Our interview guest is Joe Fisch, CEO of Wine Access, who discusses their development of a subscription-based retail program to complement their existing retail sales. He talks about their thought process behind the platform, things they’ve learned along the way, and the importance of customer education in their retail segment. In news, Academy and lululemon both unveil amazing holiday sales numbers, with one planning major revenue growth in 2022. Also, we look ahead to Five Below’s new “Triple-...
Apr 04, 2022•44 min•Ep. 261
In news, we discuss Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and their plans for 2022, which include the first remodeling program in their company’s history. We look ahead to a lawsuit involving Sam’s Club (Walmart) and BJ’s, as well as Macy’s endeavor to grow their Backstage store-within-a-store concept by over 10% in the next two months. Additionally, we look back to profound retail books released within the last two years and our conversations with their respective authors. Our partner for this week’s show is ...
Mar 28, 2022•50 min•Ep. 260
Our interview guest this week is Tal Rotman, VP of Alliances and Partnerships at Namogoo, who joins us to discuss the increasingly pervasive issue of customer hijacking, costs to retailers, and how retailers can work with certain apps or add-ons to ensure better margins and conversion rates. In news, Dollar General releases their 2022 plans, which call for more cooler doors and renovating nearly 10% of their store base. Additionally, we look at the recently released Fresh Trends 2022 guide from ...
Mar 21, 2022•59 min•Ep. 259
Our interview guest this week is Nikki Baird, VP of Strategy at Aptos, who discusses (among other things) the role of the brick-and-mortar store in 2022, how retailers are leveraging their footprint to remove friction for the customer, and trends we may see in brick-and-mortar retail over the next two years. In news, Ulta Beauty not only releases stellar Q4 numbers, but they chart a path toward another year of growth in 2022, and REI expands their member program to include a number of new benefi...
Mar 15, 2022•43 min•Ep. 258
Our interview guest this week is Joel Bines, global co-leader of the retail practice at AlixPartners. He joins the show to discuss his new book, The Metail Economy, and how retailers can leverage the “Six Cs” in differing amounts to ensure they are meeting the needs of today’s consumer. In news, Kroger provides an earnings update, but more importantly, they provide insight on shifts in customer behavior as grocery inflation continues in 2022, and we look ahead to staffing (and stocking) issues a...
Mar 07, 2022•51 min•Ep. 257
On this week’s show, Layton rejoins the podcast to discuss updates from TJX, which come with company hopes that their supply chain is smoothed out in time for the spring season and their store opening plans for 2022. In addition, Foot Locker is forced towards brand diversification after a major supplier pulls back the reins somewhat on merchandise flow, and we look ahead to Wayfair’s unending and elusive search for profitability and the handful of Kmart stores remaining in the U.S. Our partner f...
Mar 01, 2022•36 min•Ep. 256
Our interview guest is Brad Pope, VP of customer success at Kinsa Insights, who discusses ways in which retailers are using predictive health analytics to get a leg up in terms of staffing, inventory, and supply chain management. In news, we look at the fourth quarter that was for Walmart, but more importantly, dive into their forecast for 2022 and how inventory levels and inflation might impact customer flow according to leadership. Additionally, we look ahead to 2022 private label brand sales ...
Feb 21, 2022•41 min•Ep. 255
Our interview guest is Jeremy King, CEO and founder of Attest, who joins the show to discuss Attest’s annual U.S. Consumer Trends Report (available here: https://bit.ly/3JvXBHk ). In news, we discuss Simon’s latest update, in which retailers in their properties report a substantial sales increase for the 2021 holiday season. We also look ahead to pricing pressure on two major produce items in grocery stores and briefly touch on a digital grocery preference survey. Our partner for this week’s sho...
Feb 15, 2022•47 min•Ep. 254
Our interview guest is Thad Price, CEO of Talroo; he joins us to discuss the current retail hiring landscape, ways retailers are making themselves more attractive to potential future employees, and how hiring events have changed during the pandemic. In news, Natural Grocers showcases an increase in sales and reveals their plans for expansion during calendar 2022 and we look ahead to beauty retail in 2022 after Sally Beauty posted positive sales for their holiday season.
Feb 07, 2022•41 min•Ep. 253
Our interview guest is Kristina Rogers, EY’s Global Consumer Industries Leader, who joins the show to discuss their Future Consumer Index; topics include what is driving consumer purchasing decisions in 2022, where customers are finding friction in the retail process, and 2022 trends to watch. In news, we look at CBRE’s recent year-in-review report for retail real estate and what the numbers might mean for retailers and shopping centers both. Additionally, we look ahead to Home Depot’s plans to ...
Feb 03, 2022•45 min•Ep. 252
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...
Jan 24, 2022•36 min•Ep. 251
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.
Jan 18, 2022•45 min•Ep. 250
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 inc...
Jan 11, 2022•40 min•Ep. 249
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 floo...
Jan 03, 2022•42 min•Ep. 248
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....
Dec 27, 2021•47 min•Ep. 247
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 improv...
