The Retail Focus Podcast

Retail Focus 7/11/19 – Bed Bath & Beyond’s Earnings; Back-to-School Sales Forecasts

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.

Retail Focus 7/3/19 – Potential Walmart E-Commerce Losses; Optimism Surrounding C-Stores

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.

Retail Focus 6/27/19 – Toys”R”Us Plans B&M Rebuild; Gordmans Ahead of Schedule

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.

Retail Focus 6/20/19 – Retail in Colombia, Target Deals with #Targetdown Aftermath

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 24^th podcast, including new analyst numbers surrounding Amazon.

Retail Focus 6/8/19 – Five Below Toys Around with New Ideas; GameStop Needs an Extra Life

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.

Retail Focus 5/31/19 – Dressbarn Set to Shutter; Dollar General & Dollar Tree Look Forward

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.

Retail Focus 5/25/19 – Best Buy’s Earnings; Where Foot Locker Sees Growth

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.

Retail Focus 5/17/19 – Walmart’s NextDay Shipping; Macy’s Updates Progress on Initiatives

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.

Retail Focus 5/11/19 – Tuesday Morning Mulls Shift in Model; Office Depot/Max Continues Pivot

We lead our show with Tuesday Morning’s latest earnings report, but more than earnings, we discuss a 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.

Retail Focus 5/3/19 – Northeastern Grocers in the News; Single-Tenant Retail Real Estate

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.

Retail Focus 4/19/19 – New Initiatives for Two Retailers in Flux; Which Retail REITs Lead the Way?

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.

Retail Focus 4/9/19 – Duluth Trading Co. Reveals Initiatives; Sears Planning New Stores

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.

Retail Focus 4/2/19 – Shoe Carnival, Sportsman’s Warehouse Make Market Share Plays

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.

Retail Focus 3/25/19 – Hibbett’s Strong Earnings Showing, ascena Announces maurices Sale

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.

Retail Focus 3/21/19 – Dollar General Earnings; Neiman Marcus’ Slow Digital Growth

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.

Retail Focus 3/9/19 – Target & Kroger Earnings; Dollar Tree's Family Dollar Question

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.

Retail Focus 3/2/19 – JCPenney and Lowe’s Beat Slightly on Earnings; An Upstart Dallas-Based Retailer

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.

Retail Focus 2/21/19 – Walmart Earnings; Advance Auto’s Place in Auto Parts Retail

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.

Retail Focus 2/15/19 – Clarity on Sears Deal, JCPenney Pivots Away from Appliances

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.

Retail Focus 2/5/19 – Amazon Continues to Invest; Simon Shows Mall Trend Isn’t All Downward

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.