Retailing Triumphs and Blunders: : Victims of Competition in the New Age of Marketing Management

Citation

Miller, A.R. (1998), "Retailing Triumphs and Blunders: : Victims of Competition in the New Age of Marketing Management", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 199-200. https://doi.org/10.1108/jcm.1998.15.1.199.2

This most interesting book discusses various organizations that have adapted to the changing environment as well as organizations that have failed to adapt to these changes. The authors examine these organizations by presenting short vignettes regarding each organization.

The book is organized around 11 chapters which cover department stores, mass retailers, the old five‐and‐dime stores, supermarkets, discounters, specialty clothing stores, home improvement centers, hamburger restaurants, hotels, credit cards and in‐home shopping. Each chapter begins with a list of strategies. For example, the list at the beginning of the supermarket chapter contains strategies in a mature market and a list of supermarket mistakes. The strategies in a mature market include:

1. 1.

   cost focus;

2. 2.

   use of modern technology;

3. 3.

   new business formats;

4. 4.

   financial productivity;

5. 5.

   consumer affairs orientation;

6. 6.

   price competition;

7. 7.

   shift to non‐price variables;

8. 8.

   total customer satisfaction; and

9. 9.

   core geographic market segmentation.

Supermarket mistakes include:

1. 1.

   over‐reliance on price competition;

2. 2.

   lack of store modernization;

3. 3.

   lack of strong consumer‐oriented images;

4. 4.

   status quo mentality; and

5. 5.

   weak store positioning.

The chapter then discussed the history of supermarket retailing, the threat of convenience stores, planning a retail strategy and strategies to counter competition. Various organizations were then discussed. These include Food Lion, American Stores, Safeway, Giant Food, Weis Markets and A&P. The chapter concluded with discussions on competitive advantage, lessons learned, managing change and controversial decisions.

This book is interesting informative and easy to read. It is recommended for retailing managers, academics and students.