Building resilience in retail supply chains: Lessons learned from COVID-19 and future pathways

Abstract

PurposeThis study explores the countermeasures taken by retailers to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on supply chain disruptions.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses a multiple case study approach and undertakes 36 semi-structured interviews with senior management of the four largest retailers of the United Arab Emirates. The respondents were designated at different positions such as Vice President, Director and Project Manager.FindingsResults reveal that retailers are employing six countermeasures to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on supply chains. Particularly, retailers are securing required demand, preserving cash flows, redirecting inventory, adding capacity to their distribution centres, becoming more flexible with their direct or third-party logistics provider and finally widening delivery options for their suppliers to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has some limitations. First, the results of this study cannot be generalized to a broader population as it attempts to build an initial theory. Second, this study uses a cross-sectional approach to explore the countermeasures employed by retailing firms to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.Originality/valueA notable weakness in a supply chain disruption literature is an unfulfilled need for research examining the strategies employed by retailers to respond to/address the challenges posed by COVID-19. Our study fills this gap.

Enablers of post-COVID-19 customer demand resilience: evidence for fast-fashion MSMEs

“…This study contributes to the literature on the FMCDM continuous improvement applications. Our findings extend those of previous studies, such as those of Butt (2021), who discussed resilience in the retail supply chain and lessons learned from COVID-19. Researchers who seek causal relationships analysis can build on our DEMATEL analysis results to examine the influence metrics deeply.…”

“…This study contributes to the previous research on resilience management (Butt, 2021;Jain et al, 2021;. Recent studies show the importance of resilience during the post-COVID-19 period for supply chain management (Golan et al, 2020;Ivanov, 2020;Ivanov and Dolgui, 2020;Remko, 2020).…”

Risk management of supply chains in the digital transformation era: contribution and challenges of blockchain technology

“…In recent studies on the global supply chain, manufacturing firms have reported many adverse supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which has unfolded as a "black swan" according to the experts (Butt, 2021;Ketchen Jr and Craighead, 2020;Betcheva et al, 2020). The supply chain disruptions caused by this pandemic have shuttered region, national as well as global economies.…”

“…Sarkis et al (2020) and Sato et al (2020) proposed two major categories of SCR: operational risks (demand, supply and cost) and disruption risks (man-made, economic or natural disasters). When viewed from a different perspective, SCR can be classified along quantitative and qualitative lines under eight risk categories: demand, supply, operational, resource, competitive, security, macro and policy (Butt, 2021;Munir et al, 2020;Baryannis et al, 2019). SCR can also be classified into three further categories: environmental risks, network risks and organizational risks (Sarkis, 2021;Ivanov et al, 2019).…”

Mitigating the Spread of COVID-19: What are firms doing and what they need to do?

“…Similarly, the COVID-19 is hitting firms hard and adversely affecting firms’ operations, greatly reducing their profits. For example, German Post announced an EBIT reduction of between EUR 60 million and EUR 70 million; China’s retail prices increased by an average of 21.9% in February 2020 (Bild, 2020; Butt, 2021e). Apple reported a fall in its quarterly earnings on 17 February (Apple, 2020).…”