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Retailers build resilience in 2026

[ January 28, 2026   //   ]

Retail logistics expert Aramex says that UK retailers will be more resilient in facing future disruptions in the year ahead if they invest in proactive planning and adopt strategies that allow them to respond quickly to changing market conditions.

Last year proved to be an exceptionally tough period for brands, marked by persistent supply chain disruptions, from tariff trade wars to ongoing geopolitical tensions. Along with a challenging economic environment, supply chain uncertainty also continued to disrupt retailers last year.

However, the sector hopes to put the challenges of 2025 firmly in its rear-view mirror and look towards a more positive, productive and profitable year ahead.

Vice-president commercial for Europe & North America, Umar Butt, says: “Retailers have approached us expressing concerns around logistics failures that they have experienced last year, with most being forced to take a reactive approach to supply chain management that involves costly expedited shipping, manual interventions, and last-minute adjustments to avoid stockouts or delays.

“This constant cycle of firefighting hasn’t just led to missed sales. That only scratches at the surface.Dig deeper, and you see how it’s drained already limited resources, increased costs, and eroded customer trust in situations where deliveries arrive late, damaged, or not at all. In today’s market, brand loyalty is overshadowed by shoppers not only seeking value but also reliability, and as such they won’t hesitate to switch brands over one bad experience.

“Looking ahead, the big shift we’re seeing is a push toward getting ahead of the curve, with retailers planning earlier and building in true resilience across their supply chain by getting stock in well in advance. This will enable them to anticipate disruption rather than simply respond to it and shift the conversation away from what is effectively damage limitation and instead towards creating a supply chain that is not only cost-efficient but robust enough to protect margins by making it operationally airtight.”

While proactive planning may fit some businesses’ wider logistics strategy, Butt says that retailers must exercise caution not to adopt generic strategies that fail to reflect their own specific needs. For instance, certain fashion brands which resolve their stock around fast-turning trends and seasonal collections often need highly agile, air-freight-heavy strategies to stay ahead of demand spikes and avoid markdowns on outdated lines.

The retailers that will be best placed over the next 12 months are those that build adaptable, resilient supply chains that can bend without breaking, combining a dynamic blend of smart early planning to lock in costs and capacity where it makes sense, paired with an ability to pivot quickly when consumer tastes shift or a new disruption flares up.

“Every retailer’s supply chain footprint is unique, so while planning further in advance is advisable where possible, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution,” Umar Butt continued. “Securing capacity early at more favourable rates for instance is a sensible step – particularly when many retailers have been hit by surcharges in recent years – and will be something brands will be looking to prioritise, but this must be balanced with the ability to pivot quickly when consumer demand, sourcing patterns or external disruptions change.

“Off the back of this, due to increasing cost pressures, retailers will likely look to optimise their supply chains to improve reliability as well as identify elements where cost can be reduced – therefore utilising more cost-effective modes of transport such as sea freight where product can be moved in bulk will likely become an attractive option for many retailers this year. Brands which can do this need to secure capacity around 3-6 months in advance compared to the usual timeframe of around 1-2 months.

“This approach won’t suit every retailer, however. For fast-fashion and trend-led brands, the rapid pace of product cycles means planning too far in advance can lead to overstocking items that quickly fall out of favour or missing sudden spikes in demand. In these cases, agility is essential. Shorter lead times and the utilisation of multimodal solutions will allow retailers to respond quickly to shifting consumer trends while minimising the risk of excess inventory or costly markdowns. This means stock will be able to move efficiently, margins are protected, and costs remain under control by avoiding having to overpay for expedited freight.”

Umar predicts that the focus for 2026 will be less about eliminating risk and more about building supply chains that can absorb shocks, adapt quickly, and continue to perform even when conditions change at short notice.

He says: “Ultimately, being ready and having a plan in place doesn’t mean disruption disappears. The global trade landscape continues to shift, the economic outlook remains uncertain, and operational challenges across logistics networks are still very much present.

“Retailers will therefore still need to be proactive and reactive to ensure they maintain service levels and product availability, however hopefully by now many should be relatively battle hardened and on a firmer footing compared to previous year.

“Tariffs, wars, regulatory change and ongoing capacity constraints will continue to test supply chains for retailers this year and unfortunately are going to have to be factored in to planning rather than treated as exceptions.”

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