Strategic Influences in Retail Business: Coles Case Study

Running head: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Strategic management
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Executive summary
The aim of this report is to discussed about the major strategic influences in the current retail
business scenario to be faced by Coles. In doing so, the three major trends are identified, which
are emergence of the e-commerce practices, expectations of the experiential shopping and
globalization of the business. On the basis of these trends, it is also identified that the existing
practices of Coles are not effective enough in dealing with these trends. Thus, this report
discussed a few recommended strategies that will help Coles in gaining long term business
viability in their business operation.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Identification of the strategic influences..........................................................................................3
Categorization of the identified influences......................................................................................4
Identifications of the strategic influences........................................................................................5
Recommended strategic goal of action............................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
Recommendations............................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
The current retail scenario is much more challenging that it was a few decade ago. With
the changes and evolution of the retail industry, it is becoming more challenging for the retail
brands to cope up with these changes and fulfilling the expectations of the customers. In this
case, it is important for the retailers to identify the major trends in the retail industry and
designing their strategies accordingly, which will ensure the long term viability of the business
(Zakaria et al., 2014). In the Australian retail market, Coles is the market leader with having their
countrywide presence. However, they are facing the threat of intense competition in the market
and rapidly changing of the market trends and customer preference pattern. Thus, they should
have effective mechanism of determining the key trends in the retail market and getting their
strategies placed accordingly.
The aim of this report is to discuss about the key majors trends relevant in the retail
market that will have influence on the business operation of Coles. The three major influences
will be analyzed in this report. In addition, the categorization and implications of the identified
influences will also be discussed and based on these impacts; a few recommendations will be
discussed.
Identification of the strategic influences
 One of the major trends in the initiation of global business operations. Most of large retail
brands are entering in different foreign market operations to cater to larger target
segments and to fend off the competition threat in their home market (Low, 2019).
 Emergence of experiential retailing and personalized retail experiences. Customers in the
current time are not only expecting the exact products in the stores but all the holistic