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).

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).

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).

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).

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.

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.

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.

We begin the show with two companies that killed earnings in their own way in Target and Kohl’s, and discuss off-price in a later news segment with the latest from TJX and a suddenly resurgent Tuesday Morning. Our interview guests are Rick Kenney of Salesforce and Hilding Anderson of Publicis.Sapient, whose firms collaborated on the 2018 Shopper First Retailing Report, available at sforce.co/retailfocus. Our podcast is brought to you this week by myemma.com.

We discuss companies that elicited polar opposite reactions from Wall Street, after Walmart’s excellent quarter and JCPenney’s continued struggles to achieve proper inventory churn. Our first guest is Paul Walsh, Director of Weather Strategy for IBM Services, who discusses how weather may alter back-to-school and fall retail sales. Then, we talk to Ashley Nickle, the editor of Produce Retailer, who talks romaine lettuce, the sudden retail appeal of onions, and a Pennsylvania c-store chain committing to local produce. Our podcast is brought to you this week by myemma.com.

After leading off with what could be called a transformational quarter turned in by Office Depot, we turn our attention to the world of mattress retail, as two major players (Casper and Mattress Firm) make the news this week. Also, we discuss CVS’ latest analyst-beating quarter, and a solid quarter turned in on the e-commerce front by Vitamin Shoppe. Our podcast is brought to you this week by myemma.com.