Once the leader among department stores, J.C. Penney (JCP) is now making headlines as it seeks to save itself from Chapter 11/7 bankruptcy. In the past decade, sales have been nearly sliced in half with shares down over 41% in the last 12 months.
Source: New York Post
The issues are hardly specific to the retailer, however. Department stores across the board are seeing headwinds, driven by a strong and secular shift in consumer habits. Companies like Amazon.com (AMZN) have revolutionized the way we shop, now providing their customers with one-day free shipping