lystn

In this episode, Tracey is joined by Maddy Johnson, a Zacks Editor, and Domina Tingos, Zacks Director of Product Development, in a roundtable discussion about the future of retail. Many naysayers believe that brick and mortar retail is doomed. That theory says that Amazon will someday rule the entire retail universe with its 1-hour shipping. Tracey, Maddy and Domina don’t agree. They delve into the reasons that brick and mortar will still survive. JC Penney (JCP), for instance, is making progress in its turnaround because its focusing on “experiences” like its photo stores, beauty salons and Sephora outlets. It also had success with in-store appliance showrooms in the first quarter and is expanding that concept into 500 stores. But it’s not leaving out on-line sales. In addition to buying the appliances in the stores, JC Penney is expanding online sales as well. Maddy and Domina believe that Macy’s (M), in both its Bloomingdales and Macy’s stores, and Nordstrom (JWN), can succeed by focusing on experiences and unique products. They also discuss apparel retailers and what is going well, or not, at some of them. One of Maddy’s favorite retailers is Athleta, which is owned by Gap (GPS). The rest of Gap might be struggling, but it continues to roll out new brick and mortar stores for this athletic leisure apparel brand. It’s a slightly lower priced version of Lululemon (LULU). Tracey’s favorite apparel retailer is Ann Taylor (which, she has since found out, has also gone private). It has really started turning it around with a product that is right on trend. Its Loft business is also popular, combining athletic leisure apparel and a lower price point. If you’ve ever wanted to know which retail store Tracey has wanted to live in (yes- she wants to move in!) or which store’s restaurant she has eaten in (hint, they specialize in Swedish meatballs), tune into this week’s podcast to find out. Macy's: https://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/M?cid=cs-soundcloud-ft-pod\ JC Penney: https://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/JCP?cid=cs-soundcloud-ft-pod Newman Marcus: https://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/JWN?cid=cs-soundcloud-ft-pod Lululemon: https://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/LULU?cid=cs-soundcloud-ft-pod Gap: https://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/GPS?cid=cs-soundcloud-ft-pod Follow us on StockTwits: stocktwits.com/ZacksResearch Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ZacksResearch Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch