Steven Burt

THE BIGGER THEY ARE, THE HARDER THEY FALL...

The pursuit of market share and corporate growth in a competitive retail environment is expensive. The pressures of maintaining growth may place a considerable strain upon both human and financial resources, and former stars may fall from grace almost overnight. The rise and fall of Coop AG, Germany′s largest consumer co‐operative, are examined. In January 1988 Coop AG was the fourth largest retailer in Germany, with group annual sales of around £4 billion. In January 1991 the Coop AG no longer exists – following a financial scandal which culminated in the break‐up and takeover of the group by various competitors.

Trends in the internationalization of grocery retailing: the European experience

The three traditional views of retail internationalization involve the diffusion of retail concepts, operational involvement in foreign markets and the international- ization of a retail management function. None of these identified categories is new, but there is evidence that there is an unprecedented level of interest in internationalization as a viable strategic option for retailers. This paper examines these themes within die grocery sector in Europe, through an empirical investigation of activity in the post-war period.

From the retail brand to the retail‐er as a brand: themes and issues in retail branding research

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to present a review of the existing research themes in the area of retail branding, and note how these have developed as the conceptualisation of “branding” in retailing has itself evolved.Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews existing research themes within retail branding. There is a vast body of academic literature on branding, or aspects of branding in retailing. The initial focus of academic work was upon the product perspective via studies of the store brand. This body of work is summarised under five broad themes – the characteristics of store brand prone consumers and the product attributes which attract consumers; the growth of and motivations for retail brand development; the role of changing channel relationships and behaviours on store brand development; intra‐category brand relationships; and the concept of copycat brands. From this initial, rather narrow, perspective research has evolved, taking on a wider view the brand in retailing which in ...

Retail Image As Seen Through Consumers' Eyes: Studying international retail image through consumer photographs of stores

Abstract The aim of this article is to explore how retail store image is perceived by consumers from different cultural backgrounds and with different degrees of awareness and experience of the retailer. The subject is IKEA, a retailer recognized as having a global approach to the markets in which it operates, resulting in a highly standardized approach to store branding. However, rather than employing traditional methodologies to elicit consumer perceptions of store image, we attempt to capture consumer perceptions through interpretations of the visual images generated by the participants themselves. The photo-elicitation method employed captured the different interpretations and meanings attached to commonly identified elements of store image and reinforced the central role played by the store itself in retail image formation.

The Role of Corporate Branding in a Market Driving Strategy

The market orientation literature distinguishes between market driven and market driving approaches. Although, most of the companies provided as examples of the latter approach have strong corporate brands, the corporate brand and associated brand values have not previously been considered as a basis for market driving. We argue that the corporate brand provides a further source of the “leap” in customer value required for a market driving approach. Through a case study of Ikea we illustrate how the core values of the brand guide the behaviour and activities of internal stakeholders and relationships with external stakeholders, and explore the interactions between the global brand values and local market level activities.

Retailing in Europe: 20 years on

This article reviews retail change in Europe over the past 20 years. The sociocultural context of retailing in Europe is briefly discussed before macro level changes in the relative scale of Europes largest retail organizations over this period are explored. Three underlying themes to retail change are then discussed – the emergence of new markets, in relation to geographical, product, service and channel diversity; the evolution of the retailer as a brand, encompassing an holistic multifaceted conceptualization involving product, store and organizational dimensions; and the role of time as a competitive element through consumer and business behaviours, and in terms of the pace of strategy implementation. Finally, looking forward the study concludes with a number of underlying themes in the approaches taken by European retail organizations

Sainsbury's in Egypt: the strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is first, to explore the role of institutional theory constructs in a case of international retail divestment. Second, to examine the potential of constructed metaphors as a means of analyzing and communicating the findings of managerial research.Design/methodology/approach – The data were generated from participant observations and interactions with stakeholder groups during a three‐month ethnographic study based in a Sainsbury store in Egypt. Data were analysed and presented via a constructed metaphor – namely Robert Louis Stevensons story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.Findings – The case illustrated an apparent paradox between Sainsburys technical superiority as a retail operator in the Egyptian market, and its social inferiority in its interactions with a variety of stakeholders, primarily customers and employees. The use of the metaphor to organize, analyse and present the findings proves to be a fruitful way to illustrate this issue, and parallels between the two “st...

Retailing in the United Kingdom - a synopsis

This paper illustrates the structure of, and trends in, the retail market of the United Kingdom (UK). This industry analysis describes the retail environment compared to continental Europe and considers the regulatory issues which have helped form this retail environment. By using secondary data we describe concentration and consolidation tendencies and explain specific features of the UK retail market. Major trends are identified and discussed, concluding with an outlook on future developments.

Consumer co‐operatives and retail internationalisation: problems and prospects

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the retail internationalisation activities of consumer co‐operatives.Design/methodology/approach – Conducts a survey of the available information on these internationalisation activities.Findings – A survey of the available information on these internationalisation activities shows that they have been restricted to a relatively small number of co‐operatives and that the “failure” rate has been very high. Some suggestions are made as to why the co‐operatives have been unable to convert their early‐mover advantages into sustainable retail networks.Research limitations/implications – The restricted nature of the sample means that these exploratory findings are primarily descriptive. Further, in‐depth work with a sample of these co‐operatives would help us to better understand the reasons for the moves into and out of various international activities.Practical implications – Expands the literature on retail failure in general and also provides some more depth to the litera...

Retailers and technology-driven innovation in the food sector: caretakers of consumer interests or barriers to innovation?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role that retailers play in innovation in the food sector. Design/methodology/approach – Analysis is based on interviews with retailers and food suppliers from Belgium, Denmark and the UK. Findings – The findings show that in different ways retailers act both as caretakers of consumer interests and as barriers to innovation. Retailers are not interested in new technologies per se, but whether new technologies and the products made using them provide clearly identifiable benefits to consumers. These products must carry minimum risk for the retailer and there is a clear need for benefits to be communicated in commercial rather than technological terms to both retailers and consumers. Research limitations/implications – The main limitation is that the study is based on interviews with retailers and suppliers in three countries. Practical implications – Food suppliers developing new products based on novel technologies need to identity and communicate ...