Introduction
Business marketing has become one of the integral business features that organisations use as a competitive advantage to strive through market pressures. The mechanisms of businesses and corporations normally determine companies’ present success and expectations. The physical appearances as well as customs governing a business are good determinants that anticipate the growth and development of any single business with such prospects mutually influencing multinational corporations as well as small and medium business units.
Minor decisions, as they may seem, frequently have long lasting influence on businesses and may automatically determine the growth and development of such enterprises. Central to this argument, any business unit inclusive of retail stores principally requires comprehensive marketing planning from product determination and product arrangement to the final selling.
For several decades, the impact of store layout and design, merchandise assortment, and store location as retail managerial aspects have constantly remained undervalued. Therefore, this essay seeks to examine these aspects in a survey of three retail stores: Debenhams, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Marks and Spenser.
Industrial synopsis of retailers
The three retail stores operating in major economies including the United States and the United Kingdom and other parts of the European continent belong to the fashion and design industry, an internationally acknowledged industry that employs millions of designers. They compose the topmost designing companies across Europe, with reports indicating that most of these companies have stretched beyond the European continent.
Fashion and designing typically refers to the art of applying techniques in aesthetic or even natural beauty to garnishes and garments. The fashion and designing industry streams from social-cultural persuasions and for numerous decades, the industry is proving substantial in connecting different cultures to the international limelight through socio-cultural designs.
Fashion and designing commerce has constantly proven one of the most imperative apertures to cultural growth in a more sophisticated manner with different industries rapidly growing to meet the dire needs to consumer interests. Over the years, this industry has been influential in peoples living styles with numerous changes constantly taking place in this industry each successive year.
Concerning Debenhams Company
Debenhams is an internationally renowned fashion and designing company currently operating in over 28 countries globally. The history of Debenhams fashion and Designing Company “dates back to the 1778, when William Clark established a store of drapers, along 44 Wigmore Street in the west of London, selling luxurious gloves, bonnets, fabrics and parasols that constantly grew to a company” (Debenhams Plc. Para. 2).
As early as 1813, Debenhams grew exponentially through William’s innovations and the firm, Clark and Debenhams emerged, followed by the emergence of the first store in the London’s outskirts, Cheltenham in 1818, giving an exact facsimile of Wigmore Street Stores.
Came 1851, Clement Freebody “invested heavily in the firm and renamed it Debenhams & Freebody, subsequently, a wholesale business and some retail stores emerged, selling cloth and other products and in the 19th century, retail, manufacturing and wholesale businesses grew exponentially with new offices established in Australia, Canada, South Africa, and China” (Debenhams Plc. Para. 5). In 1905, Debenhams limited became the official name for this company and 1951 became the largest department store in the UK.
Subsequently, acquisitions of retail, wholesale and manufacturing businesses continued and by 1950, Debenhams owned 84 companies and 110 stores and for the first time in 1966, central buying became a commercial aspect. In 1977, all stores possessed the name Debenhams, and it became the official name that serves to date, with only Brown’s of Chester retaining its name.
In 1997, the first intercontinental franchise store opened in Bahrain. Debenhams appeared in London Stock Exchange in 2003 and 2006 under the management of Baroness Retail Ltd. In September 2007 and November 2009, the company acquired nine stores Roches in the Republic of Ireland and Magasin du Nord in Denmark respectively.
Contemporarily, Debenhams ranks among the global multi-channel brands that operate worldwide with approximately 240 stores across 28 countries and available online to over 70 countries. Previously in the last year, Debenhams received an award of Multichannel Retailer of the Year at the Oracle Retail Week Awards. Through its exclusive Designers, Debenhams is among the leading fashion and design industries in British.
Dedicated to serving the surrounding communities with a cosmic of the best fashion and designing products across continents, while observing communal demands regarding corporate social responsibilities that comprise major prospects of their business, the industry is marvellous.
Supplier code of conduct is intrinsic in the company with legal requirements, employment standards, disciplinary practices, social ethics and environment standards well articulated and pragmatic (Debenhams Plc. Para. 2). In the case of this report or rather for the study purpose, the company contains a well-designed history and great global reputation that provides an unlimited data for comprehensive analysis.
