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Many reports are claiming the death of Sears, but is it really dead or just dead as we knew it?

Sears started life in 1892 as a mail-order catalog that sold watches and jewelry. In 1894 the Sears, Roebuck and Company catalog had grown to 322 pages and included sewing machines, bicycles, sporting goods, automobiles and other new items. In the following years the catalog would eclipse 500 pages and adding dolls, stoves and groceries.

Restructuring is often driven by market rhythms, or quantifiable circumstances like the decline of shopping at brick-and-mortar stores in favor of online shopping. An easy example of the latter is the rise in eCommerce at online stores like Amazon, resulting in the bankruptcy and liquidation of Toys R Us. Another, less common circumstance can be natural (or unnatural) disasters.

It has been reported that Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), a California based utility, has brought in law firm Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP to explore restructuring options after California officials found the company responsible for the deadliest wildfires in the state’s history in the fall of 2017. One option the firm is said to be exploring is breaking up PG&E and filing bankruptcy for one of the units. For companies struggling financially, sacrificing one area of a business to protect the rest from liabilities is a popular strategy. [source]