How REI, Wayfair and Tailored Brands are staying nimble amid supply chain disruption

"But companies are able to handle the chaos, conflicts and uncertainty a little bit better now, executives said on panels recently during Shoptalk Fall in Chicago. They've gotten used to having to pivot, whether there's an issue locally or internationally. And artificial intelligence has made adapting somewhat easier than five years ago, thanks to tools that flag delays, help optimize inventory and automate tasks."

"Today, agility with supply chains is really about having options, remarked Derek Geiss, chief supply chain officer and evp of international at Nutrabolt, which oversees C4 and Cellucor. The company has enjoyedexplosive growth over the lastsix years, he said during a panel on Wednesday. "Being agile went from, 'How do we make all of this?' to 'How do we have options of where to make it?'" he shared."

"Still, multi-brand retailers have numerous challenges when it comes to staying nimble with their supply chains - mainly that, while they have their own supply chain teams, so do their individual brands. Each one may have a different policy when it comes to preferred vendors, packaging or shipment times. That can spring additional obstacles in retailers' paths. Here's how three retailers are navigating these challenges in 2025 - and what they recommend others do, too."

Brands and retailers face inventory constraints, halted shipments, tariff whiplash and waterway obstructions that cause ongoing supply-chain disruption. Companies now manage chaos, conflicts and uncertainty more effectively by pivoting between local and international issues and by using AI tools that flag delays, optimize inventory and automate tasks. Agility increasingly means having manufacturing and sourcing options across locations rather than concentrating production. Multi-brand retailers face added complexity because individual brands maintain separate supply-chain teams and differing policies on vendors, packaging and shipment timing, creating coordination obstacles. Tailored Brands reports disruption frequency rising since Covid.

Read at Digiday