Steve Burt and Jose Carralero‐Encinas
Argues that for many retailers, competitive advantage in the home market has been based upon the development of strong store and corporate images as retailers strive to develop…
Abstract
Argues that for many retailers, competitive advantage in the home market has been based upon the development of strong store and corporate images as retailers strive to develop themselves as brands in their own right. The construction of store image, comprising both tangible and intangible dimensions, compounds problems of moving into international markets – as consumers in the host environment are less familiar with the intangible dimensions of image, which have been built up over time with exposure to the retail company. Retail companies therefore need to fully understand the importance of image in competitive positioning and the components of store image before attempting to replicate this image and positioning overseas. Explores these issues with reference to Marks & Spencer and the company’s entry into the Spanish market. A survey of customer perceptions of a range of store image attributes in the UK and Spain, reveals differences and similarities in perceptions, which must be managed if a standardised position is to be sought in the host market.
Details
Keywords
Ranis Cheng, Tony Hines and Ian Grime
The paper seeks to examine the role of corporate identity in UK clothing retail organisations, focusing on the “fast fashion” sector. The aim is to analyse the “gap” between…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper seeks to examine the role of corporate identity in UK clothing retail organisations, focusing on the “fast fashion” sector. The aim is to analyse the “gap” between desired identity and perceived identity within the sector.
Design/methodology/approach
An instrumental case study approach was adopted for this research. Companies' web sites and press releases were reviewed to find out the desired identity of organisations, while semi‐structured interviews were carried out with customers to elicit the perceived corporate identity. Themes developed from the cases will form the basis of further research.
Findings
This study has shown that although there are similarities, considerable “gaps” are present between the desired and perceived corporate identity of organisations, the latter being more important in understanding the research questions addressed which relate to corporate identity and the gap between desired and perceived identities. A number of propositions have emerged from the findings, which when investigated empirically will be useful for forming corporate identity constructs in the fashion retail sector.
Research limitations/implications
This research provides some useful insights into the role of corporate identity within the fast fashion retail sector; however, it is not sufficient to make generalisable claims outside the cases examined. Further research is required to test some of the conceptual issues and propositions raised by this work.
Practical implications
The paper gives practitioners better insights into the gap between desired and perceived identity with a view to improving strategic interventions to close the gap.
Originality/value
The research makes a contribution to retail identity literature by emphasising the importance of perceived identity. The work is unique in being the first research to explore further the relationship between desired and perceived identity from a fashion retailing perspective. As a consequence the strategic implications from this work for desired identity are highlighted.