Eddie Lampert’s Maneuvering With Sears’ Assets Stands To Benefit Only Himself

Eddie Lampert not a merchant? No, that’s not a rhetorical question. In fact, he may be one of the greatest merchants in the history of retailing. Even the most naïve, believing observers of retailing have finally conceded what some of us have known almost since the beginning: that what’s going on at Sears Holding has nothing to do with retailing and everything to do with controlling owner Edward S. Lampert. But perhaps we aren’t giving him credit where credit is due. Because, in fact, he has created the greatest new shopping event ever: the Pre-Bankruptcy Sale. Most retailers in the process of going down the tubes try to work out deals with suppliers, landlords and even their employees to sustain them, seemingly in the hope that such actions will help them avoid the inevitable. They may divest pieces of the company that are tangential to its core business. Read more at Forbes.