Can Sears Survive? Maybe Not, Company Admits In Financial Filings

Can Sears Survive? Maybe Not, Company Admits In Financial Filings

Bring on the cliches: The mighty are falling. The times they are a changin'. An era is ending.

"Sales at locations of Sears and Kmart that have been open at least a year dropped 10.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016, the Associated Press reports."

How many malls will survive without powerful anchors like Sears, Macy's and JCPenney? Reports say that a third of them will close "soon." How many brick-and-mortar retailers can survive the next 15 years? As far as I can see, the last ones standing will be those that require your physical presence (like to try on clothing), those with proprietary lines of merchandise not available online, and those who sell items repurchased frequently (supermarkets, gas stations). Even discounters are vulnerable to being undercut by internet shopping, which offers the entire planet for price comparisons. WalMart is strong enough to survive a long time, and has converted much of its operation to frequently purchased good and services, but in time even that mighty titan of retailing may feel the squeeze.