The history of Wells Fargo is an intriguing tale of transformation and innovation within the supply chain industry. What began as a humble stagecoach business in the 19th century ultimately transitioned into one of the largest and most influential banking institutions in the United States.
The looming repercussions of the lockdowns forced the hands of lawmakers to subsidize its’ citizens to stay home and lower interest rates to stimulate the economy. This was an unprecedented global phenomenon. The after-effects of this would create massive inflation, and increased demand for goods, especially automobiles and luxury items as well as construction. This unparalleled demand created an enormous strain on the supply chain both on the production/manufacturing end as well as the warehouse logistics end.
During the early stages of the Covid pandemic, supply chain disruptions due to plant shutdowns and widespread employee shortages resulted in price increases as demand rapidly outweighed supply. Consumers have remained burdened with high prices on most goods, and prognosticators are predicting that costs will remain high or continue to increase moderately for the foreseeable future.
Industrial real estate, and more importantly, logistics real estate, serves as the conduit everyday consumers have become accustomed to receiving goods and services. Warehouses provide for product storage, truck terminals and distribution centers bring the product one step closer to the consumer while storage yards for trucks, trailers, and containers allow for the aggregation of equipment necessary to match the product to the consumer. The consumer, however, is the catalyst that dictates how each of these components thrives or declines, and ultimately interacts.
The parallels between the last real estate run and this are hard to ignore; the record prices, the bidding wars, warehouses being leased before they’re built, the off-market transactions that …
In 2019, logistics spending accelerated with an 11.4% increase parallel to the e-commerce growth within the United States. In the past decade we have seen industrial rents hit an all-time high, but the demand for more space is growing. The hiccups this nation has faced in its international supply chain logistics validate the necessity for expansion in our nation’s infrastructure.
It seems these days, there are growing numbers of supply chain disruptors. From erratic thunderstorms to tornadoes, hurricanes and droughts; natural disasters still pose the greatest threat to retail disruption. As these uncontrollable events happen, we feel the effects throughout the economy which directly translates to retail.
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