DECLARATION

I do here by declare that the project entitled OPERATION OF IN SHOPPERS STOP

A STUDY ON RETAIL STORE

Submitted by me to the Department of

Post Graduate Diploma in Management- Retail from Institute of Management and Information Science, Bhubaneswar for partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of during the session 20010-2012 is an original work of mine and it has not been submitted to any other institution before.

BHABANI SANKAR RANA ROLL NO-10DR004

CERTIFICATE
This is certify that the project entitled

A STUDY ON RETAIL STORE

OPERATION IN SHOPPERS STOP has been prepared by Bhabani Sankar Rana, RollNo-10DR004, student of 2010-12 of Department of Post Graduate Diploma in Management- Retail from Institute of Management and Information Science, Bhubaneswar has competed the project under my guidance and supervision.

Prof. Rabinarayan Patnaik Coordinator, Retail Program, IMIS,Bhubaneswar

Acknowledgement

I am grateful to our honourable Director General Mr. Hemanta Kumar Patnaik and Mr.Sagar Nayak (Department Manager) for providing me the opportunity to understand and practice retail functions at Shopper Stop.I am indebted to Prof. Rabinarayan Patnaik, Co-ordinator, Retail Programe for his valuable advices which have helped me a lot in the proper completion of this project.

At last but not the least I would like to extend my whole-hearted thanks to all those at Shoppers Stop, Malad,Mumbai and anybody and everybody without whom this could not have become a successful one.

Name and signature of the student Roll no.

ABSTRACT
Store operation management occurs in shoppers stop an ongoing basis to varying degrees within most retail organizations.

SL NO. 1

CHAPTERS SIGNIFICANCE STUDY OF THE

2 3

COMPANY BACKGROUND THEORETICAL APPROACH OF STORE OPERATION

4 5

MEANING AND DEFINITION VARIOUS TYPES OF STORE OPERATION

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of my study are :1. Store administration and management of the premises 2. Managing inventory and display 3. Managing receipts 4. Customer service 5. Managing promotions, events, alliances and partnerships

1. Store administration and management of the premises

Retail -Retail is the sale of goods to end users, not for resale, but for use and consumption by the purchaser. The retail transaction is at the end of the supply chain. Manufacturers sell large quantities of products to retailers, and retailers sell small quantities of those products to consumers.

Store Operations
Store operation is defined as the daily procedures, creating internal controls and systems, establishing retailing functions and other day-to-day retail store operations. 1. Store administration and management of the premises 2. Managing inventory and display 3. Managing receipts 4. Customer service 5. Managing promotions, events, alliances and partnerships.

Store operations The retail store is the place where the customers take a decision on the purchase of the products offered by the retailer. The store also influences the perception that customers form in their minds about the store, the products, services and staff. From the management s point of view, operations of the store and a major element of the cost. As a consequence, the store itself becomes a critical asset of the retail business and it is imperative that the operations are managed well to achieve and sustain customer satisfaction and be cost effective. Managing store operations for a small retail business of any size or complexity from the neighborhood grocer to the national retail chain is a challenging task. It requires integration among various functions within the store. When all the functions are performed in an integration manner, the store operations run smoothly. KEY ROLES IN STORE ENVIRONMENT The retail store is of

prime importance to the retail origination, for two reasons. The retail store is the primary source of revenue for the retailer and It is the point where the customer actually interacts with the retail store and its offerings. The primary responsibility within the environment of a retail store lies with the store manager. The store manager has to play a dual role in retail environment. On one hand he is responsible for the various members of the staff and team who report to him and enable the smooth functioning of the day-to-day operations of the store. On the other hand he also has to ensure that the policies and the guidelines as laid down by the management, are adhered to by the store and all employees within the store .typically, the store manager is responsible for all the activities that are conducted within the environs of the store and would include the opening of the store on time, scheduling of staff, cleanliness, ensuring adequate stock on the floor, closing of the store and also dealing with the customer grievances and complaints. While the store manager may not personally perform all these functions, he would be responsible for the tasks being performed. Thus there may be other individuals who handle these tasks, but the overall responsibility of ensuring that they are performed as per the guidelines laid down by the company, rests with the store manager. Thus, if one were to enlists the responsibilities of the store manager, they would include: BUDGETING AND PLANNING Ensure that the goals are met through appropriate planning and organization of staff, inventory and expenses, for short and long term success. Monitor a loss prevention proagram to protect the company s inventory and assets. Develop and monitor the capital expenses budget to ensure that the store is properly maintained and upgraded so as to meet the high maintenance standards that reflects the

