While China slams the brakes on buying trophy properties and the retail apocalypse draws nigh, something less sexy but striking is going on in real estate.
Package delivery company FedEx Corp said last week it will open 500 FedEx Office stores inside Walmart Inc’s U.S. locations, a partnership intended to help both companies attract new customers and handle online order returns.
Stretched for talent, big tech firms are looking outside of Silicon Valley to expand, and increasingly one of the beneficiaries has been the D.C. area.
The availability of labor (or lack thereof) is requiring us to think differently about network strategy and site selection. Distribution network strategy is no longer just about optimizing traditional costs (transportation, operating expense, fixed costs and capital). Today, when evaluating different network strategies, total supply chain cost, including availability, cost and quality of labor, real estate occupancy costs, inventory working capital and possible economic incentives must be considered alongside service level improvements that drive revenue growth. -Chirag Modi, Director, Global Strategy, Fortna Inc., and Tray Anderson, Vice President, Strategy, Fortna Inc.
A survey by 3M Company finds a large number of suppliers holding back from engaging in true collaboration with buyers, due to a lack of openness and customer incentives.
