Professor Elam

Thursday July 23, 2015

For the second time in five years,  A & P has filed for bankruptcy. This is not a familiar name to most younger students but when I was a kid, A & P was the equivalent of Wal Mart today but in the grocery business. 

With assets of $1.6 B and debts of $2.3 B, looks like the party may be over. 

The larger companies get the more they tend to stray from their roots and lose their way. 

MCD laments there is no silver bullet for a three year turnaround. Yet as we recently noted In and Out burgers  is doing great business at their two SA locations.

General Motors and Chrysler, now Sears, J C Penny almost, Radio Shack is about gone, Woolworth became Woolco and then disappeared,  communities have the No Thanks sign out for WMT. 

It is interesting that In and Out and Whataburger have worked to keep their original vision in tact, and not blanket the world with more stores than they can manage, or change if need be.