Retail has always changed. Archie Norman, who led ASDA supermarkets in the UK through the 1990’s recently remarked that the UK is a world leader in on-line food shopping with home delivery, but the channel is not profitable. While consumers like the idea of on-line shopping and free delivery, the reality of retail is that the most costly part is … Read More
Influencing governments about logistics
What has been happening? This week I was discussing with colleagues the ‘state of play’ concerning promotion of logistics as a profession. Our conclusion was that nothing much has been achieved in the past thirty years. In Australia there are five associations concerned with aspects of supply chains. For planning there is APICSau; for transport it is CILTA; distribution has … Read More
Do not rely on sales growth for your profits
Plan your business. With most countries of Europe and America in a situation of either recession or no growth, many businesses will not experience an increase in sales. But for businesses in all regions of the world, profitability can be improved through a focus on improving business flows. Flows consist of items, money and information and too often they are … Read More
Forecasting seasonal sales
Its that time of year again. In some countries the Christmas season can be make or break for retailers selling discretionary merchandise (the stuff we might like to own but do not need). In the few weeks of December retailers can generate as much as half their annual sales and a quarter of their profits, so it is a big … Read More
Economic forecasts and supply chains
A recent forecast. When reading forecasts of economic effects on the performance of countries, logisticians are looking for indications of trends that may affect the flow of items and importantly, the business models of logistics service providers (LSPs). A recent forecast is the Manufacturing Competitiveness Index study, developed by Deloitte, in which 550 CEOs from around the world responded to … Read More