It's been a brutal 2 years for retail companies (think Sears, JC Penny, Sports Authority, etc). But it's happening while the economy and incomes are rising. This article gives 3 suggestions:

1) People are buying online more (Duh)
2) We overbuilt malls and other retail centers
3) Our consumerism is more with experiences than things now. We go out to eat rather than buy things more.

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/retail-meltdown-of-2017/522384/?utm_source=eb