It Is Vital To Watch Shifting Trends
In my last post, I wrote about the latest company in the retail apocalypse to be heading for bankruptcy court.
The retail industry is seeing a major shift. The last decade saw the massive increase in online shopping. Most retailers were asleep at the wheel, only waking up within the last 5 years. By that time, Amazon has such a strong foothold that carnage was due to follow.
Fortunately, for a couple of the big boys, they had enough money to toss at the problem, thus playing catch up to a certain degree. One was the King of Retail, Wal-Mart. The company invested billions into developing an online platform that would be embraced. This was all part of a larger move into technology and automation.
Being a big boy, however, does not necessarily provide a buffer.
Elsie the Cow is now heading for bankruptcy court. Borden Dairy filed for bankruptcy cited the shift in consumer demands. With alternatives such as rice, soy, and nut milk all making significant dents in the market, the traditional milk companies are having issues. Couple this with rising costs while the retail price is dropping in some areas and it is a recipe for disaster.
Borden is the second largest dairy producer to file for bankruptcy. Last month, Dean Foods, also sought protection.
Another shift that could just be starting is the move away from ranch bred meats to alternatives.
We find an announcement by Impossible Foods where it is attacking at the pork shortage by creating a plant based sausage.
The company make a lot of noise with the introduction of its beef products. Beyond Meat, another alternative meat company, had similar results upon introduction.
mpossible Pork debuts at tech conference CES in Las Vegas this week, and attendees will be able to taste the new product. Like the Impossible Burger, the plant-based pork is made with soy protein and is designed to look, taste and cook like real meat.
Others will be able to try a sausage version of the product when it arrives at 139 Burger King restaurants later this month. Some locations in Georgia, Michigan, Illinois, New Mexico and Alabama will serve a croissant breakfast sandwich featuring the Impossible Sausage for a limited time.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/06/business/impossible-foods-pork-ces/index.html
Milk and meat are about as traditional is it gets. Yet, here we see how shifts can alter the landscape for those companies involved in those industries.
While these shifts do not happen overnight, the warning signs can be there. In this day and age, I feel it is vital to look at all that one is involved in through the lens of seismic shifts. We never know when they will start and, unfortunately for those involved, it can accelerate without warning.
Companies are accustomed to looking at their traditional competitors. However, today, we see a lot of companies being disrupted by entities that have nothing to do with that industry.
Investors really are wise to pay attention to this.
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