It covers all the business and retail related aspects that learners can construct good reports regarding the foundation and development of its corporate image. To date, the company offers similar products that reflect its history and has substantial management or leadership system that entails the organisation and structure of the industry. Debenhams contains an exquisite and organised information framework ranging from magazines, newspapers, and online material that can suit comprehensive analysis.
About Saks Fifth Avenue Retail Store
Saks Fifth Avenue Fashion and Designing Company, streams from novelties of two men designers, Horace Saks and Bernard Gimbel who established this business in 1990s. They began operating independent retail store across Herald Square Street and the New York’s 34th Street, during the 1900s epoch.
Their ambition rested upon constructing a unique specialty store that would remain mysterious, but mainly produce cordial living fashionables (Saks Inc. Para. 5). The two great merchants, Horace Saks and Bernard Gimbel harmoniously generated financial revenues from family contributions that composed meagre but accommodative capital that purchased a construction land between 49th and 50th streets on the Upper Fifth Avenue.
Through their joint venture, the two merchants occupied the Buckingham Hotel and the Democratic Club, which by then were renowned entertainment hubs in the US. “With the opening of its founders’ ‘dream store’ on September 15, 1924, Saks Fifth Avenue became the first large retail operation to locate in what was then primarily a residential district” (Saks Inc. Para. 2). This move marked the beginning of real corporate growth in New York.
During this moment, Saks Fifth Avenue had begun dealing with elegant men and women fashions, inclusive of unprecedented programs of customer service and it subsequently became the embodiment for fashion and style. The era between 1924 and 1972 saw an extraordinary growth from simply Saks and Gimbel families’ governed business to an enormous construction of Saks Fifth Avenue, as a young entrepreneur, Adam Gimbel (Bernard’s cousin) became the business assistant.
On the sudden death of Horace Saks, this assistant automatically took the presidency of Saks Fifth Avenue, reforming it with imaginative prudence that brought Saks to substantial success. Adam Gimbel established coast-to-coast stretching Saks Empire with numerous branch stores.
From the 1925 Paris elucidations, Adam redecorated the entire Saks flagship stores and designed them to luxurious Art Modern style with numerous specialty shops, something he cherished until his retire in 1969. The period between 1972 and 1989 saw the establishment of over 20 modern specialty stores throughout the United States in Texas and the Midwest.
During this moment, viz. 1972 and 1989, Saks and Company acquired some subsidiary investments of B.A.T inclusive of BATUS, through its acquisition of Gimbel Bros Inc, in July 1990. Subsequently, a group of international investors acquired Saks and Company in July 1990 from B.A.T, which marked the beginning of a new chapter for Saks Fifth Avenue.
Immediately, Philip B. Miller joined the international group of investors of Saks and Company and became the vice chairperson. In the beginning of 1994, Saks and Company took over Magnin stores in Beverly Hills, Carmel, San Diego, and Phoenix, subsequently dominating the American West Coast and 1996 became a renowned public company dealing with fashion and designing.
In the year, 1998 Saks became a leading regional department store company as a central administration centre where it grew exponentially to the later. Just like the case of Debenhams, this study chose this company for its great historical public reputation and its universal success that suits this comparative analysis.
Regarding Mark and Spencer Company
Mark and Spencer Company Fashion and designing Company, also known as M&S, is UK leading retailer of grand worth garments, home products and other merchandise including outstanding food delicacies. The company’s history dates back to 1800 century, when investors namely Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer managed to establish a famous brand at Kirkgate Market around Leeds in the year 1884 (Marks and Spencer Para. 4).
Being one of the leading British retailers in an assortment of goods comprises of the leading British retail shop succeed through the efforts of cordial partnership between the two principles. Initially, the company began operating with few market stalls in North West of England before relocating to its current location in Leeds Penny Bazaar.
By the beginning of 1950s, the company began branding their goods and almost all goods under their stalls had “St Michael” brand name. The renowned fashion and design industry stretched out into Canada in 1973 and managed to posses over forty-seven stores in this region under the leadership of Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer.
