"If they can't make critical investments, they have to ask themselves if it makes sense to plod on another year or if it's of better interest in the long term ... to make a better [store] structure." This past year, department store chains Macy's, J.C. Penney and Sears came into the post-holiday shopping season with news of store closures, which sent retail stocks tumbling. On a brighter note, there are still retailers opening stores across the U.S., though those numbers haven't been as pronounced.