Key strategic partners: University of North Carolina, Tilburg University, Tuck School of Business (Dartmouth College), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Catholic University of Leuven, London Business School, University of Antwerp.
Program coordinator: Prof. Els Gijsbrechts (Tilburg University)
Focal Areas:
- Assortment policy of retailers
- Discounters
- Using the Internet to strengthen a firm’s competitive position
Research & Knowledge Sharing Programs on Retailing.
Retailers are becoming an ever more important partner in the chain from manufacturer to end consumer. Retailers pursue their own strategies in term of image, assortment, location, and private labels. One particularly successful type of retailers, which deserves extra attention are (hard) discounters. In fact, the growth of discounters is a major engine behind private label growth. One of the great challenges of FMCG manufacturers is to get on the shelves of the (hard) discounters.
The rapid emergence and astonishing growth of the Internet offers tremendous opportunities, but also challenges to companies. The Internet has a profound influence on competition. By reducing the cost of information and communication, the Internet has helped to globalize product and capital markets. Companies with brick-and-mortar and/or mail order distribution channels face the decision whether to add an Internet-based channel to their distribution system and/or replacing existing channels with the Internet. The Internet may have an even more profound effect on consumer behavior, communication, and information acquisition.
Our published and under construction work on Retailing.
AiMark 