Through several expeditions, Marks and Spencer has been among the companies who introduced the art of open display on trays for customers to inspect, an art that overwhelmed other investors in the entire UK during 1920s. During this moment when the events of First World War aggrieved the world, the company invested in buttons, needles, and threads for people to repair their torn attire.
As the demands of human needs became even direr, the innovations in this company were increasingly becoming eminent throughout the 1960s and 1970s, when the company made substantial advancement from fabrics vending to food retailing on refrigerated shop counters (Marks and Spencer Para. 4).
Suddenly life styles were changing dramatically through microwave cooking as consumers began developing interest in the frozen food stocks including chicken. “More women were going out to work, so we made things easier by introducing good quality, nutritious convenience food, like boil-in-the-bag meals and microwave dinners” (Marks and Spencer Para. 1). Innovations continued as the 1900 witnessed the emergence of real feat of food technology within Mark and Spencer Company.
With its headquarters in Leeds, the company has its personal achieve which is a vital business asset where data collection, preservation, and resources utilisation occurs with material of over 128 years available. It also hosts public-facing exhibition activities in this archive. Guided by the passion to enhance innovation and improve living standards of numerous British citizens, the company relates well with surrounding communities and observes corporate social responsibilities.
Currently, in the same year, Mark and Spencer Company is aiming at restoring its history by going back to its roots and opening an international stall at Kirkgate Market, the background to the entire firm.
For the purpose of this study, Mark and Spencer Company offer a paramount background to the discussion of the three management aspects: store layout and design, merchandise assortments and store location. The longstanding history of innovation with ample data for a website to books and journals, for comprehensive analysis of the three aspects is requisite. The well-organised marketing board will remain a crucial factor to the choice of this company.
Store Layout as a marketing factor
Typically, as postulated in the historical background and company profiles of three companies, one will notice that they both deal with similar assortment of goods including clothing, fabrics, and related products. Fashion and designing industry is key the development and links heavily with the three companies.
One of the most contemporary matters in fashion and designing industry is the layout of any given retail clothing store as the world approaches different business parameters especially those that aim at customer satisfaction. Central to this factor, any retail shop requires comprehensive store planning from determining the modes of stocking, the tendering and biding process to the constructing and arrangement of the commercial products inside stores.
Therefore, every marketing management system on companies must understand the significance and strategies necessary for store layouts. The layout of any given retail store is paramount to company sales as it assists customers to glimpse at products easily and make easily peruse through the store that makes shopping more comfortable.
The principal objective of planning store layout or any layout of a business building or office is to maximise customers and employee’s safety comfort as well as enabling the business to run effectively as this aspect may aid in improving sales in retail settings. Pantano and Laria assert, “The store environment, which includes various stimuli in the offline context such as colour, sound, scent, layout, and space, affects consumer perception of store image and their expectations towards the merchandise” (195).
Haphazard layout undermine corporate image of the business, demoralise employee efficiency and generates organisational chaos, may cause ergonomic issues, result to severe injuries and even prove harmful the customers.
In broadest comportment, a good store layout in fashion and design, where attractiveness of each product calls attention to customers, is a potential factor to the protection of business inventories, stockpile and influence customer traffic that eases shopping and customer comfort ability that subsequently leads to high sales turnover and productivity.
Store Layout in Debenhams
The atmosphere inside Debenhams is cool with a fresh scent and attractive beauties of the designed clothing and other fabrics that make it a one-stop retail centre.
Nearly the entire United Kingdom will concur with the fact that the department stores of Debenhams are stylish with millions of assorted products ranging from men’s attire to women outfits arranged in technologically and modern manner, from garment type, garment brand, clothing class, design, and aesthetics including colour and shape.
“Due to the current advances in Information and Communication Technologies, the sector of retailing remains forced to pursuit innovation from the most recent technical solutions” (Pantano and Laria 195). Debenhams is perfectly among the fashion and design retail stores that have embraced technology.
