Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

In 2013, Target opened its first stores in Canada. The move made sense competitors like Walmart had done so successfully, and the Canadians were already crossing over to the U.S. to shop at Target. So, Target Canada seemed like a very good idea. However, less than two years later, the company announced it would close all of its 133 Canada branches. The combination of an overly ambitious plan the company launched with dozens of stores and swiftly scaled up to more than 100 paired with insufficient inventory stock, noticeably higher price points, and a lack of Canadian products led to a massive supply chain failure for Target Canada that cost upwards of $2 billion. https://blog.highjump.com/what-we-can-learn-from-4- brands-supply-chain-management-failures.html

Questions:

2.1 Discuss the advice you would give Target on how they should have created a competitive supply chain. (15)

2.2 Assess how Target should align their future strategies when opening new stores. (10)