IDG Contributor Network: Sports Authority's post-bankruptcy plan won't work

Following last week's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings from Sports Authority, it's easy to play Monday morning quarterback and criticize how Sports Authority handled its business. The path to bankruptcy court can be complicated. But a key concern now is not what led this chain to bankruptcy court as much as what its plan is for going forward. And it appears that its post-bankruptcy plan of attack suffers from the same misguided strategy that got it to bankruptcy court.

This gets us back into the issue of how a retailer with a physical store history becomes a chain equally comfortable in mobile, desktop Web, social media and other aspects of a merged channel strategy. And yes, it's not like other sports retailers are mastering today's world of adapting to this world that much better than Sports Authority. Other retailers -- such as Nordstrom -- are making these changes, but are not wild about the costs involved. And other chains -- such as Walmart -- go to the other extreme, seeing all efforts only having the purpose of driving shoppers in-store.

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