profitable image . COMMUNICATION Communication with the regional office/head office as per the requirements laid down by the organization with reference to sales, target customer service, events and local issues. Hold staff meetings to boost employee morale and drive for achieving the results needed. Ensure the company policy and procedures are communicated in a manner and adhered to strictly. Motivate and develop staff in order to encourage their professional development. CUSTOMER SERVICE Instill the employees, the meaning and importance of customer service as outlined in the retail philosophy. Promote and monitor the quality of service among the staff through training and by acting as positive role model. Be personally available to all the customers to communicate and indentify their needs and to address their questions or concerns. PERSONAL Inspire employees so that each person contributes to the productivity of the store. Delegate the work load appropriately and effective. Write performance evaluation and goal assessments for the Assistant Store Manager. LEGAL COMPLIANCE Ensure that the store is in compliance with employment laws, including those regarding wage and hour, human rights and equal employment opportunities. Maintain safe working conditions for the employees and customers coming in the store, resolve any safety concerns quickly. Ensure store security from internal and external theft and get to know the proper apprehension and prosecution procedures for your state. The other important position within the retail store environment is that of a Cashier. The Cashier in the retail store is a person who basically, is responsible transacting the exchange of the money or credit with the customers in return for merchandise or services. The cashier in a retail

store is responsible for billing, collection of cash, credit card, foreign currency, and traveler s cheques or a gift voucher, as may be applicable.

ELEMENTS/ COMPONENTS OF RETAIL OPERATIONS

In order to ensure a smooth flow of operations at the store level, it is necessary that the management defines processes and has the people and the resources to implement them. The tasks to be performed and the processes are usually defined in a store operations manual. This document lists the tasks which need to be carried out at the store level; it states the responsibility and the time period in which these tasks need to be performed. A well-prepared operations manual or blue print is the starting point of efficient store operations Typically in a retail store, the following tasks need to be performed. 1. Store administration and management of the premises 2. Managing inventory and display 3. Managing receipts 4. Customer service 5. Managing promotions, events, alliances and partnerships.

COMPANY BACKGROUND
Shoppers Stop Ltd is a professionally managed and systems driven organisation promoted by the K Raheja Corp Group (Chandru L Raheja Group), one of the leading players in the country in the business of real estate development and hotels. Pioneer of modern retail in India, Shoppers Stop Limited has been instrumental in bringing about retail revolution in India. Since it opened its doors, the chain has become the highest benchmark for the Indian retail industry. Since its inception in 1991, Shoppers Stop Ltd has introduced various retail formats in India. Apart from the flagship business of department stores, there are also specialty stores for books, home decor, cosmetics and maternity care & infant care. Symbolizing the era of global recognition for Indian retailers, Shoppers Stop Ltd is the only Indian retailer to be shortlisted in the Retail Advertising Award category for its in-store marketing at the retail industrys globally recognized event World Retail Congress. It is also the only Indian retailer to be nominated across all the categories this year. Shoppers Stop had been named the Emerging Market Retailer of the year at the prestigious World Retail Awards, which took place on 10th April '08, in Barcelona. The World Retail Congress is the most influential and highest profile gathering of the retail industry across all retail segments across the globe.

Shoppers Stop is Indias largest retail chain of large format department stores with 50 stores in 26 cities across the country occupying an aggregate area of over 1.97 million sq.ft with an offering of more than 400 finest international and national brands. y y y y y y y y 1991 1 store at Andheri @ 2800 sq ft 1994 First Citizen Loyalty card launched 1998 Only Indian member of IGDS, Switzerland 1999 Implemented JDA Retail ERP 2000 Acquired Crossword 2004 Diversified into food and value retailing through hypermarkets(Hypercity) 2005 IPO lunch to take money from market to expand the Buissness 2005 20 stores, 825,000 sq ft, 4,13,956 first citizens, 14.7 million footfalls per annum

F Y 2004-05 Turnover

Rs. 10,110 million

Retail space

1625,000 sq. ft.

