Courts opened its first retail outlet in Mauritius in 1985, on the outskirts of Port Louis. It subsequently opened outlets in all the towns and big villages. However inspite of its strong financial backing, its furniture was perceived to be of inferior quality --meant for the lower class. Its communication campaigns also targeted this class and they all stressed on the lowest price in the market.

In 2006 Courts was taken over by the British American Insurance group. The name was not changed. However the new owners wanted to expand the market base. In order to achieve this the organization had to reposition itself.

(a) Describe the term positioning of a firm or service.

(b) How was Courts formerly positioned with regards to its furniture business ? How should it be positioned now?

(c) Describe how Courts can use positioning in its marketing strategy.

(d) Customer service is critical in retail outlets like those of Courts.

Discuss the key steps in creating a customer service strategy.