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A case study of Boots, whose business growth is attributed to retail internationalization strategy, is presented.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2005.02.006 Byline: Steve Burt Abstract: Retail internationalisation has been studied from a variety of perspectives. The overwhelming focus has been on the market entry and subsequent development of store operations in nondomestic markets. Recently, the implied uninterrupted progression of retail internationalisation strategies has been questioned. It is now widely recognised that for the majority of companies, retail internationalisation is a disjointed process often resulting in retrenchment and the reevaluation of activities. In this paper, we focus on the international experiences of Boots, a well established British retailer, whose international retail strategy has evolved from a traditional store format based approach to one now based upon the internationalisation of a private brand product range. Lessons are drawn for management in other retailers. Author Affiliation: University of Stirling

With the major European based grocery retailers following the corporate strategy of internationalization, the fundamental characteristics and patterns of divestment activities in this sector are examined.

The United KingdomEs grocery industry is examined within a framework of power relations, focusing on a hypothetical situation in which a dominant chain emerges. Price- and non-price-based competition and horizontal and vertical relationships are explored; implications for policy are discussed.

UK food retailer and manufacturer relationships are examined by focusing on marketing intensity.

The article discusses globalization in the retail industry, using the 1999 Wal-Mart Stores Inc. purchase of ASDA Group PLC as an example. Topics include store formats, corporate culture, supply systems, innovation, price and cost control, market destabilization, and organization.

There are many operational issues which affect the performance of food retailing companies. For this reason, it is not possible to make a direct comparison between the performance of UK food retailers and that of their counterparts in continental Europe. Media coverage of UK food retailers gives too much attention to price, implying that leading retailers are exploiting customers. It is important to realize that differences in price, margin and financial performance may be the result of factors in addition to or in place of pricing.

The food and grocery industry in the UK is less diversified than that in Continental Europe, with the market tending to concentrate on the growth of the superstore format. The grocery retail market in the rest of Europe has historically focused on price competition and low price strategies, resulting in the evolution of many different formats. In the UK, the market has tended to concentrate on a more centralised management pattern and a single key format, leaving itself vulnerable to the threat from incomimg European limited line discount stores. The likely future for food retailing in the UK is discussed.

The elderly consumer: an introduction Virtually every article concerned with the elderly consumer argues that this group has been neglected by retailers (e.g.[1]). Reasons for this state of affairs are [...]

The paper reports an interview-based study that considers market driving and market-driven activities within the disaggregated components of the business model. The empirical study is of IKEA in China over a 10 year period. Market orientation is considered as a position on a continuum rather than as binary positions. The components of the business model are developed from the Osterwalder and Pigneur structure. Over the study period, the balance between driven and driving orientations within components of the business model changed in multiple ways. This article's contribution is the illustration of disaggregating the market orientations of driven or driving activities and associating these with the particular components of the business model and so studying what happens to the driven-driving balance over time. The approach has wider applicability for attempts to understand the dynamics of international retailing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the sets of trading relationships and interdependencies that existed between British and Irish food retailers and the Irish food manufacturing sector prior to Tesco Stores acquisition of Power Supermarkets in 1997. Power Supermarkets was at that time the largest grocer in Ireland. The paper examines the role played by Irish and British retailers in the development of the Irish food manufacturing sector. It points to some of the ways in which retail internationalisation and growing retail concentration are likely to affect food manufacturers and the sets of power and dependence relationships that exist along the food chain. It demonstrates that the effect of internationalisation is likely to be asymmetric with small and emerging firms more likely to experience adverse consequences. The impact upon manufacturers' brand portfolio and customer portfolio strategies are also highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]