Wal-Mart: The Economic Analysis Of Walmart And Target

Economic analysis of Walmart and Target’s business activities

The purpose of this presentation is to provide a comparative analysis of business activities of two well-known representatives of the US retail industry, Target and Walmart. My research is focused on a business strategy of these largest and most experienced American merchandising companies; particularly, on their activities in Canada. Based on the data collected from the various sources, I would like to detect, analyze, and demonstrate the obvious causes that have lead to a catastrophic failure of Target in its unsuccessful attempt to win a Canadian market.

Walmart Canada Corp., the Canadian division of Walmart, was founded on March 17, 1994 and has more than 395 stores in Canada,

Definitely, it should be noted that in most cases, we can only dream of purchasing good quality products for a reasonable price. In this regards, I would like to quote Brian Manning, “it’s good to search for the cheapest rate and to buy from the company that guarantees the lowest rate instead of seeking out the provider that is going to offer the best value. “You don’t go to Walmart to buy a Rolex or a Ralph Lauren polo… You go to Walmart for one reason: to get the cheapest priced product”. That sounds logical. On the contrary, it is extremely illogical to expect that the Target’s customers will be ready to purchase low quality products for a high price. It was one of its main business development mistakes; especially taking into consideration that Target started under very favorable circumstances. It purchased the lease agreements of up to 220 Zellers stores for C$1.825 billion . As it stated in The Globe and Mail, “Target inherited leases from Zellers that already came with rents well below market prices, averaging $6 to $7 a square foot, compared to going rates close to $20”

Professor David Soberman describes his disappointing experience, “I have gone into Target stores looking for things, and the product line is not where it needs to be. You want certain things, but you can’t find them. You can find them at Wal-Mart. I just took my child down to school at Queen’s, and I was trying to buy things. I got 95 per cent of what I wanted at Wal-Mart. The other five per cent I got at Canadian Tire. I did go into Target, but I couldn’t find what I needed”