One of the remarkable crucial factors eminent in the layout of a retail-clothing store of Debenhams is the lighting aspect. However, people may not figure this element in more technical manner and the laypersons may not understand its meaning, but this assertion is realistic.
On arrival, Debenhams retail shop bears a reliable customer care desk that sets an impressive welcoming atmosphere into the interior of the store as the customer support team guides clients through the procedure that gives customers enjoyable and unique shopping experience.
Debenhams size guides are in the onset with basic information about style, size and design one requires. The entrance and transition into Debenhams as layout aspects are eminent as display and the ambience in the frontline are commendable, thus commanding consumer’s attention into shopping with the Company.
The protracted corridors and the veranda of the company with smooth and clean floor give adequate aisle space for the conduciveness of customer’s traffic patterns exclusively lavish.
Customers acquire numerous customer services from trained professionals inclusive of store directory, wedding service, ordering services, food services, baby-changing facilities, and air conditioning among others. Coupled with other returns and refunds services where consumers can make their instant orders, request for forms of deliveries and express their views, make Debenhams a good store.
The aspect of light in Debenhams retail stores across the United Kingdom, and maybe from the perception created, other stores as well have virtually impressive lighting techniques. The lighting of Debenhams makes it a unique retail store that most consumers feel attracted and workers remain comfortable at their working stations.
Well-lit Debenhams has technical light providers with high-quality illuminations of antique and period lighting equipment across the stores that make the sparkling floors an attraction to customer’s foot traffic. Coupled with attractive colourful assortments, hanging on modern mannequins with spotlights upon them, and walls painted in best colours, Debenhams creates pressure on consumers and gives them ability to create illusions in their brains and feeling of immersions.
There is adequate liberty in almost all Debenhams stores with enough spacing for any moving creature to browse through the innovative and captivating products with customer restaurants providing warm welcome. Dressing rooms are plenty and fixed with wall mirrors of immersive technologies.
Store Layout in Saks Fifth Avenue Retail Store
Perhaps one of the remarkable shopping experiences that one needs to have is one that entails shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue Retail Store that offers broad services from technically engaged approaches to observation of tradition. Store operations in Saks Fifth Avenue Retail Stores seem to be doing well after several years of operation, a factor eminent through the rapid growth and development of new stores across the United States, Europe, and other parts Asian continent.
Perhaps the setting of the store layout of Saks Fifth Avenue Retail Stores makes the store one of the most organised stores within the United States.
The entrance into the flagship store operating in Saks Fifth Avenue 611 Fifth Avenue seems clear but with inadequate space to allow free movement of clients into and outside of the store. One of the important factors that one must have observed is lack of adequate packing space in the exterior of Saks Fifth Avenue Retail Stores. The lack of safe packing space in these stores causes inconvenience to customers with personal cars.
External appearance is paramount to the customer’s perception on the business. Despite the fact that this store might have desired to maintain the chronicle building of the ancient founders of the company, company visibility as one of the integral store layout factors. The congestion along the streets makes the company lack clear visibility, a factor that makes it easy for customers to make purchases.
However, this location assists the company and makes it one of the preferred shopping centres across Saks Fifth Avenue since the customer traffic flow seems to be boosting the sales in these stores. The storefront nonetheless is fantastic with the formal and businesslike mood eminent throughout the business centre.
Good architectural styles, well-designed business logo, and a cool atmospheric breeze make a smart welcome. Towards the interior, the gateway to the store looks attractive with the general appearance providing important clues to customers about the business picturesque. Wide entryways with attractive merchandise displays make the most attraction for Saks Fifth stores.
The interior of the store is what any customer will consider perfection to the shopping experience with glassy doors, clean windowpanes, pleasant scent, and soft music sound with smooth floor well contracted to fit the modern designs, makes Saks Fifth stores elegant shopping centres.
Creative lighting with modern technologies is one of the layout aspects that this store has invested flawlessly, with the blending of contrasting colours making the centre an attractive shopping hub with employees working at maximum efficiency. The lushly lighting and conducive ambience in this centre does not only seem attractive but also has assisted in maximising security. The walls and the ceiling of the storehouse are functional and attractive.