Number of stores

50

Number of Associates

2,200 (1,450 Full time)

Year founded

1991

Major Share holders

K Raheja Corp, ICICI, IL & FS

Customer Care Associate, MD & CEO Headquarters

Mr. Govind Srikhande

Mumbai

Corporate profile:

Vision:
To be a global retailer in India & maintain no.1 position in Indian market in Department Store Category. Mission: Nothing but the best To strive & achieve nothing but the best in terms of processes, practices & deliverables. Values:  The following values help Shoppers Stop in achieving its mission & vision:  We shall not take what is not ours  The Obligation to Dissent (against a viewpoint that is not acceptable)  We shall have an environment conducive to openness  We shall believe in innovation  We shall have an environment conducive to development  We shall have the willingness to apologize and/or forgive  We shall respect our customer's rights  We shall be fair. Business Partners: Launched as India's premier retail chain for branded apparel and accessories, Shoppers' Stop has systematically progressed from only branded apparel to private label garments to home furnishings, and finally into books and music - all focused on our customers' lifestyle requirements and aspirations. In 2000, SSL diversified into Bookstore Retailing by acquiring 51% stake in Crossword which it later increased to 100% in 2005. SSL has also ventured into various categories like cosmetics through MAC, mother and infant care through Mothercare, home solutions through Home Stop, food and beverages (F&B) through Brio and Desi Caf, gaming and entertainment through Timezone, Ladies non-apparel and accessories through its luxury format, Arcelia, and into airport retailing through its 50:50 joint venture (JV) with the Nuance group. SSL also has 19% stake in the hyper-mart format of HyperCity and has plans to increase it by 51% by end of June-2010. Shopperss Stores sister store are: Crossword Bookstores Crossword Bookstores is a chain of largest bookstores in India with 52 branches. Shoppers Stop acquired 100 per cent stake in bookstore chain Crossword. Crossword is positioned as a lifestyle bookstore with their spacious, well laid out stores which encourages customers ease in browsing through the merchandise of books, music, stationary and toys. Home Stop Home Stop is premium home furnishings home concept store, which offers products in home decor, furniture and accessories, bath accessories, bedroom furnishings, mattresses, draperies, carpets, modular kitchens and health equipment.

Brio
Brio makes Shoppers Stop Ltd.'s foray into Food and Beverage which was a step towards franchised coffee Beverage Brio the cafe bistro is designed provides customers a place to relax, revive and reflect. It has a classic yet sophisticated ambiance. Brio has 20 outlets in select cities. Cafe Coffee Day (CCD), the retail division of Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading (ABCTL), has signed an MoU with Shoppers Stop to run its BRIO outlets. Desi Cafe Desi Caf and their operations have been taken over by Cafe Coffee Day (CCD), the retail division of Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading (ABCTL), has signed an MoU with Shoppers Stop to run its Desi Cafe outlets. Hyper City HyperCity provides customers a wide variety of range of products for shopping in a large and modern retail environment. It offers a contemporary range of products, sourced from both local and international markets. The product range covers: Foods and Grocery, Homeware, Home Entertainment, Hi-Tech, Appliances, Furniture, Sports, Toys & Fashion. M.A.C. M.A.C. and Shoppers Stop Ltd. entered into a non exclusive retail agreement with cosmetics major Estee Lauder to open up M.A.C. Cosmetics stores in India. M.A.C. Makeup-Art Cosmetics - the professional brand of choice, is the first brand under the Estee lauder Group of Companies portfolio to enter the Indian retail market. Currently there are 9 M.A.C. stores operating Arcelia Arcelia is a new retail concept aiming at the growing accessories and cosmetics segment, with a strong emphasis on experience and indulgence and primarily caters to discerning women shoppers. It retails cosmetics, fragrances, fine jewelry, footwear, handbags. Mother Care Mother Care and Shoppers Stop come together to introduce products for infant and toddler care which stocks a variety of products for mother and babies, toddlers and children till eight years of age with the focus being on style, function and safety. Nuance Group Nuance Group with Shoppers Stop makes an entry into airport retailing. The alliance is marked with a joint venture with The Nuance Group AG of Switzerland, the worlds leading airport retailer. Shopper's Stop Ltd. is handling the retail operations at the duty free zones in international terminals. The joint venture company, called Nuance Group (India) Private Limited. is operating outlets at the International airports at Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Hyper City-Argos Hyper City-Argos and Shoppers Stop, the two retail ventures of K Raheja group had signed a memorandum of understanding with UKs leading retail chain Home Retail group to develop the Argos (retailer) retail format stores in India. Two years later, Shoppers Stop Ltd has informed

