MW and Sears had very strong businesses before online shopping.
Both companies went down the tubes before online shopping.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_Ward"Bankruptcy, restructuring, and liquidation
In 1997, the logo was changed to simply "Wards" which was used until the chain liquidated in 2001.
By the 1990s even its rivals began to lose ground to low-price competition from Kmart, Wal-Mart, and especially Target, which eroded even more of Montgomery Ward's traditional customer base. In 1997, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, emerging from protection by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois in August 1999 as a wholly owned subsidiary of GE Capital, which was by then its largest shareholder. As part of a last-ditch effort to remain competitive, the company closed over 100 retail locations[19] in 30 U.S. states (including all the Lechmere and Electric Avenue stores),[20] abandoned the specialty store strategy, renamed and rebranded the chain as simply Wards (although unrelated, Wards was the original name for the now-defunct Circuit City), and spent millions of dollars to renovate its remaining outlets to be flashier and more consumer-friendly. GE Capital reneged on promises of further financial support of Montgomery Ward's restructuring plans.[21]
On December 28, 2000, after lower-than-expected sales during the Christmas season, the company announced it would cease operating, close its remaining 250 retail outlets, and lay off its 37,000 employees. All stores closed within weeks of the announcement. The subsequent liquidation was at the time the largest retail Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation in American history (this would be later surpassed by the 2009 and 2018 store closures of Circuit City and Toys 'R' Us). Roger Goddu, Montgomery Ward's CEO, received an offer from JCPenney to become CEO, but he declined under pressure from GE Capital. One of the last closing stores was Salem, Oregon, the location of its human resources division. Montgomery Ward was liquidated by the end of May 2001, ending a 129-year enterprise."