Our interview guest is Lupine Skelly, Deloitte’s Retail, Wholesale, and Distribution Research Leader. She joins the show to discuss Deloitte’s 2023 retail industry outlook, which features input from major retail executives—themes include handli

Retail Focus 1/16/23 – Looking at Retail Ad Spend & Strategy; Albertsons Beats Estimates

Jan 17th, 2023 41m 7s

Our interview guest is Richard Jones, Chief Revenue Officer at Wunderkind. He joins the show to discuss the advertising and marketing landscape for retailers in 2023—and how digital spending and marketing content may change or adjust based on c

Retail Focus 1/3/23 – Retail Trends in the Year Ahead; CBRE Issues Retail Real Estate Guidance

Jan 4th, 2023 44m 9s

Our interview guest is Katie Gilsenan, senior trends manager at GWI, who joins the show to discuss retail trends for 2023, consumer motivations in the new year, and which categories might see a lift in tight economic times. In news, CBRE issues

Retail Focus 12/26/22 – The 2023 Retail Consumer; Holiday Shopping Numbers Begin to Arrive

Dec 28th, 2022 41m 51s

Our interview guest is Kristina Rogers, EY Global Consumer Leader. She joins the show to discuss EY’s 11th Future Consumer Index, and broadly, what the 2023 retail consumer will look like as far as decision-making, demand, and outlook on person

Retail Focus 12/12/22 – Product Descriptions & Reducing Returns; Chewy Sees Rise in Autoship Sales

Dec 13th, 2022 38m 52s

Our interview guest is Randy Mercer, VP of Global Products at 1WorldSync. He joins the show to discuss the process behind getting effective product content to retailers, and the role that good product descriptions play in reducing returns from

Retail Focus 12/6/22 – Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in Retail Real Estate; Dollar General Releases 2023 Plans

Dec 8th, 2022 39m 5s

Our interview guest is Jazmen Johnson, the VP of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at ICSC; she joins us to discuss the themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion in retail real estate and addresses the need to see value in diverse retail centers.

Retail Focus 11/28/22 – Inventory Visibility for Retailers Across Channels; Family Dollar Traffic Ticks Up

Nov 29th, 2022 41m 13s

Our interview guest is Ann Ruckstuhl, senior vice president and chief marketing officer with Manhattan Associates. She joins the show to discuss Manhattan’s recent research surrounding inventory visibility, point of sale options, and the surpri

Retail Focus 11/21/22 – Oracle Retail’s Shopper Outlook; Ross Seeks Improved Holiday Assortment

Nov 22nd, 2022 41m 25s

Our interview guest is Mike Webster, senior vice president and general manager of Oracle Retail. He discusses Oracle’s recent Retail Shopper Outlook, including holiday expectations, development of consumer trust, and what we can expect regardin

Retail Focus 11/13/22 – Current State of Retail Import Process; Sprouts Evaluates Near Future

Nov 14th, 2022 42m 37s

Our interview guest is Chris Lentjes, CEO of U.S. operations for Eurora Solutions; he joins us to discuss the current state of imports and exports for retailers, where automation and processes may be able to ease retailers’ burden in the future

Retail Focus 11/6/22 – Consumer Attitudes Towards Private Labels; Floor & Décor Forges More Growth Plans

Nov 7th, 2022 38m 36s

Our interview guest is Rick Kelly, Chief Product Officer at Fuel Cycle. He joins us to discuss a recent private label study conducted that reveals consumer attitudes towards private labels in 2022, where they are most likely to devote share of

Retail Focus 10/30/22 – E-Commerce Sales Expectations for Holidays; Less Retail Space Available in U.S.

Oct 31st, 2022 40m 48s

Our interview guest is Rick Watson, founder and CEO of RMW Commerce Consulting. He joins the show to discuss 2022 holiday expectations, particularly through the lens of e-commerce, and talk about which retailers might be in great position and w

Retail Focus 10/23/22 – Holiday Consumer Shopping Data from Deloitte; Tractor Supply Closes Orscheln Deal

Oct 24th, 2022 37m 46s

Our interview guest is Rod Sides, Deloitte Insights Leader and Retail Partner at Deloitte LLP; he discusses specific consumer data from their 37th annual holiday survey and how retailers can capitalize on what is expected to be a big year for g

Retail Focus 10/16/22 – Open-Air Shopping Center Dynamics; What Does Kroger Want with Albertsons?

