RapidRatings Knowledge Center & Articles

The category experienced both highs and lows since the pandemic hit. But as sales start to tick up once again, retailers face new challenges.

A trade war is here. Maybe. Probably. Certainly, the threat of tariffs is real and to some extent the tariffs themselves will be enacted. Then the counter tariffs, and so on. Corporations of all sizes are war rooming what these increased costs will mean. Despite rhetoric, the buyer always pays when tariffs are enacted, and in today’s market, not all buyers can afford what’s coming.

At RapidRatings, we work with thousands of Supply Chain and Third-Party Risk professionals who wrestle with impending tariffs.

This issue's key takeaways: Three-out-of-four Fortune 1000 companies’ suppliers are private companies.Across industries, key supplier sectors have elevated risk levels which are visible in their financial health.Businesses that are low risk can handle unexpected stress to their supply chain better than high risk businesses. Visibility into the financial health of companies, especially private ones, is crucial to managing risk and avoiding damaging outcomes. Identifying healthy suppliers that can grow with their customers is key to supply chain resiliency.

The downfall of Exela Technologies, a SaaS vendor, has been on our radar for quite some time.