Sales plummeted 14% in April leaving companies with bulging inventories

The inventory-to-sales ratio paints a clear picture of the pandemic and the economic turmoil it has created across retail and manufacturing, leaving product to languish in stockrooms, destined for markdowns or donations.

By Matt Leonard • June 23, 2020

Coronavirus and counterfeits: How supply chain leaders can protect their products and brands

It's dangerous to assume only healthcare products are impacted by counterfeiting during the pandemic, writes Andrew Stevens, a senior director analyst in Gartner's supply chain practice.

By Andrew Stevens • June 22, 2020

Kroger's omnichannel investments pay off in Q1

The grocer credited tech investments for its ability to handle demand for delivery and pickup services.

By Jeff Wells • June 19, 2020

Designer Brands to trim vendor list to prep for post-pandemic landscape

Simplification is a watchword of supply chains post-lockdown, according to business executives across sectors.

By Emma Cosgrove • June 19, 2020

Unilever to request suppliers' emissions data on invoices

The supplier accountability effort seeks to advance Unilever' sustainability goals, such as reaching net-zero emissions from products by 2039 and ridding its supply chain of deforestation by 2023.

By Emma Cosgrove • June 17, 2020

DHL Express expands hiring as peak season volumes continue through summer

The carrier is opening 400 full- and part-time positions at three major airports to cope with double-digit increases in parcel volume.

By Morgan Forde • June 15, 2020

UNFI: Grocery supplier stockouts could last into the fall

Consistently high demand, combined with the spike of panic-buying in March, will keep some suppliers in catch-up mode for a few more months, CEO Steve Spinner said. 

By Emma Cosgrove • June 12, 2020

American Eagle fast-tracks fulfillment hubs to reduce shipping backlog

The peri-urban fulfillment hub is a fixture of Amazon's supply chain, but few pure-play apparel sellers have adopted the strategy. 

By Emma Cosgrove • June 8, 2020

Walmart commits to sustainably sourced canned tuna

The retailer will ensure its Great Value private label tuna meets the goal by July, with all canned tuna products to follow by 2025. 

By Jessica Dumont • June 8, 2020

Amazon Air's fleet expansion is a bid for logistics domination

The company announced plans to add an additional 12 aircraft to its fleet, bringing its total size to 82 planes by the end of 2021.

By Matt Leonard • June 4, 2020

Retailer-supplier collaboration has improved, but there's more work to be done

Eighty-five percent of retailers surveyed by Coresight Research say collaboration has gotten better but all respondents cite data sharing, communication issues and a lack of trust as roadblocks.

By Jeff Wells • June 4, 2020

Coca-Cola, Mondelez trim SKUs as CPGs tackle pandemic stresses

Supply chains are reducing complexity to better operate in volatile market conditions.

By Emma Cosgrove • June 2, 2020

CVS Pharmacy partners with Nuro on autonomous last-mile delivery pilot

The move comes as CVS experiments with contactless delivery in other locations in the U.S. during the pandemic​.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • June 1, 2020

Nordstrom cuts inventory 26% in Q1 by cancelling orders, shipping from stores

CEO Erik Nordstrom called inventory the retailer's "biggest lever of flexibility," with sales down 40% year over year.

By Emma Cosgrove • June 1, 2020

Dollar Tree: Distribution center pressure will continue even as supply issues resolve

Executives said the company's buyers will be "chasing" essential goods through July, putting pressure on warehouses to work faster.

By Emma Cosgrove • May 29, 2020

Foot Locker turns to vendors to contend with 20% inventory spike

As of Friday, Foot Locker had opened 1,400 stores with limited hours and social-distancing protocols. But stores will not fully relieve the company of what the CEO called a "glut of inventory." 

By Emma Cosgrove • May 26, 2020

Canceled orders, delayed payments: How supplier collaboration could reverse apparel's nose dive

Stakeholders envision a future where demand, not merchandisers, drive fashion supply chains, and buyers bring vendors into the planning process.

By Emma Cosgrove • May 21, 2020

Research conflicts on drone delivery costs, efficiency as parcel carriers scale operations

While Gartner estimates drone fleets could reduce operations costs by 70%, some research indicates drone operations, at scale, could be up to 10 times less energy efficient than vans.

By Morgan Forde • May 21, 2020

Kohl's expects to reduce receipts 60% in Q2, even as stores open

Addressing inventory was the first action executives took when it became clear stores would need to close, CEO Michelle Gass ​said.

By Emma Cosgrove • May 21, 2020

Target tests post-store sort center for last-mile delivery

The downstream locations are intended to remove parcel sorting from stores as Target shipped 80% of e-commerce orders from stores in Q1. 

By Emma Cosgrove • May 20, 2020

Walmart expands ship-from-store to 2,500 locations to handle e-commerce volume bump

The company accelerated omnichannel investments in Q1, but may need more fulfillment center capacity to keep up with online order volume.

By Emma Cosgrove • May 19, 2020

DHL: Online orders pushed parcel volume to peak season levels in April

Domestic parcel volume has increased by 36% and cross-border numbers increased by 28% compared to daily averages seen in February.

By Morgan Forde • May 14, 2020

COVID-19 changed the stakes for e-commerce. Do fulfillment networks need to change too?

A global pandemic that drove consumers into their homes, cratered demand for discretionary goods and upped screen time has changed the risk calculus for e-commerce fulfillment.

By Emma Cosgrove • May 12, 2020

Target to acquire Deliv tech as the last-mile startup shuts down

The retailer will use Deliv's proprietary batching and routing technology to research and develop faster and cheaper delivery methods.​

By Matt Leonard • May 11, 2020

45% of apparel buyers working with suppliers to cut costs: McKinsey

A survey of 116 apparel sourcing executives found one-fifth are paying for 75% or more of their orders as originally agreed, while 18% are paying no vendors as agreed.

By Emma Cosgrove • May 7, 2020