Oct 17th, 2022 55m 17s

Our interview guest is Ward Kampf, President of Northwood Retail. He joins the show to discuss how shopping centers (and consumer demand surrounding the centers) have changed over the last ten years, the dynamics of open-air shopping centers, a

Retail Focus 9/19/22 – Deloitte’s Holiday Sales Projections; What Back-To-School Can Teach Us About 2022

Sep 20th, 2022 31m 12s

Our interview guest is Rod Sides, Deloitte Insights Leader and Retail Partner at Deloitte. He joins the show to discuss Deloitte’s holiday sales projections and what we can expect as far as overall (and digital) sales during this upcoming shopp

Retail Focus 9/12/22 – Battling Counterfeits from a Retail Perspective; Kroger’s Private Label Shakeup

Sep 12th, 2022 43m 5s

Our interview guest is Rosemary Coates, the President of Blue Silk Consulting and the Executive Director of the Reshoring Institute. She joins the show to discuss counterfeits in the marketplace, anti-counterfeiting measures put in place by ret

Retail Focus 9/5/22 – Retail Pricing Strategies and Analytics; Ollie’s Hopes for a Better Second Half

Sep 6th, 2022 51m 43s

Our interview guest is Matt Pavich, the senior director of retail innovation at Revionics, an Aptos company. He joins us to discuss retail pricing strategies, how retailers are using analytics (especially in the dollar segment) to continue to p

Retail Focus 8/14/22 – Enticing Mall Customers to Linger; Grocery Outlet Builds Management Pipeline

Aug 15th, 2022 36m 10s

Our interview guest is Steven Wagner, Chief Commercial Officer with Smarte Carte. He discusses various solutions designed to keep customers in shopping centers longer—from strollers to mobility solutions—and the process behind keeping them clea

Retail Focus 8/7/22 – Retail from a City Leader’s Perspective; Wayfair Swims Upstream

Aug 8th, 2022 35m 7s

Our interview guest is Jim Paine, mayor of Superior, Wisconsin, who joins our show to discuss retail from the perspective of a city leader—particularly as it pertains to small- and mid-sized markets. He touches on his changing views towards big

Retail Focus 7/25/22 – Deloitte’s 2022 Back-to-School Report; Dollar Stores See Increase in Q2 Traffic

Jul 27th, 2022 32m 30s

Our interview guest is Rod Sides, Deloitte Insights Leader and Retail Partner at Deloitte LLP; he re-joins the show to discuss Deloitte’s 2022 Back-to-School survey, interesting findings, and how consumer behavior may be shifting going into the

Retail Focus 7/17/22 – The Legal Side of Retail Leases; Retail Sales Tick Up in June; Vasos Steps Aside

Jul 19th, 2022 35m 54s

Our interview guests are Annie Malo and Julie Connelly of Seyfarth Shaw LLP; they join us as part of our ongoing ICSC interview series to discuss the legal aspect of retail leases and negotiations between landlord and retailer—and why real esta

Retail Focus 7/10/22 – Retailers’ Use of Location Data; Costco’s June Sales; Mall Traffic Ticks Up in Late June

Jul 11th, 2022 33m 56s

Our interview guest is Matt Montgomery, managing director with Kalibrate, who joins the show as part of our ICSC interview series to discuss the current state of location-based analytics and other data retailers are using to make informed decis

Retail Focus 7/4/22 – Approaching Mixed-Use Redevelopments; July 4th Sales; Mark Tritton Departs

Jul 7th, 2022 32m 21s

Our interview guest is Whitney Livingston, President & Chief Operating Officer with Centennial. She details the process behind identifying mixed-use redevelopment potential and working with communities to property execute on the redevelopments.

Retail Focus 6/26/22 – Technology Investments in Retail; Grocers Continue to See Growth in Fresh

Jun 28th, 2022 42m 54s

Our interview guest is Brandon Isner, Americas Head of Retail Research at CBRE. He joins the show as part of our ICSC interview series to discuss CBRE’s latest research regarding technology investments in retail; we also discuss general retail

Retail Focus 6/19/22 – Retail Lease Negotiations; Kroger Watches Fresh & Private Label Sales Grow

Jun 20th, 2022 39m 59s

Our interview guest is Edward Coury, managing director at RCS Real Estate Advisors. He discusses the various dynamics behind lease negotiations in the current climate, including considerations for insurance and maintenance payment, demands for

Retail Focus 6/6/22 – EV Charging Stations in Retail Shopping Centers; Conn’s & Belk Forge Partnership

Jun 7th, 2022 41m 48s

Our interview guest is Rick Baker, senior vice president of Charging Solutions sales at Volta. He joins the show to discuss the increasing presence of EV charging stations in retail shopping centers, why retailers and centers are finding it val