Expiry dates have been related to a number of problems, internationally and domestically. A few years ago the market gossip was that Tesco, the large UK retailer, was opening small outlets in Karachi. Intrigued, I ventured to investigate.
Tesco is not given to small offerings, especially in a market like Pakistan. The background to the story was that the UK and the EU have very strict laws on expiry of products. Once the expiry date has been breached, the product is taken off the shelf.
A smart entrepreneur calculated that the products are still kosher by our standards. If the products could be sold in under-developed countries, it could yield huge profits. I don’t know what happened to the project? Probably, it was nixed, given the SDG and goals, etc.
The Pentagon (Now called the Dept of War) is the largest buyer of products & services in the world. They buy huge quantities of medicines and related equipment for their personnel stationed around the world.
Each year the Pentagon disposes of/dumps US$ 15 billion worth of expired drugs that is enough to keep many countries in South Asia supplied. A great business opportunity beckons!
The insurance industry, especially Life insurance, deals in ‘expiry’. The highly paid “Actuarial” professionals are always working to determine the expiry of human beings. The predictions and permutations are taken seriously by the industry.
Soon AI will make actuaries redundant. But what if God were to intervene? If people were born with their expiry date engraved on their left shoulder—life would be less complicated. No need for birth certificates or other testimonials (fake or otherwise). Love, marriage, investment, and the whole life circle would be more manageable. The industrialized world has always had to contend with expiry.
When will their product offerings become obsolete? In the 1950s cars were made to last 10-15 years. Remember the Morris Minor or Opel Rekord or VW? Then the manufacturers realized that product obsolescence had to be part of corporate strategy! Current cars are made to last 3-4 years. Then the new model arrives.
The Chinese are handling this with precision. They buy out old car brands and re-launch them. As they have recently done with the Vintage MG brand. Brands rarely expire. They are put in cold storage, and re-launched at an opportune time, as with the MG brand. “HORLICKS” and “OVALTINE” have recently been re-launched. Singer Elvis Presley and boxer Muhammad Ali have been dead for some time now, but their brands have not expired.
In Pakistan, the twin cities are obsessed with the expiry date. Double E (expiry & extension) are the cue words: expiry of mandate, expiry of contract, expiry of parliament’s tenure. As a senior citizen, close to my expiry date, I do not wish to comment further.
In the world of High Tech, expiry is a way of life. Product life cycles are compressing. It may soon become in today; out tomorrow but only for entities with steel nerves and deep pockets.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The writer is a former Executive Director of the Management Association of Pakistan
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