10 Well-Known Brands That Will Disappear in 2013

WalletPop Editor

Filed under: Employment & Careers, Entrepreneurship, Investing, Shopping, Technology

By Douglas A. McIntyre

Each year, 24/7 Wall St. compiles a list of 10 brands that it predicts will disappear in the near-term. The list of those fated to vanish in 2011 proved to be fairly prescient. For example, 2010 nominees Blockbuster has bitten the dust, while Dollar Thrifty is on the road to oblivion and entertaining buyout offers from Avis and Hertz. And T-Mobile would have disappeared into the AT&T monolith, had it not been for antitrust issues.

Then again, 24/7 Wall St. also missed the mark last year on a few companies. Notably, Kia, Moody's, BP, and Zales appear to be doing better than expected.

This year's brands in danger of extinction include many that have stood the test of time for decades. But in a world where a venerable car make like Pontiac or a magazine like House & Garden can vanish, no brand is safe from the perils of competition, new inventions, rising costs or poor management.

To compile its list, 24/7 Wall St. looks at seven broad risk factors:

1. a rapid fall-off in sales and steep losses;
2. disclosures by the parent of the brand that it might go out of business;
3. rapidly rising costs that are extremely unlikely to be recouped through higher prices;
4. companies that are sold;
5. companies that go into bankruptcy;
6. companies that have lost the great majority of their customers; or
7. operations with rapidly withering market share.

Each of the 10 brands on the list suffer from one or more of these problems. Each of the 10 will be gone, based on our estimates, within 18 months.

10 Brands That Will Disappear in 2013

Add a Comment

Sign in »

4 Comments

Filter by:

Dave

Yeah I remember when these morons said the same thing about Apple and many sold their stocks. If only they held on for just a little longer, they would have walked away gloating. Apple went from the brink of bankruptcy to over 600 dollars a share. Bet you those same guys who sold, still want to kick these analysts in the teeth to this day. Never count people out, until they themselves give it up. RIM is still fighting

January 04 2013 at 12:14 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

choctawmicmac

The Bay Area could definitely do without the Raiders.

January 04 2013 at 10:21 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

abujerome

I beleive rim will become successfull, and will surprise those who beleive the opposite.

January 03 2013 at 9:54 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Luis

American Airlines won't be disappearing. That's a lot of BS. It's legacy carrier in the U.S. and if it does merger with USAirways, the American name will be retained. Same thing happened when Continental and United merged. United, being a legacy carrier, carried it's name over while Continental's management took over the helm in Chicago.

January 03 2013 at 3:40 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply