New pressures are taking their toll on the industry, and retailers have to adapt if they want to survive. Competition is more intense than it has ever been. With all the new channels for selling that are now available, retailers have a huge number of ways to reach consumers.

Magnus Ohlsson, founder of retail management firm MORM, has posted a great presentation about the future of retail on his blog Retailomania.

"Some of the brands of yesterday will die," says Ohlsson in his presentation. "Some with a bang and some slowly as if from an incurable wasting disease."

In the second half of his presentation, Ohlsson lays out what retailers can do to survive. He says that you have to cut costs and optimize stores no matter how much it hurts, and that inventory control is "as important as breathing."