NO SURPRISE IN MARKS & SPENCER'S DEMISE--MARKETING PROF
Marks & Spencer's decision to close its 38
Canadian outlets should not be surprising, says UVic marketing
professor, Dr. Anne Hale.
The surprising part is that it didn't happen sooner since the chain didn't have nearly the same image in Canada as it does in Britain.
"I always wondered how they could stay in business with virtually no marketing activity. The stores in Canada had absolutely no positioning or differentiation strategy," says Hale. "They were not advertising or aggressively trying to cultivate new market segments."
Hale says Marks & Spencer was lost in the "constant barrage" of advertising and promotional activity generated by competing department stores and specialty retail chains.
Hale's current research focuses on customer satisfaction and complaint behavior, as well as marketing theories and strategies for service firms.
The surprising part is that it didn't happen sooner since the chain didn't have nearly the same image in Canada as it does in Britain.
"I always wondered how they could stay in business with virtually no marketing activity. The stores in Canada had absolutely no positioning or differentiation strategy," says Hale. "They were not advertising or aggressively trying to cultivate new market segments."
Hale says Marks & Spencer was lost in the "constant barrage" of advertising and promotional activity generated by competing department stores and specialty retail chains.
Hale's current research focuses on customer satisfaction and complaint behavior, as well as marketing theories and strategies for service firms.
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Media contacts
>Dr. font Hale (Business) at (250)