Reference no: EM133174733

FROM THE INFORMATION GIVEN BELOW INCLUDE A STATEMENT OF MANAGEMENT PROBLEM AND THE DECISION TI BE MADE

One of NHLEC's primary strategic goals was to develop a distinct brand image. The ever-increasing number of licensees and retailers for NHL-branded merchandise was becoming too fragmented. Wakefield wanted the brand's image to be presented consistently to consumers at the retail level. He believed this approach would, in turn, translate into increased sales of NHL-brand merchandise and also increased recognition of the NHL. The greatest obstacle in achieving this goal lay not with the independent retailer, but with the larger department store chains such as Wal-Mart. NHLEC relied on these large retailers to push crucial sales volume but the end result was scattered NHL merchandise and an inconsistent brand image presented to the consumer. Frequent buyer turnover, power struggles and turf wars among the buyers, and the sheer size of these retailers had all contributed to NHL EC's difficulties in developing brand equity at a mass-market consumer level.