Sears Holding Corp.
Sears has long been considered a retailer to watch, Brouwer notes. A few days in to the new year, the company announced it would be closing 103 Sears and Kmart stores. From 2016 to 2017, the company announced the shuttering of nearly 600 locations, according to Fung Global Retail & Technology. “I think it’s just a matter of time,” Brouwer says. In early January, Sears Holding CEO Eddie Lampert warned investors that the company would have to consider “all options” if it failed to secure $1 billion in refinancing, according to USA Today. Moody’s rates Sears Holdings Corp. at Caa3, with a negative outlook, and comes after Claire’s on the agency’s list of troubled retailers.