Publications

February 2001 (Revised December 2002)
Case

Marshall Field and the Rise of the Department Store

By: Nancy F. Koehn

Analyzes Marshall Field's efforts to develop a market for mass retailing in late 19th-century Chicago. Examines Chicago's expansion in the 1860s and, within this context, how Field struck out on his own to, build a wholesale and retail business. Concentrates on the... View Details

Keywords: Fluctuation; Industry Growth; Corporate Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Brands and Branding; Society; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Chicago

July 1985 (Revised July 1986)
Case

Case Study in Successful Department Store Strategies

By: Walter J. Salmon

Keywords: Business Strategy; Retail Industry

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07 Jul 2014
News

Banning Big-box Stores Can Hurt Local Businesses

Keywords: Retail Trade

April 2021
Case

Buy Online, Pickup in Store: Evaluating an Omnichannel Intervention in Retail

By: Antonio Moreno, Santiago Gallino and Amy Klopfenstein

In October 2018, fashion, wellness, and beauty retailer Sylvarella implemented a Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPS) program in an attempt to counteract a sales decline. While BOPS had the potential to meet customer expectations for a seamless order and fulfillment... View Details

Keywords: Operations; Service Delivery; Logistics; Infrastructure; Distribution Channels; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Analysis; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; United States; Canada

04 Sep 2019
News

From Retail to Real Estate

(Drake Real Estate Partners LLC) (Drake Real Estate Partners LLC) When Nicolas Ibañez’s (MBA 2011) grandfather opened the doors of a grocery store in the 1950s, it was Chile’s first supermarket and an immediate success. Over time the... View Details

23 Mar 2022
News

Online Brands Try a Traditional Marketing Strategy: Physical Stores

07 May 2018
Research & Ideas

Why Online Retailers Should Hide Their Best Discounts

high-value customers.” It would almost be as if a high-end retailer such as Louis Vuitton or Gucci told people to go their outlet store first, Ngwe says. Huge gain in sales In a series of experiments... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Retail

September 2006 (Revised July 2008)
Case

The Rise of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. 1962-1987

By: John R. Wells and Travis Haglock

It is 1988 and David Glass has just taken over as CEO from the legendary Sam Walton at Wal-Mart. Meanwhile, Joe Antonini has just taken the CEO position at Wal-Mart's arch rival, Kmart. Although Wal-Mart is still well behind Kmart, it appears to be in great shape and... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Business Growth and Maturation; Management Succession; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry; United States

November 1993 (Revised September 1994)
Case

Food Distribution in Russia: The Harris Group and the LUX Store

By: David E. Bell, Walter J. Salmon and Dinny Starr

Discusses the challenges facing businesses entering the Russian business environment, especially focusing on food retailing and distribution in that country. Highlights one small, entrepreneurial company, The Harris Group, which, with the help of both Russian partners... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Marketing Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Distribution; Partners and Partnerships; Expansion; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Russia

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10 Mar 2015
Research & Ideas

The Surprising Winners and Losers in the Retail Revolution

The new book Retail Revolution: Will Your Brick-and-Mortar Store Survive? lays out the thesis that traditional store-front retailing is at an inflection point, under tremendous... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

September – October 2010
Article

The Effect of Product Variety and Inventory Levels on Retail Sales: A Longitudinal Study

By: Zeynep Ton and Ananth Raman

We examine the effects of product variety and inventory levels on store sales. Using four years of data from stores of a large retailer, we show that increases in product variety and inventory levels are both associated with higher sales. We also show that increasing... View Details

Keywords: Buildings and Facilities; Design; Logistics; Product; Quality; Sales; Retail Industry

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17 Dec 2019
Working Paper Summaries

Does Apple Anchor a Shopping Mall? The Effect of the Technology Stores on the Formation of Market Structure

Keywords: by Doug J. Chung, Kyoungwon Seo, and Reo Song; Retail; Retail

24 Jan 2013
News

What can foreign retailers bring in which India doesn't already have?

21 Jul 2022
News

How Sumner Feldberg Helped Transform Retail

overly dependent on downtown locations that were losing shoppers to suburban malls. Some New England rivals were opening discount stores in abandoned textile mills, which came with cheap rents and plenty of parking space. Mr. Feldberg,... View Details

Keywords: Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Miscellaneous Store Retailers

August 2006 (Revised May 2007)
Supplement

Management Levels at Staples (F): President, U.S. Stores

By: David A. Garvin and Lynne Levesque

Keywords: Management; Jobs and Positions; Retail Industry

January 2010 (Revised February 2010)
Case

IBM Retail Business Assessment at Dillard's, Inc.: Managing Staffing Levels to Improve Conversion

This case illustrates the challenges associated with matching staffing levels with variable workload in retail stores and highlights how decisions related to staffing and scheduling affect operational performance and the quality of labor at the stores. The case... View Details

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Employees; Market Transactions; Service Delivery; Service Operations; Performance Improvement; Retail Industry