It is clear that the retail model is under pressure, but the central role of logistics is often underestimated. “The year began and ended with discussions about Chinese parcels, and then there were Amazon’s investments to speed up ,” notes Heleen Buldeo Rai, logistics professor at the VUB Brussels University.
Cost savings cut into “pamper logistics”
“You can’t ignore the fact that there has been quite a bit of pressure,” says Buldeo Rai. The retail sector has faced increasing international competition, rising costs and, not least, the search for a new, workable logistics model. That is not negative in itself, she emphasizes, but it does put further pressure on local retailers.
