No Retreat, No Surrender
Analyzing and commenting on the hot topics in business, politics, and economics globally
I do not play favorites nor do I criticize to be malicious or disrespectful. My goal is simple: Provide opinions that help cut through noise, educate, uncover lies and half-truths, and provide clarity.
This is Why Logistics and Velocity Matter
Amazon has announced that it has already delivered 1.8B packages to U.S. Prime members the same or next day, roughly four times what it delivered at those speeds by this point in 2019. For comparison, UPS delivered 24.3M packages per day in 2022 for a total of 6.2B...
The Mobile Store will soon be a Reality
I first started writing about the concept of mobile stores in 2010. I coined the phrase, "Hail a store" because I thought consumers should be able to access groceries and other products as easily as hailing an Uber. When I wrote an article about Robomart, many people...
When Anger and Egos Collide
According to reports, the Norwegian robotics firm AutoStore™ will pay $257.1M to the British online fulfillment company Ocado Group as part of a deal between the companies to settle all outstanding patent litigation claims. AutoStore filed a lawsuit against Ocado in...
The Missing Ingredient
According to this article by Jinjoo Lee, supermarkets are losing market share and customers to big-box retailers like Costco Wholesale who has a highly efficient operating model and leans on membership fees and sales volume to generate revenue and profits. Walmart,...
What Could Have Been
What do Lowe's Companies, Inc., Walmart, and The Home Depot have in common other than the fact each is a retailer? All three companies have corporate policies and initiatives designed to make the environment better where their customers live, and to practice...
Understanding the Cold Chain
This is a well-made video from Andrea Miller of CNBC. The video outlines the importance of the cold chain on the ability of consumers to purchase and eat frozen foods, and the challenge of managing products. The purpose of a supply chain is to do one thing - enable...
Instock has the Coolest Robotic Solution for Micro Fulfillment in the World
Note: I do not work for Instock. I wrote this article because I like the solution they created. The importance of fulfilling online orders for grocery and e-commerce continues to grow. Along with the growth is a need for retailers to invest in solutions that reduce...
Is Getir Going Out of Business?
The following is my opinion. I have stated clearly for over two years that Getir, which has a valuation of $12B, is woefully overvalued. I don't believe Getir was ever legitimately worth $12B. I have also been consistent in stating that Getir will only be worth...
Killing Twitter
For those of you who don’t follow Linette Lopez, I encourage you to do so. The articles she writes for Insider always have a degree of bared fangs and sharp claws mingled with humor and facts. This article reinforces much of what I wrote would happen to Twitter in...
Is Automation Inside Rivian Vans the Next Opportunity for Amazon?
I'm a fan of Rivian and I especially like their EV vans used by Amazon to make deliveries. I continue to believe that Rivian should create a new company for their van production to make it completely separate from the passenger vehicle business - Rivian Commercial...