Bombay Stock Exchange shall wind down and discontinue its catalogue retail operations under the Hyper city-Argos brand. Time zone Shoppers Stop forayed into the Entertainment sector by acquiring 45% stake in Timezone Entertainment Private Limited which is in the business of setting up and operating Family Entertainment Centers (FECs). It has 5 outlets in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Navi Mumbai and Mumbai.

Customer Profile:
Shoppers Stops customers fall between the age group of 16 years to 35 years, the majority of them being families and young couples with a monthly household income above Rs. 20000 and an annual spend of Rs.15000. A large number of Non - Resident Indians visit the shop for cultural clothes in the international environment they are used to which means people from abroad are also interested in shopping in Shoppers stop. Their target customers are upper middle class and upper class.

Customer Rewards:
Shoppers Stops customer loyalty program is called The First Citizen. The program offers its members an opportunity to collect points and avail of special benefits. Currently, Shoppers Stop has a database of over 2.5 lakh members who contribute to nearly 65% of the total sales of Shoppers Stop. They also offer a co-branded credit card with Citibank for their members.

International Affiliations:
Shoppers Stop is the only retailer from India to become a member of the prestigious Intercontinental Group of Departmental Stores (IGDS). The IGDS consists of 29 experienced retailers from all over the world, which include established stores like Selfridges (England), Karstadt (Germany), Shanghai No. 1 (China), Matahari (Indonesia), Takashimaya (Japan), C K Tang (Singapore), Manor (Switzerland) and Lamcy Plaza (Dubai). This membership is restricted to one member organization per country/region.

Objective of Shoppers Stop:

Their main objective is to make their customer satisfy and then profit through sales, employee added after all every organization works to earn money which is possible through good sales and if our customers are not satisfy then it will be difficult for us. So we put our effort on retaining our customers because retaining old customers is more profitable than making new customers. And if we analyze this statement then we come to know that their 65% of their customers are their first citizen customers. Today people goes for variety and shoppers stop is doing that, they offer total 250 brands to their customers which act as their strength and help them retaining as well as making new customers. They believe in producing quality so they offer quality products basically international brands like Louis Phillip, Black Berry, Police, DKNY, Ferrari, etc. Shoppers Stop aims to position itself as a global retailer. The company intends to bring the worlds best retail technology, retail practices and sales to India. Currently, they are adding 4 to 5 new stores every year

Types of Retail Outlets:

Shoppers Stop is known as multi-Brand retail outlet because of their verity of Products. They offer various products like apparels, Accessories, Toys, Fragrances, Beauty Products, Travelling products, Home Appliances, etc. They offer various products like Apparels, Fragrance & Beauty, Home & Travel, Gift ideas. Under this they have different Categories, Brands and Styles to offer customers. They have many other showrooms of Shoppers Stop in Delhi and NCR, so we can say that they have long chain of retail outlets. They also offer online purchasing which means that they are using new technology to increase their sales.

Departmental store

Shoppers stop Ltd

Speciality Retailing

Hyper Market(Hypercity)

Brands Offered:
Shoppers Stop retails products of domestic and international brands such as  Louis Philippe,  Pepe,  Arrow,  BIBA,  Gini & Jony,  Carbon,  Corelle,  Magppie,  Nike,  Reebok,  LEGO,  Mattel. Shoppers Stop retails merchandise under its own labels, such as  STOP,  Kashish,  LIFE  Vettorio Fratini,  Elliza Donatein,  Acropolis etc. The company also licensees for Austin Reed (London), an international brand,.

