Some Name Brands May Disappear in 2016

Every year companies of varying sizes may be forced to file bankruptcy or go out of business. This can be small mom and pop businesses in places such as Moorestown New Jersey and Philadelphia Pennsylvania or large name brands. Each year 24/7 Wall St compiles a list of ten brands that it expects to disappear due to bankruptcies or mergers. This year’s list includes Smart, OfficeMax, American Apparel, Pacific Sunwear of California, A&P, Volkswagen’s TDI Brand, US Airways, Ashley Madison, RadioShack and Sears. It is difficult for some retail brands to compete. Larger retailers with a lot of stores, greater marketing budgets and stronger balance sheets are replacing them. E-retailers, like Amazon.com, are also responsible for disappearing retail brands. Sometimes other events can cause a downfall. Devastating events like hacking of the website for Ashley Madison or the diesel scandal for Volkswagen have impacted those brands. Even success can impact a brand by leading to its disappearance through merger. Changes in the economy, competition and management issues can impact companies large and small.