Dec 20, 2021•44 min•Ep. 246
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 F...
Dec 13, 2021•43 min•Ep. 245
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. s...
Dec 06, 2021•48 min•Ep. 244
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 pe...
Nov 29, 2021•39 min•Ep. 243
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...
Nov 22, 2021•44 min•Ep. 242
Our interview guest is Tobias Buxhoidt, CEO and co-founder of parcelLab, who joins us to discuss customer expectations surrounding post-purchase communication from retailers and what retailers can do to turn negative events surrounding supply chain, fulfillment, or last mile into positives. In news, Party City looks to pivot their focus to year-round celebrations (but not at the expense of seasonal sales) and they provide an update on Halloween sales. Also, we look at a merger between two northe...
Nov 15, 2021•49 min•Ep. 241
Our interview guest is Mike Webster, senior vice president and general manager of Oracle Retail. He joins the show to discuss Oracle Retail’s 2021 Retail Consumer Research report, expectations for November and December, and what we can expect regarding customer behavior as we turn the calendar to 2022. In news, both Simon and Kimco provide updates on occupancy (with both companies trending in the correct direction) and we look deeper into David Simon’s outlook on JCPenney and the mall landscape ...
Nov 08, 2021•43 min•Ep. 240
Layton re-joins the show this week as we dive into specialty retail. First, it’s a quarterly look into the automotive retail segment as O’Reilly’s produces strong sales numbers but warns that inflation may soon have a limiting effect on sales growth. Conversely, Sherwin-Williams is experiencing demand but a lack of raw materials to meet said demand and we speak to how they are seeking to retain customers through such conditions. To close, we look ahead at Tanger and Simon earnings and an expande...
Nov 01, 2021•37 min•Ep. 239
Our interview guest is Rod Sides, vice chairman of Deloitte LLP, who joins us to discuss the deeper look at Deloitte’s holiday sales projections released this week—subjects include the demographic groups expected to drive spend and the three types of consumers borne out by the data generated by their annual survey. In news, Albertsons displays Q2 sales numbers that are better than expected and provides an update on inflation; additionally, a major grocery retailer launches a new advertising plat...
Oct 25, 2021•41 min•Ep. 238
Our interview guest is Emily Grey, founder of the Flourish Market and a retail and brand consultant, who joins us to discuss (among other things) what small retailers can expect during Q4, adjustments such retailers have made during the pandemic, and how upstart brands can get their products on store shelves this holiday season. In news, we discuss new Supermarket News data regarding center-store sales in grocery (including what retailers say they are doing to differentiate offerings) and previe...
Oct 18, 2021•46 min•Ep. 237
Our interview guest is Jim Inglis, retail industry veteran, former Home Depot executive, and author of the book Breakthrough Retailing: How a Bleeding Orange Culture Can Change Everything. He joins us to discuss the book’s many topics, including what gave Home Depot a leg up on competition in the 1980s and 1990s and lessons we can learn from the company’s meteoric (and successful) rise. In news, we briefly discuss Walmart’s last-mile platform, GoLocal, signing its first partnership deal and Targ...
Oct 12, 2021•31 min•Ep. 236
Our interview guest is Michael Osborne, President at Wunderkind, who joins the show to discuss the present state of retailers’ digital marketing to consumers, what we can expect during the holiday season based on their Black Friday & Cyber Monday Performance Marketing Report, and where retailers can improve in their marketing efforts. In news, Bed Bath & Beyond sees sales take a step back amidst a poor August (though buybuy BABY displays promise), and a Deloitte report indicates that you...
Oct 04, 2021•45 min•Ep. 235
Our interview guest is Shash Anand, VP of Product Strategy at SOTI, who joins the show to discuss their 2021 State of Transportation & Logistics Report as it pertains to retail as well as some data from the logistics sector specific to the holiday season. In news, Costco reveals earnings, but more importantly they reveal how inflation and supply chain issues have affected their approach to business. Additionally, we look ahead to a proposed IPO for an up-and-coming c-store chain in Yesway....
Sep 27, 2021•46 min•Ep. 234
Our interview guest is Rod Sides, vice chairman at Deloitte LLP and their U.S. retail, wholesale, and distribution leader, who joins us to discuss Deloitte’s preliminary U.S. holiday forecasts which suggest a big sales jump could be in order. In news, Kroger announces a new convenience-centric partnership with Instacart and provides insight on macro-level grocery trends, we get updated third-party Walmart+ subscription numbers, and Meijer eyes yet another small-format store.
Sep 21, 2021•34 min•Ep. 233
Our interview guest is Eric Miao, Chief Customer Officer with Attentive, who discusses how retailers are currently using SMS as a marketing tool and how they can leverage the platform in a way that remains authentic to their brand. He also discusses examples from popular retailers’ launch of SMS campaigns, including Michaels’ launch during a recent Q4. In news, Academy Sports + Outdoors sets sales records amidst high demand for athletic wear and outdoors gear, and we look ahead to Halloween seas...
Sep 15, 2021•49 min•Ep. 232
