The Complete History of Sears... and How it Went Bankrupt

As you’ve no doubt heard already -- because when century-old American retail institutions crumble, it’s big news even if it’s not unexpected -- Sears has finally declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. But does that mean the whole chain will vanish immediately? No. With debtor-in-possession financing, the next step in its dissolution will involve closing 142 of its remaining 700 or so stores, and hoping to make it through the holiday season, perhaps even luring in enough shoppers to allow it to limp along further than 2019. 

Still, it’s a sad almost-end for a company that was both the Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and the Walmart (NYSE: WMT) of its day, a business that sold everything from watches to entire houses. In this Market Foolery podcast, host Mac Greer and analysts Emily Flippen and Matt Argersinger discuss its long history; its broad expansion into a conglomerate with segments as diverse as financial services and auto repair; the Eddie Lampert era; the decisions that brought Sears (NASDAQ: SHLD) low; whether there’s any remaining hope of a recovery; and what lessons other retailers (e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar) should take away from this tale.
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