Weekly Insights Mar 24, 2017

Executive Summary

• This week’s note “From the Desk of Deborah Weinswig” discusses takeaways from the second annual Shoptalk conference that was held in Las Vegas this week.
• Sears, an icon of American retail dating back to the 19th century, is in danger of having to close its doors. The company said late Tuesday in a regulatory filing that there is “substantial doubt” it can remain in business.
• Total retail footfall in the UK fell by 1% year over year in February, according to the latest data from the British Retail Consortium and Springboard. The rate was below the three-month average of (0.8)%.
• Flipkart has completed a $1 billion fundraising, and it aims to raise as much as $1 billion more over the next few months, according to people familiar with the matter. The funds would give India’s largest e-commerce company the capital to battle back against rising competition.