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, JCPenney’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.

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, JCPenney’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.