In 2001’s The Grocers: The Rise and Rise of the Supermarket Chains, Andrew Seth and Geoffrey Randall predicted that food retailing would become more international. And so it has. Supermarket Wars analyzes the range of global food retailers such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour, and Tesco, and discusses a variety of issues relevant to global expansion.
Wal-Mart, Carrefour, and Tesco each receive their own chapter, and further chapters profile emerging food retailing powerhouses such as Germany’s Lidl and Japan’s Aeon and discuss how information technology lends competitive advantage. Other topics covered here include countries for possible expansion (such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China); strategy development for local and international retailers; and how the theoretical benefits of strategies such as first mover advantage don’t always play out in reality. With mini case studies, Seth and Randall also offer insight into the bumpy journey of other retailers like Sainsbury’s.
Seth, chairman of the Ingram Partnership, a strategic brand consultancy in London, was an international manager at Unilever for thirty years. Randall is a well-published independent consultant specializing in marketing.
- Cynthia D. Churchwell