Autori: Swoboda Bernhard, Berg Bettina, Dabija Dan-Cristian

Editorial: International Marketing Review, 31 (2), p.155-180, 2014.

Rezumat:

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the important but neglected role of retail formats
in the transfer and positioning decisions of international retailers. The paper examines the role of
core and country-specific attributes of particular formats in determining retailers’ local positioning in
inter-format competition.
Design/methodology/approach – Focussing on three distinguished grocery formats (i.e. discounters,
supermarkets, and hypermarkets) and using multiple-group structural equation models, the authors
conducted consumer surveys in Germany and Romania to evaluate consumer perceptions of the core
attributes of those formats and their influence on retail brand equity and consumer loyalty.
Findings – Although consumer perceptions of core attributes differ between formats in Germany and
Romania, most of the core attributes of the formats affect retail brands with equal strength in both
markets. Retail brand equity determines loyalty to all formats in both countries.
Research limitations/implications – Retailers transferring their formats to foreign countries
should place particular emphasis on managing the core attributes of a specific format, as these
attributes are of paramount importance in establishing a strong brand. Additional country-specific
attributes are also relevant to varying extents, depending on the particular format that is used.
Assessing causal relationships extends retailer knowledge of the role of format attributes.
Originality/value – This study proposes a format-specific approach that is novel to international
retailing research. The country comparison strengthens the study’s implications, considers both a
developed and an emerging economy, and accounts for the preference ofWestern European retailers to
expand into Eastern European countries. The paper concludes that format transfer and positioning
decisions occur within the boundaries of core format attributes.

Cuvinte cheie: Format transfer, International retailing, Retail brand equity, Store attributes

URL: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=0265-1335&volume=31&issue=2&articleid=17108239&show=html