Our interview guest is Rod Sides, vice chairman and leader of U.S. retail, wholesale, and distribution for Deloitte LLP. He re-joins the show to discuss Deloitte’s recent 2022 Retail Industry Outlook, which covers areas of concern for retailers, anticipated internal investments, and a high-level consumer overview for the year ahead based on a survey of senior retail executives. In news, we look at how a company headed up by former Fresh Thyme executives may be looking to put their spin on Save A Lot in Florida, 2021 online grocery sales movements, and glace at the week to come with Boot Barn and Tractor Supply Company earnings.

Deloitte’s 2022 Retail Industry Outlook may be accessed here: https://bit.ly/3KzYbW1

Our interview guest is Simon Dermer, executive chairman and co-founder of eSSENTIAL Accessibility, who joins us to discuss the importance of e-commerce accessibility, commonly overlooked areas for retailers, and why accessibility is of vital importance in digital retail. In news, we look at Big Lots’ plans for brick-and-mortar expansion over the next several years, Office Depot’s split being put on hold for now, and look ahead to a large beverage industry takeover.

Our interview guest is Dan Surtees, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at XCCommerce. He joins us to discuss the importance of flexibility in retailers’ promotions platforms, the ins and outs of developing the platforms for retailers with multiple brands, and where retailers may not currently be optimizing their promotions. In news, we discuss holiday sales numbers by way of Bath & Body Works and Bed Bath & Beyond as well as Target’s reported brick-and-mortar traffic increases during the 2021 holiday season.

Our interview guest is Paul Brenner, President of Audio Out-Of-Home and Chief Strategy Officer at Vibenomics; he re-joins the show to discuss various developments in in-store audio over the past two years, how c-store audio programs differ from traditional retail, and ways in which retailers can improve their approach to the medium. In news, Hy-Vee seeks “national” expansion, in the words of their CEO, and we look ahead to potential tightening in the retail real estate market as new capital floods in.

Our interview guest is Deviprasad Rambhatla, senior vice president and vertical head of retail distribution at Wipro Limited. He joins the show to discuss the landscape of retail technology in 2022, including which technologies may see more widespread implementation in the coming year. In news, Rite Aid shows evidence of greater inventory turns amidst their efforts to reduce SKU count and streamline inventory, and a KPMG survey indicates that grocery spend may once again be on the rise in 2022.

Our interview guest is Caitlin MacNamara, who co-leads the retail practice at executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates. She joins us to discuss the process behind finding the right executives for retail c-suite openings, ways in which to evaluate appropriate fits for culture and responsibilities, and the hidden costs behind not matching the right person with a c-suite position. In news, Lowe’s issues their 2022 outlook which featured some anticipated slowing of tailwinds for home improvement, Hobby Lobby raises wages, and Neiman Marcus is rumored to potentially desire a split into three companies.

Our interview guest is Shannon Colquhoun, the VP of global industry strategy for retail and CPG with Talkdesk. She joins us to discuss the likely retail returns landscape in Q1 of 2022 and best practices for retailers seeking to streamline or provide self-path options for returns on behalf of customers. In news, GameStop and Costco both provide quarterly updates—one good and one not so good—and we look ahead to potential holiday shortages for spirits retail.

Our partner for this week’s show is Feedback Loop; visit https://go.feedbackloop.com/retail to receive three full tests for free as a part of a special offer to our listeners.

Our interview guest is Gene Dunford, senior managing director at Umpqua Bank. He discusses how the relationship between retailers and banks has evolved in the recent past, and how it must continue evolving to support new mechanisms of carrying inventory and doing business. In news, Dollar General releases their 2022 growth plans and long-term outlook for their budding pOpshelf concept. Also, sporting goods retail with Dick’s and Hibbett enjoys another solid quarter, and MINISO grows their U.S. store count by 50% with plans for more in the works.

Our partner for this week’s show is Feedback Loop; visit https://go.feedbackloop.com/retail to receive three full tests for free as a part of a special offer to our listeners.

Our interview guest is Brandon Isner, the head of retail research at CBRE and author of their recent Holiday Retail Trends Report. He joins us to not only discuss the report, but how shopping centers are adjusting to increased traffic in 2021 and retail trends he’s excited to research in 2022. In news, Dollar Tree makes a much-discussed move to a higher base price point, Burlington notes market share gains as off-price continues to thrive, and Target’s announcement of Thanksgiving closures in perpetuity may force a shift in holiday shopping weekend cadence or method in the near future.

Our interview guest is Tom McGee, president and CEO of ICSC, who joins us to discuss their Thanksgiving weekend sales projections. Additionally, he breaks down the expected cadence of holiday sales and who, from a demographic perspective, is expected to shop when. In news, Ross Stores’ leadership discusses deal flow going forward and tempers expectations for the fourth quarter due to supply chain concerns. And we look ahead to CVS’ announcement of planned store closures over the next three years.