John Fernie

Brands without boundaries – The internationalisation of the designer retailer’s brand

Addresses an area which has been neglected in the international retailing literature; the internationalisation of the fashion designer’s brand. Initial exploratory research revealed that there were 114 international fashion design houses competing for a global market of around £24 billion. Further research by postal questionnaire to entrants into the UK market, in addition to semi‐structured interviews with European and US designers, confirmed that this market was buoyant, fuelled by the development of diffusion lines for the mass market. Identifies four stages of market development: wholesale channels to department stores; the creation of ready‐to‐wear flagships; large diffusion flagships; the opening of stores in provincial cities. In order to acquire capital to enable this expansion, over 60 per cent of all fashion designers are now public limited companies. Even then franchising of stages 3 and 4, diffusion line development, is often franchised to third parties with the designer maintaining control over the product and its brand image. Between 20‐30 per cent of gross margin is spent on advertising support to create global campaigns to enhance brand image in foreign markets. However, there is increasing tension between the desire to be exclusive yet becoming involved in product line extensions and widespread distribution which could ultimately dilute the brand’s value.

Quick Response: An International Perspective

Discusses the development of quick response techniques in different parts of the world, notably the UK, USA, continental Europe and Japan. While much of the initial work on quick response focused on the fashion sector of business, deals specifically with grocery markets where arguably quick response should be a part of corporate philosophy. Shows that the enabling technologies to implement quick response are in place but success at reducing inventory through the supply chain and in minimizing lead times varies not only from country to country but also between companies in specific countries. The reasons for such variations include the nature of retailer‐supplier relations, the degree of fragmentation or concentration of retail markets, the extent of retail branding and the distribution “culture” evident in different parts of the world.

Retail logistics in the UK: past, present and future

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the logistical transformation of British retailing over the last three decades and to discuss likely challenges that face logistics managers in the future.Design/methodology/approach – Reviews the key works on retail logistics, including the research undertaken by the authors over the last 20 years.Findings – Illustrates how retailers have control of the supply chain in the UK, drawing upon examples from both the grocery and fashion sectors. Challenges for the future include macro‐environment issues such as climate change and recession in addition to improvements in existing in operations with regard to e‐fulfilment and implementation of technologies such as RFID.Originality/value – This paper provides one of the few contributions to appraise the research undertaken on retail logistics in the UK over the last 20‐30 years.

The changing nature of Japanese fashion: Can quick response improve supply chain efficiency?

The offshore migration of fashion manufacturing from established markets to offshore countries, and the increasingly complex nature of fashion consumption has played a crucial role in transforming the way fashion is perceived in the contemporary world. Globalisation of the fashion industry has allowed consumers to gain easier access to the in‐vogue style at an increasingly inexpensive price. This paper explores the future direction of fashion in the industrialised economies through the experience of the Japanese fashion industry from a small manufacturers’ perspective. Empirical findings from a questionnaire survey reveal the fundamental gaps that exist between the theory and the practice, in light of the original premise that quick response (QR) could be the vehicle for a survival strategy of domestic apparel manufacturing in the industrial economies.

RETAIL GROCERY LOGISTICS IN THE UK

There has been a logistics transformation in British grocery retailing during the last 30 years. Initially, the transformation was revolutionary as retailers gained control over the supply chain, but more recently change was evolutionary as efficiency improvements were enacted. Another step change in managing the retail supply chain is envisaged as established networks are being modified to accommodate e‐commerce initiatives and environmental factors such as recycling and traffic congestion. This paper reports on a survey of 342 senior executives representing grocery retailers, manufacturers and logistics service providers to assess the factors which will impact upon the grocery supply chain within the next few years.

Wal‐Mart in Europe: prospects for the UK

The purpose of this paper is to assess the long‐term opportunity (or lack thereof) for Wal‐Mart in the UK. Wal‐Mart is the world’s largest retailer and the UK market offers a logical next step following Wal‐Mart’s 1997 entry into the European market via Germany. Retail internationalisation is discussed and how Wal‐Mart might enter the UK market. Wal‐Mart’s North American growth is attributed to a unique organisational culture, low cost operating procedures and a significant consumer impact related to the determinant low price, assortment, service and community support store choice attributes. These attributes are discussed in a UK context and conclude that the UK workforce would respond positively to the front‐line empowerment of the “Wal‐Mart Way”. UK consumers also would support the unique Wal‐Mart retail proposition. In terms of efficient supply chains, however, Wal‐Mart will not offer any significant competitive advantage over UK retailers.

The coming of the fourth wave: new forms of retail out‐of‐town development

Discusses the historical evolution of out‐of‐town shopping developments in the UK, from the superstores retailing food, DIY, carpets and electrical products to new formats of warehouse clubs, factory outlet centres and airport retailing. Argues that this fourth wave of development may die prematurely, like proposals for regional out‐of‐town shopping centres, because of an increasingly hostile political environment. Comments that formats such as factory outlets will not be lured to traditional town centres and that potential investment will be lost.

Wal‐Mart in Europe: prospects for Germany, the UK and France

Wal‐Mart is the world’s largest retailer with ambitious plans to increase its international sales. Europe is a logical target for Wal‐Mart to consolidate and build upon acquisitions in Germany and the UK. This paper assesses the opportunities for Wal‐Mart in these markets and in France, which has the highest level of sales through food retailers in Europe. While Wal‐Mart has made an impact in both Germany and the UK, it has not been as successful as originally envisaged. Moreover, its growth aspirations have been frustrated by the difficulty in making further acquisitions in Germany and France because of the nature of ownership of targeted companies.

Distribution Strategies of European Retailers

Discusses physical distribution and logistics strategies of European retailers. Argues that UK‐evolved strategies are markedly different from their continental European counterparts – the differences being a significant factor of retailers with pan‐European aspirations.

Physical distribution service quality in online retailing

Purpose – Many traditional retailers use the internet as a complementary business channel while “pure player” retailers only sell products via the internet. The question of who is better at offering electronic physical distribution service quality (e‐PDSQ) is open to debate. But, despite e‐PDSQs importance there are few empirical studies and most have focused on general service quality of internet shopping or web site design. The purpose of this paper is to discuss and empirically test a conceptual framework for e‐PDSQ from the consumers perspective.Design/methodology/approach – This paper follows a two‐stage paradigm for scale and construct development, which is presented in a framework based on the concept of order fulfilment as a key driver in e‐PDSQ. Consumer postal surveys were conducted in Edinburgh, UK.Findings – The consumer survey confirmed the appropriateness of the adopted e‐PDSQ framework. The finding that price is the most important online purchasing criteria is in accordance with Verdict w...