In the UK, consumers are used to shops being open 7 days a week and in the US 24-7. In Germany, however, it is only recently that shops have been allowed to open on Saturday afternoons: a new federal law allows city centre shops to open until 8 pm. However, outside the city most still close at 4 pm for the weekend and Sunday opening is still highly restricted. This is much the same as New Zealand where stores close at 5.30 pm except for one night each week when they are open until 9.00 pm. Stores are also closed on Sundays and many are closed on Saturday afternoons.  

In India, opening hours are unrestricted but most retail stores are family owned and are much smaller in size. With the exception of a few (small) super bazaars, consumers are not allowed to walk freely inside the stores, examine and compare labels of different brands before making the selection. Instead, consumers approach shops with a predetermined list of items to purchase, which are then pulled out of the bins by the salesperson.  

Retailing in Greece has until recently been small-scale and highly traditional. The majority of stores are family owned and small in size, and shopping for pleasure is less popular. However, the entry into the country of some of the big global retailers is starting to change the face of retailing there." 

Source: Doole, I., Lowe, R. and Kenyon, A. (2016). International marketing strategy (7th ed.). Cengage Learning EMEA, p. 352. 

 

Discussion question: 

Critically evaluate how a company can achieve a global distribution strategy when retailing infrastructures vary so much. Apply relevant distribution strategy options and use examples of specific countries to support your answer.