Tariffs, supply chain fears and the ingredients in M&S’s turnaround

On this week’s episode of The Debrief, MT’s editorial team discusses CEOs’ supply chain fears, what a new Trump presidency means for global trade, and how M&S bounced back.

“There is arguably no change of administration in the world that has more of an impact on global trade than [that] in the US,” says Simon Geale, EVP at supply chain consultancy Proxima. So, with Donald Trump having clinched a decisive victory against Kamala Harris, what can business expect from the incoming president? He’s called ‘tariff’ the “most beautiful word in the dictionary”, but will he really implement levies on foreign imports at the level and scale he’s proposed? We bring you the views of the experts. 

Marks & Spencer’s 2024 Christmas ad sees a drab lethargic scene metamorphose with the help of a magical snow globe into a sparkly festive extravaganza (all set to the sound of the Jackson Sisters’ ‘I Believe in Miracles’). As a metaphor for the company’s own transformation, it might be overkill – but the retailer has nonetheless undergone an impressive turnaround in the last few years, prompting CEO Stuart Machin to hail back in May “the beginning of a new M&S”. We discuss how the company got here.

Links:

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/new-trump-presidency-bad-news-global-trade/down-to-business/article/1895394

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/supply-chain-threats-top-concern-majority-ftse-100-companies/indepth/article/1895514

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/marks-spencer-its-mojo-back/down-to-business/article/1895852

Credits:

Presenters: Éilis Cronin and Antonia Garrett Peel

Producer: Inga Marsden

Artwork: David Robinson

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