We begin with big news out of the convenience store space, as 7-Eleven’s parent company reaches an agreement to purchase over 1,100 retail locations from Sunoco. Meanwhile, Walmart follows through on more layoffs—this time in information systems—and Costco’s retail sales continue an upward trend. We also discuss Rue21’s possible bankruptcy and Fanatics’ latest acquisition.

To start the show, we take on Ollie’s continued ability to beat analyst expectations, and whether the concept’s growth can be maintained in their next fiscal year. We discuss potential issues with Amazon’s various grocery programs and underlying numbers that serve as a cause for concern for RH before discussing how True Value’s unique store model enables them to keep up with Home Depot and Lowe’s.

A rarity in the fashion and/or mall segment, francesca’s beats expectations in nearly every category during their latest earnings call. We discuss them and two other retailers continuing upward momentum in Five Below and Duluth Trading Company. We end our show with a glance at the rumor mill, as Albertsons may make a play for Sprouts Farmers Market and Payless may close a significant number of locations.

Dollar General exceeded expectations, and we begin this week’s show by discussing reasons why possible “price war” effects on DG may be overblown. We discuss troubled times at Christopher & Banks and Pottery Barn, and surging sales at West Elm. Finally, we discuss new sporting goods retail initiatives by Dick’s and Hibbett Sports.

We delve into the stories of three struggling retailers, and in what ways the troubles of Sears Holdings, Staples, and Express differ—and whether better times are ahead for any of the three. Better times are not ahead for off-price chain Gordman’s, who will most likely liquidate…we discuss them along with yet more news from the proposed Walgreen’s-Rite Aid deal.

Burlington Coat Factory issues their 4th quarter results, and continues the excellent run of late in off-price retail with excellent numbers. We also discuss to what extent grocery deflation might be hurting Costco, Meijer’s reinvestment plans, and whether analysts’ expectations of Kroger are unreasonable. Our interview guests are Nick Eckhart and Mike Kalasnik of Dead & Dying Retail, as we discuss with them the push to preserve retail memories for future generations.

Despite widespread negative media attention, we discuss why there are legitimate reasons for optimism surrounding JCPenney. Additionally, we take on an excellent earnings call from Home Depot, how Nordstrom is putting up solid numbers despite decreased traffic, RH’s share buyback, and why Sam’s Club comparable store sales projections for the current quarter may be a bit low.

A Bloomberg report suggests Payless may close nearly 20% of its store base as they restructure debt—we look at what this means for the footwear retailer. And, while Gander Mountain faces more potential troubles, outerwear retailer Moosejaw gets snatched up by Walmart. We close out with Retail Properties of America financials, and exploring the dynamics of Valentine’s Day spending.

Gap bucks the recent mall retail trend, revealing preliminary same store sales numbers that are positive for two of their brands. We discuss how Whole Foods’ recent earnings call reveals a change in strategy for the grocer, and how Aldi seeks to grab more U.S. market share. Finally, we talk bankruptcy news from Marbles: The Brain Store and rough sales numbers at The Container Store.

We detail slight earnings disappointments from Under Armour and 1-800-Flowers.com, as well as Vintage Stock’s announcement of new openings this week and their future brick-and-mortar growth plans. Our interview guest is Nicole Lasky, Professor of Criminal Justice at Northeastern State University, who discusses at length how shoplifters use “body gloss” to appear like a normal customer inside a retail store.