The ceiling of the storehouse is sparkling white with luxuriant lighting technologies well incorporated to produce the most desired shopping place for dandy men and beautiful women to browse through the stores. The charismatic 3D real-time simulations produced from the modern technologies make the storehouse more attractive for every customer.
Store layout in Marks and Spencer
The aptitude of layout designers of Mark and Spencer must be one of the most competent makers of fashion and designing layout approaches across the United Kingdom and probably the entire Europe. The leisurely built Marks and Spencer store with the most fascinating store designing must have been paramount to the heavily customer traffic flow experienced each successive day.
Marks and Spencer glassy layout plays an important role in the attracting of customer traffic with the designing well positioned to meet the dire needs of customers who value class.
According to Pantano and Laria affirm, “the visual aesthetic influences consumer’ perception, by providing a symbolic function, which affects the store evaluation and store judgments of store brand quality” (196). An exquisite appearance of the store layout since its refurbishment through new technologies makes the centre a preferred shopping hub for millions of the populace across the United Kingdom and other parts of the world with over 21 million customers visiting the store on a weekly basis.
Just like Saks Fifth Retail Stores and Debenhams fashion and design shops, Marks and Spencer is one of the unprecedented shopping units with intriguing layouts. A visit to this retail store will leave consumers with immense shopping experience and an incessant feeling of immersion over the virtual appearance of its environment.
At the storefront, at least one can observe the unswerving packing space with clean atmosphere and a pleasant fragrance from the outstanding quality food. The transparent glassy walls from the exterior make the best attraction for a potential customer traffic flow as the signs of the insignia designed in modern imaging provide the corporate image of Marks and Spencer.
At the clear doorway, a few clothing hanged on attractive mannequins with flourishing spotlight providing perfect illumination gives an enthusiastic welcome and command attention to customers without blocking the view. The loose transparent curtains provide an exclusive lighting experience that serves the contemporary designing with great uniqueness with the walls painted in typeface and inviting colours.
The fireproof and soundproof limit ceiling reinforced with sparkling white particles with lucid flashlight of modern technologies provide fascinating decors that provoke consumers buying attitude and presents the clear company’s image. The store layout has magnificent tiled floors with white colour presenting the crucial image of hygiene and ergonomics within Marks and Spencer.
The consumer interaction systems are in place throughout the shopping centre with the informative customer carers providing customers guides into the company and size guides that give clients the ability to select their clothing sizes. Pantano and Laria affirm, “The information quality reduces the risk related to a context featured by a lack of interaction with shopping assistants such as in e-tailing” (198).
The most contemporary 3D technology is no longer a new aspect in Marks and Spencer as consumers enjoy 3D video simulations projected through modern 3D graphics and immersive technologies that act as innovative appealing to real stores and capable of changing consumers in their decision-making process.
Aspect of Merchandise Assortments
Merchandising is one of the profound business aspects in retail stores where quantity and quality are influential factors to consumer’s traffic flow. In today’s competitive retail business across the globe, constant stocking and constant selling may play a critical role in managing the entire business.
Merchandising may simply refer to the aspect of enough stocking that motivates consumers to keep shopping from a given retail store or supermarket. While assessing the mode of stocking and the amount of merchandise necessary for any business two important things are inherent in this case: quality and quantity.
Through merchandising, retail keepers must understand that the form of merchandise offered on sale must be inconformity with the living standards of the surrounding community, local laws, and regulations governing merchant services like the consumer protection bills and their compatibility with the community. It is important for retailers to make a comprehensive research over consumerism of certain market commodities before investing in their retailing and stocking to avoid crumples.
Merchandise Assortments in Debenhams
Debenhams comprise one of the global business endeavours that other investors across the world feel fascinated by its rich historical background and others tend to find replicas of it, in consternation. As postulated earlier, it is a one-stop retail store that customer traffic is always impressing throughout successive moments and any blander resulting from poor marketing strategies like merchandising is least from the expectations of the majority.