Different brands offered under each category are given as billow: APPARELS  Arrow  Louis Phillipie  Park Avenue  Parx  Van Heusen  Zodiac  Stop  Caliber  Blackberries  Scullers  Givo  Orly  Lee  Levis  Pepe  Killer  Lee Cooper  Wrangler  Spykar  Life  Allen Solly  Provouge  Wills  GAS  Energe  Jack & jones  FCUK  UCB  CK  U.S Pollo  Mango  And  Mustang  Tommy hillfigure 

Jewellery
         Facet Carbon Sparkles Tanishq Swaroski Gili Oyzsterbay Sarvoski Estelle

Music
 Planet M  Music World Hair Styling  Habbibs Home Decor  Yamini  Four Seasons  Viva  Welspun  Borosil  Corning Ware  Pedrini  Pyren Books  Crossword Fragrances  Christian Dior  Ysl  Davidoff  Joop Diesel Lancaster Nicos  J'del Pozo Myrurgia Etienne Aiger Xm Watches  Casio  Esprit  Fossil  Titan  Fastrack  Tommyhilfigure  Tissot  Armani  CK  Diesel  FCUK  Timex  Moreleto  Police

Pen    

Cross Watermark Parker Pieere cairden

 Sheffer  Tommy  unisar

Sunglasses  Ray Ban  Fastrack  Polaroid  Tommyhilfigure  Calvineclare Shoes                   

Lee Cooper Red Tape Nike Puma Reebok FILA Adidas FIFA Lotto Black panther Picasso Woodland Samsonite INC5 Tresmode Enroute Pepper Catwalk Lemon

Marketing Strategies followed by Shoppers Stop basically follows 2 marketing strategies: 1. Guerrilla marketing 2. Interactive marketing

1. Guerrilla marketing-; is an unconventional system of promotions that relies on time, energy

and imagination rather than a big marketing budget. Typically, guerrilla marketing tactics are unexpected and unconventional; consumers are targeted in unexpected places, which can make the idea that's being marketed memorable, generate buzz, and even spread virally. Guerilla Marketing involves unusual approaches such as intercept encounters in public places, street giveaways of products, pr stunts, any unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources. More innovative approaches to Guerilla marketing now utilize cutting edge mobile digital technologies to really engage the consumer and create a memorable

brand experience. Principles of guerrilla marketing Guerrilla Marketing is specifically geared for the small business and entrepreneur. It should be based on human psychology instead of experience, judgment, and guesswork. Instead of money, the primary investments of marketing should be time, energy, and imagination. The primary statistic to measure your business is the amount of profits, not sales. The marketer should also concentrate on how many new relationships are made each month. Create a standard of excellence with an acute focus instead of trying to diversify by offering too many diverse products and services. Instead of concentrating on getting new customers, aim for more referrals, more transactions with existing customers, and larger transactions. Forget about the competition and concentrate more on cooperating with other businesses. Guerrilla Marketers should always use a combination of marketing methods for a campaign. Use current technology as a tool to empower your business. 2. Interactive marketing is a strategies adopted by then retailers where they allow customers to customize the product as per their preference. This strategy is mainly followed by service industries like hotels but Shoppers Stop is able to carve out this facility in a retail store. The concept that has already made a debut at Shoppers Stop outlets in Mumbai, allows customers who are referred to as guests to go through various stages of activity in creating their own teddy bear (or other stuffed toy), including choosing a stuffed animal, stuffing it, giving it a heart, stitching, fluffing, naming and dressing it. And though the toys are priced at a premium level ranging between Rs 595 and Rs 1,295 for a stuffed animal and add-ons such as sound chips, clothes and accessories coming at extra cost the interactive shopping experience also adds on an element of entertainment for young customers and can turn into a family affair as well.

