quarterly updates—one good and one not so good—and we look ahead to potential holiday shortages for spirits retail.

Our partner for this week’s show is Feedback Loop; visit https://go.feedbackloop.com/retail to receive three full tests for free as a part of a special offer to our listeners.

Retail Focus 12/5/21 – The Relationship Between Banks & Retailers; Dollar General Releases 2022 Growth Plans

Our interview guest is Gene Dunford, senior managing director at Umpqua Bank. He discusses how the relationship between retailers and banks has evolved in the recent past, and how it must continue evolving to support new mechanisms of carrying inventory and doing business. In news, Dollar General releases their 2022 growth plans and long-term outlook for their budding pOpshelf concept. Also, sporting goods retail with Dick’s and Hibbett enjoys another solid quarter, and MINISO grows their U.S. store count by 50% with plans for more in the works.

 

Our partner for this week’s show is Feedback Loop; visit https://go.feedbackloop.com/retail to receive three full tests for free as a part of a special offer to our listeners.

Retail Focus 11/28/21 – How Shopping Centers Are Adjusting to Holiday Projections; Dollar Tree to Increase Prices

Our interview guest is Brandon Isner, the head of retail research at CBRE and author of their recent Holiday Retail Trends Report. He joins us to not only discuss the report, but how shopping centers are adjusting to increased traffic in 2021 and retail trends he’s excited to research in 2022. In news, Dollar Tree makes a much-discussed move to a higher base price point, Burlington notes market share gains as off-price continues to thrive, and Target’s announcement of Thanksgiving closures in perpetuity may force a shift in holiday shopping weekend cadence or method in the near future.

Retail Focus 11/21/21 – Thanksgiving Weekend Sales Expectations; Ross’ Deal Flow Remains Strong, CVS Closures

Our interview guest is Tom McGee, president and CEO of ICSC, who joins us to discuss their Thanksgiving weekend sales projections. Additionally, he breaks down the expected cadence of holiday sales and who, from a demographic perspective, is expected to shop when. In news, Ross Stores’ leadership discusses deal flow going forward and tempers expectations for the fourth quarter due to supply chain concerns. And we look ahead to CVS’ announcement of planned store closures over the next three years.

Retail Focus 11/14/21 – Communicating with Consumers About Holiday Purchases; Party City Shifts Focus

Our interview guest is Tobias Buxhoidt, CEO and co-founder of parcelLab, who joins us to discuss customer expectations surrounding post-purchase communication from retailers and what retailers can do to turn negative events surrounding supply chain, fulfillment, or last mile into positives. In news, Party City looks to pivot their focus to year-round celebrations (but not at the expense of seasonal sales) and they provide an update on Halloween sales. Also, we look at a merger between two northeastern U.S. grocers and a report on traffic trends at U.S. malls.

 

Our partner for this week’s show is Quantum Metric (visit https://quantummetric.com/podoffer and use the code RETAILFOCUS to see if you qualify to receive their “12 Days of Insights” offer).

Retail Focus 11/7/21 – Oracle Retail’s Latest Consumer Data; Retail REITs See Occupancy Numbers Rise

Our interview guest is Mike Webster, senior vice president and general manager of Oracle Retail. He joins the show to discuss Oracle Retail’s 2021 Retail Consumer Research report, expectations for November and December, and what we can expect regarding customer behavior as we turn the calendar to 2022. In news, both Simon and Kimco provide updates on occupancy (with both companies trending in the correct direction) and we look deeper into David Simon’s outlook on JCPenney and the mall landscape as a whole. And, Kroger releases details of their membership platform pilot to be rolled out to four U.S. metros.

Partners for this week’s show include Feedback Loop (visit https://go.feedbackloop.com/retail for three free full tests of your ideas, messages, concepts, and more) and Quantum Metric (visit https://quantummetric.com/podoffer and use the code RETAILFOCUS to see if you qualify to receive their “12 Days of Insights” offer).

Retail Focus 10/31/21 – O’Reilly’s Sales Increase; Sherwin-Williams Fights Through Shortages; Dollar Tree & Instacart

Layton re-joins the show this week as we dive into specialty retail. First, it’s a quarterly look into the automotive retail segment as O’Reilly’s produces strong sales numbers but warns that inflation may soon have a limiting effect on sales growth. Conversely, Sherwin-Williams is experiencing demand but a lack of raw materials to meet said demand and we speak to how they are seeking to retain customers through such conditions. To close, we look ahead at Tanger and Simon earnings and an expanded partnership between Instacart and Dollar Tree (and some limitations thereof).

