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Hani Weiss, CEO of the Landmark Group-owned Max Fashion, explains why supply chain resilience now depends on visibility, discipline and calm decision-making.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAlways prepare for tough times during good times,\u201d says Hani Weiss, when questioned about the disruption taking place in the Middle East, where the brand he leads is based. For Max Fashion, as with the vast majority of companies in 2026, disruption is now a standard part of the operating environment.<\/p>\n The fashion retailer, part of UAE-based Landmark Group, has a vast empire that runs across ten markets in the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia. That means serving young, digitally fluent and increasingly demanding shoppers while navigating shifting trade routes, rising costs, longer lead times and an unpredictable regional backdrop.<\/p>\n Weiss says that this reality, one of both both increasing success and increasing challenge, has pushed supply chain resilience from an operational concern into a top boardroom priority.<\/p>\n For a business operating within one of the GCC\u2019s largest omnichannel retail groups, which has grown from a single store in Bahrain in 1973 into a retail and hospitality group with more than 2,200 stores and outlets, preparation is what keeps the customer promise intact.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, supply chain disruption is becoming very complex and completely unpredictable,\u201d he says. \u201cThe rising trade costs, the shifting transit routes and the lead times have added so many layers of uncertainty.\u201d<\/p>\n The scale of the challenge is clear, yet Weiss\u2019s response is measured. There is no dramatic language about crisis rooms or heroic firefighting. His focus is on planning, discipline and making sure disruption does not travel all the way to the shop floor.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat matters at this time of uncertainty is to stay calm and reduce overreaction,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat is really needed is discipline, consistency and making sure, as a leader, you are visible to your team.\u201d<\/p>\n For Max, that means keeping stock available, protecting pricing and maintaining quality, even when the network behind the scenes is under pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cCustomers do not need to feel the disruption in the supply,\u201d Weiss says. \u201cWe kept our promise in terms of having stock in all our cities and countries. We kept our promise in terms of pricing. We kept our promise in terms of quality.\u201d<\/p>\n That is a tougher task than it sounds. In fashion, availability, affordability and timing are all deeply connected. A delay in one part of the chain can quickly become a margin problem, a stock problem or a customer trust problem.<\/p>\n Visibility before speed Fashion retail has always been fast, but Weiss believes the definition of speed has changed.<\/p>\n Customers in the GCC are younger, better travelled and more exposed to global retail experiences than ever before. They compare local stores with the best they have seen in London, Dubai, Paris or online. They want fast delivery, good value, quality, sustainable packaging and a seamless experience across channels.<\/p>\n That creates a difficult balance. Max must respond to trends quickly, but not chase speed at the expense of standards.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we want to quickly respond, we can take around eight to 10 weeks for limited capsules,\u201d Weiss says. \u201cBut you do not want just to quickly acquire products which are not as per the quality standards, the fit standards, the environmental standards. Speed also comes at a cost, especially on the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n Weiss says Landmark Group has invested heavily in supply chain capability, from distribution infrastructure in the UAE to more sophisticated tracking. The goal is to know where their products are, what is inside each shipment and how they should be allocated when they arrive.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the past, we used to know that the containers had shipped from the country of origin,\u201d he says. \u201cBut between that port and the time it arrived at our ports, we did not know where those ships went.\u201d<\/p>\n Max now has live tracking at container level, including visibility of products and SKUs inside.<\/p>\n For a fashion retailer, that can be the difference between acting early and reacting too late. A delayed container might include a seasonal line, a crucial size ratio or a product tied to a trend that is already moving through search data and social channels.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is all about being fast,\u201d Weiss says. \u201cWe need to bring this visibility to our customers, so we know it and can bring it to our estimates.\u201d<\/p>\n The best supply chains are often invisible to shoppers. They show up through what does not happen. No empty fixture. No sudden price change. No gap between what a retailer promises and what it can deliver.<\/p>\n Agility means authority Retailers have spent years talking about agility, often until the word becomes almost meaningless. Weiss gives it a more practical definition.<\/p>\n For him, agility means giving local teams the information and authority to make decisions in the market, and Max is not serving one generic regional customer. Even within the same country, demand can look very different.<\/p>\n \u201cMy customers in Riyadh are completely different from my customers in Jeddah,\u201d Weiss says. \u201cThey are both in Saudi, but there are different needs, different ways of looking at fashion. They dress differently. They have different events. You need to cater for them differently.\u201d<\/p>\n Max has equipped store teams with mobile tools showing stock levels, fast-moving items, top products by category and local product performance. That gives teams the ability to rotate stock, respond to demand and protect availability without waiting for every decision to come from head office.<\/p>\n \u201cEmpowerment is not to say you are empowered,\u201d Weiss says. \u201cYou have to change the delegation of authority. You have to make sure they are equipped with the latest technology so they can take action on time.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a useful reminder that local relevance is not just a merchandising ambition, but a supply chain capability.<\/p>\n Forecasting under pressure Max is also using AI in forecasting and demand planning, which Weiss describes as \u201ckey\u201d for fashion retail.<\/p>\n The challenge is highly granular. It\u2019s not only about knowing which products will sell, but deciding which country, city and store should receive them, and in what size ratios.<\/p>\n Landmark\u2019s long history in the region gives it a strong base of market knowledge, but Weiss says the business is now combining that experience with live customer insight, online search behaviour and loyalty data.<\/p>\n The group\u2019s loyalty programme gives it access to a significant pool of customer data across the Gulf, while Max has its own large active customer base. However, Weiss is careful not to overstate the value of data on its own.<\/p>\n \u201cData is not everything,\u201d he says. \u201cYou need to have accurate data. Then you need to convert data into insights. And insights are also not important if you cannot translate them into action.\u201d<\/p>\n That is where many retailers still struggle. They are rich in information, but poor in the mechanisms needed to turn it into commercial decisions.<\/p>\n Max is trying to close that gap through technology, including AI tools that support customer messaging, demand planning and design. Its design teams are using AI to understand what customers are searching for online, which colours are trending and what shapes, prints and fits may matter next.<\/p>\n That insight can then feed into product response, allocation and more relevant communication.<\/p>\n Preparing before the crisis The clearest lesson from Weiss is that resilience is built before disruption arrives.<\/p>\n Before recent regional disruption intensified, Landmark had already tested alternative routes, transport models and sourcing options. This was not just scenario planning on paper. Weiss says teams physically routed inventory through different ports to understand what would work.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to make sure we have plan B, plan C and plan D,\u201d he says. \u201cWe activated it immediately.\u201d That preparation helped the business respond without pushing the problem on to customers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe best thing you can do is sit with your team when there is no exceptional event and plan for these days,\u201d Weiss says. \u201cThis is where you feel a business is sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n There is a human side to that resilience too. Max has around 5,500 colleagues, and Weiss says leadership during disruption has to be visible, direct and honest. Employees need clarity on business decisions, but also reassurance about their own safety and their families.<\/p>\n \u201cLeaders have to be on the ground with the team, giving them clarity,\u201d he says. \u201cTelling them that we do not know when we do not know, but we are there for you.\u201d<\/p>\n For Max, supply chain resilience is therefore not just about ports, containers, warehouses and algorithms. It is about trust, judgement and the ability to keep moving without panic.<\/p>\n From a retailer in a region where serious disruption has become part of the landscape, Weiss\u2019s view is clear to all retailers experincing disruption. Prepare in advance. Have a plan ready to go. And, as he says, \u201calways prepare for tough times during good times\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.retailgazette.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/max-aboutus-newdesktop.png-300x88.webp\")
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