With constantly growing numbers of consumers depending on products from Debenhams, frequent questions are always characterising the customer’s moods about new arrivals especially in the trendy world of 21st century. The introduction of Debenhams retail store in the background might not have covered the merchandising aspect, but the merchandise in these stores is exceptional.
A diverse number of products ranging from textile, foods, to other valuable home accessories are readily available in Debenhams to meet the unremitting needs of human beings. The blending of varied products has been commendable for the past three decades.
An amalgam of products ranging from women wear and beauty products, kids wear, home furniture, accessories and appliances to stylish lingerie, toys, gifts, electrical and wedding garments. For the men, elegant shoes, coats and jackets, sweatshirts and suits, jumpers and cardigans, nightwear and loungewear, as well as swimwear and board shorts among others.
The women section is rich of classy and modern garments that inflame their purchasing aptitude to liveliness shopping experience immediately on their arrival.
A combination of female products from handbags and purses, jewellery and watches, Beach & Swimwear, bras and panties, dresses and tops, to cuteness products including perfumes and aftershaves, make ups and skincare products, bath and body care products, as well as other beauty accessories makes Debenhams a unique store.
Home furniture, accessories, and appliances including cookware, dinnerware, glassware, bathroom accessories, cutlery, and beddings among other home accessories are readily available for purchase from Debenhams. This aspect makes Debenhams a preferred shopping centre by clients across the continents.
Merchandise Assortments in Saks Fifth Avenue
A tour to shopping at Saks Fifth avenue means a bulky buying for all potential consumers at any given moment of operational hours. This assertion simply means that the Flagship stores at Saks Fifth Avenue provide a variety of goods for all consumers to make balanced shopping and enjoy a number of services provided by the company.
The merchandising aspect in Saks Fifth Avenue is eminent throughout ones shopping experience in the stores with their products providing virtual environment for consumers who desire shopping for quality and quantity. An impressive stocking of all attractive fashion and design goods within Saks Fifth Avenue stores makes it a potential shopping mall for million of customers who converge into the company everyday.
A continuum of products from women apparels, men attire to children and kids wear are always on stockpile for consumers to make their choices according to their purchasing power. Quantity and quality of products offered are all determinants of the success that Saks Fifth Avenue customers enjoy.
Several brands, models and types of menswear and women wear jewellery and accessories, beauty products, shoes and handbags, home appliances, gifts and kids wear are always on stock, providing Saks Fifth Avenue merchandise a smart one. An all-inclusion merchandising approach of Saks Fifth Avenue with numerous beautiful assortments makes it a modernised retail store that suits human needs satisfaction.
For men, shirts and sport shirts, jackets and jumpers, drivers and moccasins, swimwear and sport coats, jewellery and watches as well as wallets and massager bags. For the women, varieties of goods are available for pick and choose whenever they visit this business mansion with products like tops and tees, sleepwear and loungewear, bracelet and charms, skirts and leggings, dresses, denims and swimwear among other clothes are in plenty.
Children are not exceptional in this business unit as they play an integral part in boosting entire sales turnover and they enjoy a continuum of contemporary products including toys and other products. Home appliances cookware, cutlery, and furniture are also available.
Merchandise Assortments in Marks and Spencer
With proper planning and coordination, adequate space allocation, unending customer traffic, the management in Marks and Spencer are alert to the aspect of merchandising in this retail store. Managers must have been smart in designing and determining the form of assortments in Marks and Spencer retail shop.
As the key role of merchandising in retail business is to create attractive store image that attracts the target market and create persuasions for clients to engage in shopping, the factor is clear in Marks and Spencer stores. A medley of products with varying designs and models are all over the Marks and Spencer stores with new technologies incorporated to enrich the beauties of the merchandise.
Marks and Spencer plc is an all-inclusive fashion and design store that sales a variety of products including from foods, clothing, and home appliances like furniture and accessories of all kinds, which explains the reason behind an influx of approximately 21 million customers visiting the stores weekly.
Clothing has entirely been the probable merchandise that Marks and Spencer depend for most of its revenues, followed by food products and then general house appliances. For the clothing, menswear, women apparels, and Kids wear are all available as per the consumer’s demands with each of them varying in price depending on style and material.
