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Retail Management Chapter 2
Retail Management chapter 4
Case study on retail store operations
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Recommended: Retail Management Chapter 2
Managing a store is fundamental component of any retail store. Whether this is a brick and mortar store or an e-commerce platform, the store manager or e-commerce manager is responsible for achieving sales targets. Having worked in a fast fashion clothing retail store for almost 18 months and as a former assistant store manager in training. I have experienced the importance of a brick and mortar retail store. Upon reflection besides learning basic retail skills in selling and operating day-to-day store business, the most fundamental learnings where about effective communication, teamwork and leadership, scheduling and costs.
Effective communication with head office as well as within the store itself is critical for a retail store because it can have
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The most important factor I had to keep in mind was to keep costs in control, as different employees had different wages I had to make sure that during times of low sales I would use less expensive employees. From scheduling I also learned about tremendous opportunities. The company created a challenge for all stores in The Netherlands to increase the conversion rate. The fundamental problem in our store was not enough employees were actively selling. They were to focused on fulfilling merchandise, online orders or other daily tasks. Therefore, to free up time I re-scheduled the whole schedule, there used to be three different shifts as the store was open from 10 am until 8pm. Nevertheless, I created a fourth shift starting at 7 am, this would allow two employees on each floor to start clear all the merchandise and fulfil all online orders for that day before the store opened. By doing so the other employees could focus on selling, in order to do so we provided selling workshops for all employees. This was piloted for 6 months in our store, due to an on average increase of 6% in sales each month it was rolled out
From the employees’ perspective; they are managed someone with experience in their same specialty who can effectively understand and review their work. Furthermore, they can move up within organization, which gives a reason for them to be loyal to the job. They also have the opportunity to work with others in their field, which allows for knowledge sharing and learning new skills. From the managers’ perspectives; this would make their jobs easier and makes them able to supervise the individual’s performance of their team members to distribute recognition, rewards and punishments accordingly. This has created an environment that hugely corresponds with Target’s core strategy, differentiation. Many of the shoppers have expressed their satisfaction with the services that provided by Target and more specifically with how friendly the staff
Macy’s intended to deliver enhanced shopping experiences to its consumers through dynamic department stores and online sites. In this regard, the company developed a North Star strategy that allows it to improve its sales growth and to develop its existing core activities. The company’s consumer research monitors, analyze and anticipate their needs and wants based on the changing market trends. This allows it to strengthen its customer base and also helps it in identifying new markets and customers. Macy’s also identifies different styles and designs based on various occasions and events that allow it to capture the changing preferences of its customers. The company also celebrates various iconic events to interact with its customers which
Levy, Michael, Barton A. Weitz, and Dhruv Grewal. Retailing Management. ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, 2014. Print.
Nordstrom is one of the top retailers in the United States. With a solid brand image and a sound financial situation, Nordstrom is relentless in their expansion in the US, and are beginning to expand into international markets. Nordstrom takes pleasure in providing state of the art client support and having experienced sales people. In order to hold their position as the most successful high-end retailer in the United States, Nordstrom must continue to figure out ways to improve their brand image and customer satisfaction. Nordstrom’s current business working strategy is successful but I believe there are a few ideal solutions that the organization could apply to further enhance the organization. Due to the aggressive characteristics of the fashion retail store market, it is crucial that Nordstrom preserves an aggressive advantage providing the highest level of customer support as possible.
Target Corporation being a retail industry, the structure by product grouped to a functional level practices works the best. This is necessary for the other functional levels to collaborate as a single team to produce a positive customer shopping experience. Target Corporation further divided the functional level into a geographic area to exercise management tasks effectively with the given authority. Each structure of the management at the geographic level has a strategy discussion, a line of communication, growth, and progress reporting according to the corporate reporting plan. Jana Potts who manages Target Corporation store has closer to 300, 000 employees working for her and the effective can be improved if the role is broken within domestic into channels, stores into broader segments and a separate global position. The rapidly growing online channel and global expansion are necessary to support Target Corporation's strategy of internal growth and sustain it for long term sustainability. These structural changes will allow Target Corporation to connect with its employee at a functional level and bring changes faster, track and monitor the
The M.O.M strategy implemented by Macy’s is by far more productive and has remains a differentiator and sustainable competitive advantage for Macy’s. Macy’s is always working in providing the best merchandise and best customer service nationwide. In order to stay on top Macy’s has to make sure that their product are unique and available for all customer. MSLO in the other hand has to work hard and rebuild his relationship with Macy’s and JC Penney for future contracts. With the current changes occurring in MSLO Company and the retirement of Martha Stewart, the company has to be more focus and keep up with the demand of its customers. There is still hope for MSLO one of the world's most recognizable
The purpose of this paper is to analyze and discuss the effectiveness of the Target Stores supply chain. Target was founded in 1902 by George Draper Dayton who after partnering with the owner of Goodfellow Dry Goods Company for a year decided he wanted to have more involvement, so he purchased Goodfellows renaming it Dayton Dry Goods Company. After purchasing the store Mr. Dayton remained in management until the time of his death in 1938. By this time the store had seen many changes including a name change in 1911 changing from Dayton Dry Goods Company to The Dayton Company, as well as an addition of the Dayton Foundation in 1918. After Mr. Dayton’s death the family continued managing the business until 1983 in which the last two managing Dayton’s retired, ending 80 years of the Dayton’s family management (Target Corporation, 2014).
