Then when all else failed, this genius management decided to throw money at the problem through a series of takeovers.
Concluding thought
The reader may wish to know that this document concludes concurrent with the German conversation. This marks the approximate halfway point in the article, with the section on the United Kingdom starting up next, followed by a section on France.
It is not through any sloth that we find ourselves here, with seeming only half the article addressed. The reader can be assured that the article was read in full, indeed was annotated (with approximately as many annotations yet unacknowledged).
Dear reader, you are being spared; for the rest of the acknowledgements constitute annotations that are simply of a different flavor, not of the different nature.
Please allow this concluding thought (my italics):
“Safeway, which was struggling when Wal-Mart entered the UK market, has had a resurgence under a new chief executive. Ironically, Carlos Criado-Perez was a Wal-Mart executive, and he has brought a Waltonian style of leadership to Safeway, encouraging local managers to be innovative in their local markets.”
To which the following irony is offered: It should be noted that Wal-Mart (and its sibling stores) under Sam Walton, operated very differently. The basis of the Walton branding was “made in America” (and all things American). Upon his demise, the kids took Wal-Mart in a profit exploding direction, throwing the “old way” overboard, rushing production to China, etc. For Criado-Perez to encourage managers creativity within the context of their local markets is directly equivalent to Sam Walton getting creative in America with American goods. Criado-Perez learned well, and was beating Wal-Mart at its own game!
References
Fernie, J., & Arnold, S. J. (2002). Wal-Mart in Europe: Prospects for Germany, the UK and France. Retrieved from ProQuest; from the International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management30.2/3 (2002): 92-102.: http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/210900544
Hall, A., Bawden, T., & Butler, S. (2006, July 29). Wal-Mart pulls out of Germany at cost of 1 billion. the Times (of London; although I apologize if you knew that, there is only one the Times). Retrieved from http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article694345.ece
Wal-Mart. (2009). 2009 Annual Report ((federally mandated annual disclosure document)). Retrieved from Wal-Mart.com: http://walmartstores.com/Search/?q=annual+report
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