Dillard's
Dillard's reported fourth-quarter and full-year earnings last week that were among the weakest in its peer group. Nordstrom
Sales were uninspiring as well, as Dillard's saw a 1% fall in total and same-store sales for the year. The trends are in stark contrast to J.C. Penney
Retail behemoth Wal-Mart
As far as I can tell, Dillard's has missed the boat regarding location and merchandise mix. It's stuck in the mall and stuck in the middle between low-cost and upscale product offerings. Until it chooses a direction, investors will likely remain stuck with a flagging stock price. I see private label as a quicker fix, but other matters could take years to figure out, as Penney's can attest to, as it went down the restructuring path in 2000.
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Fool contributor Ryan Fuhrmann has no financial interest in any company mentioned. Feel free to email him with feedback or to discuss any companies mentioned further. The Fool has an ironclad disclosure policy.