Recommended Reading - Activist investors' retail campaigns

Activist investors (e.g., Carl Icahn, Wattles Capital Management, Pershing Square's Ackman, Crescendo Partners, Sun Capital), who remain a potent force as it relates to executive turnover for companies they pressure, may find themselves with a higher profile in relation to the struggling retail industry.  According to a blog in the Deal.com's Dealwatch a number of high profile retailers can expect increasing pressure from activist investors.  According to the piece,

Times are tough for retailers, and activist investors are at the ready lobbying for moves to boost shareholder value including: sale-leaseback deals to raise cash to return to shareholders; shuttering underperforming stores; board shakeups; selling a company entirely; or thwarting sale plans that undervalue assets. 

The Deal's Matt Miller wrote recently:

Real estate values are down, and energy costs are up. With the belief that a recession is upon us and that the near-term economic future is bleak, consumer confidence has been in free fall. That gloom has put a screeching halt to spending on much more than essentials.

For some time now, we have been following many of the specific companies referred to in the Dealwatch piece.  Keep a close eye on related executive turnover for possible additional clues.