Our partner for this week’s show is Feedback Loop. Visit https://go.feedbackloop.com/retail for three free full tests of your ideas, messages, concepts, and more.

Retail Focus 10/24/21 – Deep Dive Into Deloitte Holiday Projections; Albertsons Sees Sales Increases

Our interview guest is Rod Sides, vice chairman of Deloitte LLP, who joins us to discuss the deeper look at Deloitte’s holiday sales projections released this week—subjects include the demographic groups expected to drive spend and the three types of consumers borne out by the data generated by their annual survey. In news, Albertsons displays Q2 sales numbers that are better than expected and provides an update on inflation; additionally, a major grocery retailer launches a new advertising platform.

Retail Focus 10/17/21 – How Small Retailers Should Approach the Holidays in 2021; Center-Store Grocery Data

Our interview guest is Emily Grey, founder of the Flourish Market and a retail and brand consultant, who joins us to discuss (among other things) what small retailers can expect during Q4, adjustments such retailers have made during the pandemic, and how upstart brands can get their products on store shelves this holiday season. In news, we discuss new Supermarket News data regarding center-store sales in grocery (including what retailers say they are doing to differentiate offerings) and preview Wawa’s rollout of self-checkouts to select locations.

Retail Focus 10/10/21 – Lessons Learned from the Growth of Home Depot; Walmart’s Last-Mile Service Signs Deal

Our interview guest is Jim Inglis, retail industry veteran, former Home Depot executive, and author of the book Breakthrough Retailing: How a Bleeding Orange Culture Can Change Everything. He joins us to discuss the book’s many topics, including what gave Home Depot a leg up on competition in the 1980s and 1990s and lessons we can learn from the company’s meteoric (and successful) rise. In news, we briefly discuss Walmart’s last-mile platform, GoLocal, signing its first partnership deal and Target bringing aboard two buy-now-pay-later partners.

Retail Focus 10/3/21 – Marketing & Communication with Customers in Q4; Bed Bath & Beyond Takes Step Back

Our interview guest is Michael Osborne, President at Wunderkind, who joins the show to discuss the present state of retailers’ digital marketing to consumers, what we can expect during the holiday season based on their Black Friday & Cyber Monday Performance Marketing Report, and where retailers can improve in their marketing efforts. In news, Bed Bath & Beyond sees sales take a step back amidst a poor August (though buybuy BABY displays promise), and a Deloitte report indicates that younger consumers may be heading to the frozen foods aisle with increased frequency.

Retail Focus 9/26/21 – Current State of Transportation & Logistics; Costco’s Inflation, Supply Chain Insight

Our interview guest is Shash Anand, VP of Product Strategy at SOTI, who joins the show to discuss their 2021 State of Transportation & Logistics Report as it pertains to retail as well as some data from the logistics sector specific to the holiday season. In news, Costco reveals earnings, but more importantly they reveal how inflation and supply chain issues have affected their approach to business. Additionally, we look ahead to a proposed IPO for an up-and-coming c-store chain in Yesway.

Retail Focus 9/20/21 – Deloitte’s Early Holiday Projections, Kroger’s New Instacart Convenience Partnership

Our interview guest is Rod Sides, vice chairman at Deloitte LLP and their U.S. retail, wholesale, and distribution leader, who joins us to discuss Deloitte’s preliminary U.S. holiday forecasts which suggest a big sales jump could be in order. In news, Kroger announces a new convenience-centric partnership with Instacart and provides insight on macro-level grocery trends, we get updated third-party Walmart+ subscription numbers, and Meijer eyes yet another small-format store.

Retail Focus 9/13/21 – Retailers’ Use of SMS and Texting; Shoppers Still Clamor for Athletic Wear

Our interview guest is Eric Miao, Chief Customer Officer with Attentive, who discusses how retailers are currently using SMS as a marketing tool and how they can leverage the platform in a way that remains authentic to their brand. He also discusses examples from popular retailers’ launch of SMS campaigns, including Michaels’ launch during a recent Q4. In news, Academy Sports + Outdoors sets sales records amidst high demand for athletic wear and outdoors gear, and we look ahead to Halloween seasonal sales in 2021.

The Retail Focus Podcast is proud to partner with Quantum Metric to present this week’s show. Visit them at quantummetric.com/podoffer, promo code RETAILFOCUS, to see if your business qualifies to receive their “12 Days of Insights” offer. Restrictions apply.