For the foods, numerous food products are available at the business unit with new technologies providing convenient cooking process for takeaways for clients, thus, life made easier and comfortable. Home appliances including cookware, electrical cooking appliances like microwaves, gas cylinders, and cutlery among other home products are readily available for clients to make their shopping choice.
For the women, classy goods that involve clothing and cosmetics are all available in the store, with all customers enjoying quick delivery services and other customer related services offered at the stores. With all the desired fashion and design products incorporated in this store, Marks and Spencer stores are unique.
Aspect of store location
Just like the important variables determining good store layout, store location is the first significant considerations that a retailer must have before setting up any retail store. Setting up a retail store in a convenient place that customers can easily reach is a considerable factor in planning and designing of retail stores can make a substantial achievement in the growth and development of a business.
City and venue location for a retail store must consider several important factors including the city’s population trends and density, the prevailing competition, compatibility with the local community, prevailing laws and regulations as well as the transport networking among others.
According to the positioning of the three retail stores Debenhams, Saks Fifth Avenue and Marks and Spencer, the founders must have been strategic designers. A practical tour to experience the shopping in these retail stores and identify the positioning of the stores can greatly aid in understanding such concepts.
Location of Debenhams
Proper location aids in good communication flow, customer’s convenience and enables efficient transport of store goods from manufactures or to the clients. Debenhams retail store seems to have been performing well in marketing their goods due to its strategic positioning with most of its retail store located either next to big cities or in the core of such cities.
Speaking of the Debenhams retail store in UK, the locators of this store must have perfectly analysed the factors that attribute to its current location.
Normally, sites where businesses have repeatedly failed to create a negative impression among customers and hence, since Debenhams had acquired a rich historical background with most of its operations based at the heart of London, the business remained stable to the later.
London is currently among the world’s renowned capitals, which remain influential in controlling global economy and therefore centrality of Debenhams offers it a unique chance to triumph.
The root to successful strategic planning and structuring that developers of Saks Fifth Avenue stores in America initiated a way back might have made great contributions to the latest achievement of this company. Saks Fifth Avenue in America has continuously been growing in population and the strategic location of this store has aided in providing a steady flow of customers, who subsequently make potential sales turnover.
The locations practically fitted the lifestyle and living standards of individuals living near Saks Fifth Avenue, and currently the street is rapidly growing with different stores offering health business competition.
The trendy and technologically advanced Marks and Spencer seems to have identified the best positioning that suits the transport of products from the major manufactures to a fascinating transport link, connecting to various estates and suburbs. Millions of consumers depend on these retail stores primarily because of their convenient shopping offered buy varied products and quality of services offered through consistent prosperous backgrounds.
Conclusion
Conclusively, any given retail store needs to consider several management factors. Nonetheless, simple marketing management aspects that greatly determine the productivity companies like store planning and designing have relentlessly remained undermined. Through the above comparative analysis of the three retail stores: Debenhams, Saks Fifth Avenue, Marks, and Spencer, one will notice that store layout and design, merchandise assortments and store location are important factors of consideration for any retail store.
Store layout and design are indispensable factors as good store layout in fashion and design, where attractiveness of each product calls attention to customers, is a potential factor to the protection of business inventories, stockpile and influence customer traffic flow.
Merchandise assortments also determine business prosperity as constant stocking and constant selling of different commodities may play a critical role in managing the entire business. Merchandising is the aspect of enough varied stocking that motivates consumers to keep shopping from a given retail store or supermarket. Store location might be an important factor as well since the locale of the company influences convenience in shopping.
Works Cited
Debenhams plc. About Debenhams, 2013. Web.
Marks and Spencer. About Marks and Spencer Co, 2013. Web.
Pantano, Eleonora, and Giuseppe Laria. “Innovation in Retail Process: From Consumers’ Experience to Immersive Store Design.” Journal of Technology Management and Innovation 7.3 (2012): 194-206. Print.
Saks Inc. About Saks Fifth Avenue, 2013. Web.