Genesco, the company behind mall staples Journeys and Lids, releases sales updates for the holiday shopping season—some positive, some negative. Additionally, we discuss earnings for eBay and a potential brick-and-mortar expansion by Warby Parker. Our interview guests are Kylee Leonetti and Christian Jensen, the producers of a documentary detailing the final ten days of an Alco store in South Dakota.

After hand-wringing about potential store closures, JC Penney surprises many by announcing a new in-store partnership with Nike. Additionally, Target and Tuesday Morning announce executive shuffling, Limited enters Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, and a new study finds that e-commerce retailers experienced lower margins in 2016 compared with the prior year.

After growing through acquisition over the last five years, western wear retailer Boot Barn spies future areas for growth in their latest presentation. We discuss changes Aeropostale is making as they re-open over 500 stores and prep for a new ad campaign. Also, we talk disappointing earnings from grocer Supervalu, expansion at Sportsman’s Warehouse, and changes at Walmart.

Sears Holdings hits the news twice this week with more store closures and more money coming from ESL Investments. Also, we discuss a study that potentially foreshadows a better-than-expected sales season for mall retailers, and look back at the retailers declaring bankruptcy in 2016 and what we can glean from their cautionary tales.

In the final Retail Focus Podcast of 2016, we take a quick glance at the latest from Bed Bath & Beyond and the dynamics of post-holiday returns in retail. We cap off the year by revealing our top five and bottom five retailers from an execution standpoint in 2016, and passing along our list of five retailers for whom 2017 may be an extremely pivotal year.

The Walgreens acquisition of Rite Aid inched closer to becoming a reality this week, as fred’s stepped in to purchase over 800 Rite Aid locations. We discuss the challenges ahead for fred’s and the idiosyncrasies of the deal. Meanwhile, Finish Line sprints backwards, German grocer Lidl begins the hiring process for their U.S. locations, and GNC plans a makeover.

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet once again shows growth on all fronts—revenue, earnings, and same store stores—and we discuss their business model and expansion plans. Also, Pier 1 Imports releases earnings as well, CVS hosts their annual investor day, and Casey’s General Stores raises food prices in an effort to boost their overall margins.

Ulta once again astounds the retail community with their same store sales metrics, Five Below displays another quarter of growth, and Big Lots reveals a mixed Q3. Meanwhile, we caution against the media exaggeration surrounding Amazon Go, and talk about why it is important to evaluate their pilot with some restraint.

After a thorough recap of the numbers we have so far from the holiday shopping weekend, we discuss the increasing strength of Cyber Monday and how brick-and-mortar retailers fared on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Additionally, we take on Shoe Carnival’s earnings report and news that 84 Lumber has secured financing in part to expand their reach.

In an abbreviated Retail Focus, we look at the different directions Foot Locker and Hibbett Sports are headed, and more bad news for the Abercrombie brand. We also take a look ahead to Black Friday, and discuss why it is important to wait before passing judgement on Black Friday sales reports.