Supply Chains Under Fire: Geopolitical Tensions Reshaping Global Retail
Singapore, woensdag, 4 juni 2025.
During the NRF’25 Asia Pacific edition, 10,000 retail professionals gathered to discuss the shifting dynamics of global supply chains. The ongoing trade war between the US and China has reached a critical turning point, with both countries exercising strategic control over critical technological components and raw materials. The unprecedented geopolitical uncertainty is forcing retailers to fundamentally restructure their international strategies, particularly around logistical routes and technological dependencies. Notably, the increasing emphasis on national interests is putting pressure on previously seamless global trade networks, ushering in a new phase of economic fragmentation.
Geopolitical Tensions in Supply Chains
The global retail sector is in a critical phase of transformation, with geopolitical tensions between the US and China fundamentally redrawing international trade flows [1][2]. During the NRF’25 Asia Pacific edition, approximately 10,000 retail professionals gathered to analyse the increasing challenges in global supply chains [2].
Technological Dependencies and Strategic Control
The trade war is evolving from tariff conflicts to a strategic battle for control over critical technological components and raw materials [1]. The US has recently suspended sales of jet engine and semiconductor components to China, while China has restricted exports of rare earth minerals [1]. These mutual restrictions are undermining previously integrated global supply chains.
Retail Sector in Transition
Isabelle Allen, global head of consumer and retail at KPMG, describes the current situation as a ‘decisive historical moment’, characterised by geopolitical uncertainty and economic headwinds [2]. The increasing emphasis on national interests is forcing retailers to fundamentally reconsider their international strategies, particularly around logistical routes and technological dependencies [1][2].