In this episode of the Rethinking Supply Chain podcast, John and Diana talk about the Chicago digital retail hub.
John talks about why Chicago means anything to global retail, the future of Chicago as a digital retail hub, and much more.
In the mid to late 1800s, Sears-Roebuck chose Chicago as its hub due to its proximity to rail. John compares Sears to Amazon in terms of innovation and supply chain efficiency. The company became a global powerhouse through the distribution of their catalogues throughout North America and even globally.
While back then the retail giants gave life to photographers, printers, and marketing studios, today those businesses have morphed into content creation specialists and technical product information management businesses. In addition, similar businesses have moved to Chicago from other parts of the United States or overseas.
John and Diana get into the weeds of how and why Chicago became and remains a product information management hub, and how the retail giants that put it on the map have transformed into modern versions of their former selves.