Publications

23 Mar 2017
News

End of an Era?

September 2012
Case

United Capital Partners (A)

By: Paul A. Gompers, J. Daniel Kim and Vladimir Mukharlyamov

This case examines a proposed growth equity investor in a Russian fashion retail chain. View Details

Keywords: Fashion; Growth Equity; Private Equity; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Europe; Russia

August 2010 (Revised November 2010)
Case

Tesco PLC: Fresh & Easy in the United States

By: John A. Quelch

Tesco, the world's third largest retailer, is facing problems with its launch of a new retail chain in the U.S. View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Marketing; Market Entry and Exit; Retail Industry; United Kingdom; United States

18 Apr 2007
HBS Case

How Magazine Luiza Courts the Poor

The inspiration for a new case can strike at any time. For Harvard Business School professor Frances X. Frei, the time and place was one morning at home while reading The New York Times. An article on the front page of the Business section about an innovative Brazilian... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

November 2016 (Revised February 2017)
Case

CVS Health: Redefining the Value Proposition

By: Michael E. Porter, Jorge Ramirez-Vallejo and Alexandra Houghtalin

This case explores how a company can use shared value as a lens to think about competition and strategy choices in a challenging and evolving industry. The case takes a historical look at the structure of the retail pharmacy industry and the changing nature of rivalry... View Details

Keywords: Shared Value; Pharmacy; Health Care; Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; United States

26 Jun 2015
News

Shutting Down Stores Doesn’t Have to Be Bad for Business

December 2005 (Revised February 2006)
Case

Migros

By: Forest L. Reinhardt, Vincent Marie Dessain and Anders Sjoman

In October 2005, Urs Riedener, head of marketing at Swiss retailer Migros, is contemplating the company's competitive position. Primarily a retailer for foods and near-foods products, the cooperative Migros, with close to 600 retail outlets in Switzerland (but only... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Corporate Governance; Corporate Strategy; Cooperative Ownership; Supply Chain Management; Product Marketing; Environmental Sustainability; Social Enterprise; Business or Company Management; Marketing Strategy; Retail Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Switzerland

October 1997 (Revised June 1998)
Case

Woolworths South Africa

By: David B. Yoffie and Anthony St. George

Woolworths South Africa is one of the most successful retail chains in the country, modeled on Marks and Spencer of the United Kingdom. This case focuses on the sources of Woolworth's competitive advantage within South Africa and the challenges of growth in the wake of... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Growth Management; Global Strategy; Industry Structures; Marketing Strategy; Strategy; Business or Company Management; Retail Industry; South Africa

Find at Harvard

August 2018
Supplement

Garanti Payment Systems: Digital Transformation Strategy (B)

By: Shelle M. Santana and Esel Çekin

Supplements the (A) case. Işıl Akdemir Evlioğlu, executive vice president of marketing at Garanti Payment Systems (GPS), a subsidiary of Garanti Bank, is grappling with three questions. First, should GPS create its own mobile app for credit card customers or leverage... View Details

08 Jul 2013
Research & Ideas

Everything Must Go: A Strategy for Store Liquidation

It's an unhappy yet unavoidable fact: Sometimes, retail chains go out of business. Moreover, even healthy chains periodically must close down some existing stores. When stores have to be liquidated—when "everything must go"—a... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

February 2017 (Revised March 2018)
Case

BIM: Finding New Ways to Grow

By: Michael Chu and Gamze Yucaoglu

BIM, Turkey’s giant retailer with a hard-discount model for the popular segments, must decide whether to launch a brand-new format challenging the modern supermarkets. Since its founding in 1995, BIM has adhered to a business model based on a relentless focus on costs... View Details

Keywords: Turkey; Decision; Emerging Markets; Private Sector; For-Profit Firms; Business Model; Business Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Growth and Development Strategy; Value Creation; Change Management; Decisions; Growth Management; Retail Industry; Turkey

December 1992
Supplement

Wal-Mart Ventures into Mexico

By: David B. Yoffie and Jonathan Ginns

Introduces Wal-Mart's initial plans to enter the Mexican retail market. Designed for use with Wal-Mart Stores' Discount Operations. View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Globalization; Retail Industry; United States; Mexico

01 Mar 2016
News

Faculty Q&A: Price Check

28 Jul 2010
News

It is not easy to compete with kirana stores

2022
Working Paper

The Effect of Employee Lateness and Absenteeism on Store Performance

By: Caleb Kwon and Ananth Raman

We empirically analyze the effects of employee lateness and absenteeism on store performance by examining 25.5 million employee shift timecards covering more than 100,000 employees across more than 500 U.S. retail grocery store locations over a four year time period.... View Details

Keywords: Absenteeism; Lateness; Scheduling; Performance Productivity; Employees; Retail Industry

SSRN

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March 2002 (Revised May 2010)
Case

Apple Stores

This case reveals the genesis of the Apple Stores, a revolutionary retail concept launched by Ron Johnson, Apple Computer's senior vice president of retail. In January 2002, Apple Computer was at the eve of one of the most stunning commercial successes ever known in... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Marketing Channels; Consumer Behavior; Innovation and Invention; Retail Industry; Retail Industry