ASDA is Wal-Mart's largest non-U.S. subsidiary, accounting for almost half of the company's international sales, in this sense ASDA can be classed as a National business as it can be found all over the country or an International business as it is a part of the Wal-Mart Conglomerate which can be found in America and Canada. Founded as Hindell's Dairies in 1920 by a group of Yorkshire farmers to protect their incomes due to the decline after World War 1. After a sucessful period which saw them expand and diversify the company was floated in 1949 becoming Associated Dairies and farm Stores Ltd. In 1968 Associated Dairies bought out the Asquith Brothers stores and became the company we know today as ASDA (ASquith + DAiries). They are currently the 2nd largest chain in the UK.
Company Overview Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1902, The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is one of the world's largest grocery retailers based on annual sales, holding the #23 ranking on the Fortune 100 list with fiscal 2013 sales of $98.4 billion. The Kroger Co. Family of Stores spans many states with store formats that include grocery and multi-department stores, discount, convenience stores and jewelry stores. Food stores are Kroger’s primary business and account for approximately 94% of total company sales. The convenience and jewelry stores and manufacturing facilities contribute the remainder of total sales. Up to September 11, 2014, Kroger has operated 2,638 grocery retail stores in 34 states under nearly two dozen banners.
Staples Inc. is the country's largest operator of office supplies superstores, offering a large selection of products at low prices, primarily to small business owners. Staples pioneered this concept in 1986 and grew rapidly after opening its first store in the Boston area. The slowly company expanded to areas outside the Northeast, by the early 2000s, there were about 1,300 Staples outlets located both in major large areas and smaller markets in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and 10 Canadian provinces. In addition to the retail operations, the company runs a delivery business that utilizes catalog and Internet businesses under the Staples and Quill names, as well as contract stationery businesses, which deliver office supplies to medium-sized and large companies. Staples' European operations consist of nearly 200 retail outlets, under the Staples name in the United Kingdom and Germany and under the name Office Centre in the Netherlands and Portugal.
Also, as Tesco is a PLC company (Public Limited Company) it is mainly owned by public, they invest money into Tesco by buying their shares. Although Tesco is run by members of the board - Mr David Edward Reid who is the Chairman, and Sir Terry Leahy who is the current Chief Executive. Advantages | Disadvantages | Quick to obtain – If Tesco ever needs to get extra
This company was first founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen. The very first Tesco opened in 1929 in Burnt Oak which is located in Middlesex. From there, this business organisation has promptly expanded and has made around 6000 stores throughout the world. In the very beginning Tesco only used to sell food and drink however they have now they have expanded into zones where they sell petrol, electrical goods, insurance, clothing and many more. Their aim is profit maximisation Keech Hospice is also a business organisation that provided care to terminally ill and sick people.
They sell general merchandise, clothes, quality food and finance such as M&S bank. M&S was established at Kirkgate Market, Leeds in 1884, it has grown from a single market stall to being a Public Limited Company (plc). It is listed on the London Stock Exchange is included in the FTSE 100 Index (list of top performing 100 companies) and has Group revenue of £10.3bn. Their UK turnover is split between Food (55%) and General Merchandise (45%). M&S has stores all over the world and their largest presence is within the UK with 798 stores and 455 international stores and they employ around 86,000 employees globally.
It first opened in 1962 as Dayton Hudson Corporation, but was later changed to Target Corporation in 2000. It is the second largest retailer in the United States. 1. Business Strategy: Distribution channel and manufacturing While Wal-Marts’ competitors use twenty five percent of their stores space for inventory storage, Wal-Mart only needs ten percent. This is because of their distribution channel which consists of just in time inventory (JIT) and cross docking. This means that products are received just in time in one side of the warehouse and are sent through the other side.
History and Background Supervalu, Inc. is the third largest grocery business in the U. S. based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. “Supervalu’s origin lie in the 1871 merger of the Minneapolis wholesale grocery firms B.S. Bull and Company and Newell and Harrison Company” (SUPERVALU INC, 2010) They currently owns and operate more than 1,550 stores over 40 states, with the combination of 850 food and drug stores. Supervalu also owns several brand names such as Save-A-Lot, Albertsons, Jewel-Osco, Acme Markets, Cub Foods and much more. Most of the multiple brands operated by Supervalu, Inc. are located in regional markets.
During the early years, Target was stocked with a full grocery assortment, for the 1960’s discount stores was a whole new concept. Today, Target differentiates itself from other retailers by combining the best department store features like fashion, quality and service, with the low prices of a discounter. Target’s offers large, general merchandise and food discount stores, and a fully integrated online business called Target.com where people can purchase from the comfort of their homes. The Company currently operates 1,767 Target stores in 49 states. Target is #38 on the Fortune 500’s annual ranking of America’s largest corporations.
Greggs PLC and its Current Marketing Objectives History Greggs was founded in the 1930s by John Gregg as a family bakery business in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne and is now the UK’s leading bakery retailer, with approximately serving 4 million customers a week and with 1000 shops nationwide. They have eight divisions throughout the UK from Greggs of Scotland, to Greggs South-East with outlets down to south coast of England. They have recently expanded their bakery into continental Europe with the opening of four outlets in Belgium. After John Gregg’s death in 1964 his son, Ian, took over the management of the business. Under Ian’s leadership, the company embarked on an ambitious expansion plan, first in the North East and then in other regions of the UK.