Reference no: EM133240636

Please identify a store from among those listed below, as well as a competing store (which need not appear on this list) operating in a different channel or type of distribution; e.g. Macys: Department Store and Target: Discount Store.

Nordstrom, Victoria's Secret, Apple, Costco, Victoria's Secret, Best Buy, Macys, JCrew, Bloomingdales, Urban Outfitters, Kohl's, GAP, UNIQLO, Abercrombie, Anthropologie, Target, Walmart, H&M, Saks, or JC Penney.

With this as background, please provide a summary as follows:

For your target or primary retailer, provide an overview stating: type of retailer, headquarters location, annual sales volume, 3-year growth trend, target consumer, geographic markets served, products and services offered and channels of distribution (stores, catalog, etc.)

Identify your retailer's primary intertype (different type of store) and intratype (competitors in the same type of business) competitor, and explain why you have chosen them as such. Was it price, location, brands, and service? Why do you see these as competitors if they operate in different formats?

Visit a "brick and mortar" location of both your primary retailer and the one you have identified as its primary intertype competitor and provide a comparison and evaluation as follows:

Compare the locations of each of the stores (malls, urban, freestanding) and indicate whether they are suitable for their target market.

Identify 2 product categories that are carried in both stores- (e.g. women's shoes and men's suits etc.) And provide price ranges for each store's assortment. How do they compare? Which store has a more expensive assortment within the categories you have chosen? What recommendations would you make to each retailer regarding the pricing of these assortments? Do you have any suggestions regarding the assortments; e.g. should one of them add more "open toe sandals?"

Describe the visual and in store merchandising strategies of your two stores from the following perspective: layout, colors/lighting/materials, signage, fixtures, safety/security, and general aesthetic. Do the in store environments effectively address each retailer's target market?

Which of the two retailers, in your opinion, is doing a better job? Explain your reasoning.

What are the features and benefits of the services provided by your selected retailer? Are they appropriate for the target market? What might they learn from the competition?