Retail Loss Prevention: What Can Retail Brands Learn from the Military About Supply Chain Strategy – Part One

In 1915, Britain had the most powerful armed forces in the world.

British along with its allies ruled all but a few countries of the world at the time

With that level of power and influence, one will imagine Britain could take on any nation and win.

Well, that was the case until they faced the Turks in Gallipoli.

When the British sat out to capture the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli in April 1915, no one doubted the outcome.

The British having the best fighting force were predicted to win hands down.

However, to the surprise of everyone including the Brits themselves, they lost.

After sustaining close to a quarter of a million causalities, the British and its allies were forced to retreat from the peninsula. 

As is the tradition with such things, after the recrimination is over, the experts go to work to uncover the root cause.

In the case of the Gallipoli defeat, what the experts discovered was the British defeat was down to poor logistics preparations.  

The British and its allies lacked basic supplies such as food and water.

Fresh water was so scarce, British commanders were forced to ration it.

The troops were also forced to ration food.

Anyone with knowledge of war understands the impact of logistical shortages on troop morale.

The legendary Chinese’s military strategist Sun Tzu once said:

“The line between disorder and order lies in logistics”.  

Every military expert agrees that quick victory of the allied forces in the first Gulf war was down to efficient logistics preparations

Having learnt the lessons of Gallipoli and other defeats that were due to logistical supply, these days, the military has the best supply chain of any industry.

What can retail brands learn from the military about supply chain?