One of the most important areas to consider is customer service. The atmosphere of a store
In fact, it is the culture of motivated and empowered entrepreneurial employees that makes Nordstrom’s culture unique (Spector & McCarthy, 2012). There are less rules and procedures for Nordstrom’s sales personnel than in other retail organizations. Their sales clerks also operate with a certain level of autonomy, running their departments almost as if they are private stores (Mello, 2015). This overall strategic approach to HR keeps training costs low, and consequently the cost of turnover is also minimized. This is important, as Nordstrom’s turnover, due to the level of internal competition and entrepreneurialism this type of retail strategy requires, is one of the highest in its market (Mello, 2015). The high turnover rate makes HR planning an important factor in ensuring a stable workforce that can create and maintain ongoing customer relationships (Spector & McCarthy, 2012).
Some core competencies that must be exploited are: Brand Kmart is an existing well-known and trusted national brand in USA Kmart has private label and designer clothing that is well endorsed Infrastructure Kmart has a large number of well-located, low-cost, leased stores in urban far away from competitors through out the country ( Appendix B ). Staffing Confidence by the market in Kmart is created by the achievements of its staff and management. With the turn-around strategy in place, new blood has been put into the top management structures. In any renewal there will be retrenchment as unprofitable stores are closed. This can be used as an opportunity to retain and move high performing staff to where they are needed and to get rid of non-performing staff. Anderson the chairperson of Kmart is well supported by Wall Street and the board of Directors. These new staff members enter the company with needed skills to address problems in certain areas that previously were poorly managed such as inventory control and merchandising. Store locations, layout and Performance Stores conveniently located away from competitors like Wal-mart and Target therefore less to compete for customers face-to-face. There are 250 non-performing stores who have already been identified as being more cost effective to close than continue with running costs. Expertise exists in-house for the planning of store layout and appearance to meet different customer segments. This concentration of effort will enable focus on key areas Technology Kmart has already invested in good retailing systems. The system can be use to control inventory, supplier payments, track customer buying and monitor income versus profit margins across all stores. Research and Development The planning department is well established and in cross-functional to provide various perspective. The planning department to ensure that strategies at all levels are executed can further use the access to past data and knowledge of changes in buying patterns. Financial Backing JP Morgan Chase has agreed to support Kmart to avert the current threat of closure due to bankruptcy.
This is a point that rings very true. Store development is important, but there are other key features that need to be considered for continued growth
Management experience will also play a large role in the success of the forecast. The current team is quite new and will gain some needed experience over the next year in the hopes of staying on track for success. The ability of management to ensure product is readily available for the client, their training techniques with new and seasoned associates, and general management style will ensure success or spell defeat for the store.
The manager will have to feel comfortable with their employees and have a good understanding of them and decisions that they are making so that he/she doesn't fall behind on what the business is doing. They will need contin... ... middle of paper ... ... communication within stores would make the employees feel more part of a team. If sainsburys were to relay less on post-it notes stuck on walls and actually speak to individuals about issues in the store I think employees would feel happier.
12. Raman, K., and Naik, P.A., (2005), Integrated Marketing Communications in Retailing, [online] Available at: http://ramanassoc.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/IMC_in_Retailing.26100503.pdf, Accessed on: 1st April 2014
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is a renowned retail goods superstore that sits atop the Fortune list at number one. It would be very difficult to find an individual who is unaware of Walmart’s position as the largest brick-and-mortar retail chain in the world. The company has thrived over the past few years and is continuing to grow by effectively managing its store operations and distribution strategies. One of the major contributors to the business consistently meeting market expectations is directly attributable to their management approach. Walmart has revolutionized the way retail companies manage their supply chains in more ways than one. But, perhaps the most revolutionary was the practice of unprecedented coordination with suppliers (Chekwa,