Market Vision
Bharti Enterprises, one of the leading companies in telecommunications in India, has recognised the country's potential for organised grocery retailing. With the help of US giant Wal-Mart for sourcing and supply, Rajan Bharti Mittal, managing director of Bharti Enterprises and group lead director of Bharti Retail, anticipates his company having the same impact on the country's retail sector.

Bharti poised to make impact in India

EFI Special
With the exception of Tesco entering the USA, international expansion by the leading retailers was limited in 2007. Instead, it was time for evaluation but with home markets saturated, further proliferation is expected within the coming years. The German Schwartz Group, was a clear winner in terms of growth as its format of small stores suits a climate in which high energy prices deter consumers from driving long distances. Prospects for retailers venturing into India, Russia and China look good as economic growth prospers.

Top Retail 100: Time to deliberate

In Store
Cosmetics is an alluring category. The department drives traffic and offers attractive margins. More than ever, supermarkets are positioning themselves as the one-stop shop for consumers, providing not just food but everything from healthcare to upscale food service to banking and postal services. Yet when it comes to cosmetics, there has been little distinction. The potential of cosmetics in the supermarket channel really depends on management's view of its mission in the store.

Part 3: Practical issues of layout, design and marketing: Cosmetics

Will digital signage radically change the face of in-store communication in the coming years? A growing number of retailers are grabbing customers' attention through multimedia technology, such as flat screens and information kiosks that target sales and information messages on the shopping floor. Narrowcasting is a major trend and is here to stay, suppliers say.

Narrowcasting fills trolleys

ECR
Opportunity for growth still exists in apparently saturated markets but there is more chance of this being maximised if retailers and suppliers work together. Collaboration over the long term, instead of lunging from one round of annual negotiations to the next, is the cornerstone of ECR Europe's Jointly Agreed Growth (JAG). It requires trust and mutual agreement and puts the customer at the heart of new innovation.

Increasing profits through collaboration

Food manufacturers not only need to collaborate with retailers. Upstream, ingredient and packaging suppliers are looking to make joint decisions in order to balance capacity and flexibility. Innovation is fuelled by collaboration which is a process based on trust built on personal relations at all stages in the production and retail chain.

Collaborating upstream

Store profile
As more and more consumers get used to working with PCs – at home and on the move – the Metro Group is moving with the trend, introducing interesting technologies to the store floor such as self-scanning for fast-check, RFID, wine tasting and beauty terminals. Not only is this more exciting for the consumers, it also enhances the quality of fresh produce, optimises processes and drives down costs. 

Real,- Future Store, Toenisvorst, Germany

Country profile
The development of Brazilian food retail remains exciting; the variety and large numbers of players are keeping up the dynamism of the market. This market is still a long way from being dominated by the big players, as has been the case in Europe for some considerable time. Brazil remains a land of opportunity but also a place full of contradictions and extremes. International retailers will need to understand this if they want to be successful in Brazil.

Brazil – A country of extremes

Retail profile
It is hard to compare the Swiss Migros group to any other company in the retail trade. The co-operative, founded in 1925, is still influenced by the ethics of its founder Gottlieb Duttweiler who combined social, cultural and ecological values with turnover/profit. Through its innovative power and originality and by implementing a number of concepts and strategies such as investing in new production facilities, closing unprofitable stores, and focusing on sustainability, the company remains strong in both the lower and higher price segments

Remarkable Migros

Food Watch
Packaging protects products on the shelves and in transit as well as being a marketing and advertising tool. But as energy prices continue to escalate and consumer concerns over environmental issues mount, companies increasingly view less packaging as a pathway to sustainability and environmental stewardship. How far can packaging go when it comes to balancing product integrity, cost and sustainability.

Less is more

The rise in commodity prices, largely driven by demand from Asia, and an oil supply that cannot keep up with demand is having a huge impact on social and economic development. Food production is renewable so it is time to invest in efficient production, reduce costs and at the same time reduce waste.

Race against time to find cheaper inputs

Industry profile
InBev’s acquisition of Anheuser-Busch will turn the world’s biggest brewer into a global powerhouse – and give iconic American beer brand Budweiser a new lease of life. InBev's CEO, Carlos Brita stated that the two companies can accomplish much more together than each alone and that enhancing market position in China will be a key area.

Best buddies