Use of CRM, ERP & SCM at Shoppers Stop: Use of CRM, ERP & SCM at Shoppers Stop: CRM:
Retail chain Shoppers Stop Ltd, is eyeing over 50 per cent sales this year from its customer relationship management (CRM) initiatives. The company has also lined up an aggressive expansion plan targeting smaller towns and cities in the country. BS Nagesh, managing director and CEO of Shoppers Stop, told FE that the company has given a new direction to its CRM initiatives after it acquired a business intelligence software called Business Solutions about eight months ago. The new software helps generate intelligent data from Shoppers Stop customer base of about 2,30,000. The company then collects this data and touches base with customers via direct mailers informing them of all new promotions that is currently on and also updates them about the upcoming events. Shoppers Stop claims that it has taken its CRM initiatives to a new height and now calls it's loyalty programmes Customer Experience Management. ERP: Shoppers Stop was the first few retailers to use scanners and barcodes and completely computerise its operations. Today it is one of the few stores in India to have retail ERP (Enterprise resource planning) in place, which is the best retail planning system in the world.

With the help of the ERP, they are able to open new stores faster and get information about merchandise and customers online, which reduces the time in taking quick decision. SCM: Understanding the importance of distribution and logistics in ensuring that merchandise is available on the shop floors has led Shoppers Stop to streamline its supply chain. The company has developed process manuals for each part of the logistics chain. These modules include vendor management, purchase order management, stock receiving systems, purchase verification and inventory buildup, fixing of price and store tags, dispatch of stocks to the retail floor and forwarding of bills for payment. If we talk about various brands then the answer is that they have a direct tie ups with different companies and companies deliver all the needed products to their door-step means deliver all the goods to every shoppers stop showroom. But there are some companies which do not provide them these services so for those they have their own carrier.
Use of Technology

The ardent need of new technologies can be understood no better than Shoppers Stop. Shoppers Stop is one of those first few retail chains which introduced the use of scanners and barcodes and also encouraged the use of fully computerized operations. It is also one of those very few retail chains to have ERP (Enterprise Retail Planning), which is considered one of the best retail planning system in the world. ERP helps in quick decision making process. With this Shoppers Stop can open new stores faster and can get necessary information about merchandise and customers online. Shoppers Stop uses a mix of technologies and systems like JDA suite for retail business and SharePoint portal for their internal and external collaboration. It also uses Microsoft Exchange and Communication Server for messaging. Technologies like Oracle Financials is used for financial accounting, NetApps' SAN and NAS technologies for storage consolidation and virtualization, Business Objects for reporting, blade servers and multi-core servers with VM Ware for application deployment, and Wi-Fi networks in offices. For stores and distribution centers they use operational activities with Symbol wireless scanners. Shoppers Stop replaced its legacy system in 1998 and selected JDA. JDA solutions ensured consistency and uniformity of fixtures across all its stores thus enhancing the efficiently and helping the chain grow profitably as well as ensuring the companys success particularly that of its new hypermarket business. JDA solutions have helped Shoppers Stop in many ways:
 Optimizing floor space and visualizing the layout prior to construction  Inventory planning improvement through planned and systematic forecasting  Provide a high magnitude of analysis and reporting

 Efficiently manage high inventory turns and volumes  Improve the management of metrics, including service and inventory levels

Shoppers Stop also insists on the use of PeopleSoft HRMS, business intelligence solutions, elearning solutions, customer feedback systems and mobile point-of-sale systems.

Controllable & Uncontrollable Factors

Controllable & Uncontrollable factors are those which are directly or indirectly affect the retail outlet. The difference between these two factors is that one can be controlled by the retailer and another cannot be controlled. The variables which are controllable can be change according to the retailers but if we talk about uncontrollable factors then the retailer have to change him/her according to those factors. There are various Controllable &uncontrollable Factors. When we ask about these factors to the employee of Shoppers Stop, he told us the following important things: Controllable Factors of Shoppers Stop  Pricing  Store Location  Managing a business/workforce Pricing He told us that setting price of a product is in our hands. This is our decision that how much profit we want to make by selling our products. Sometimes we have to set our prices according to the competition. Store Location Selecting the location for the store is in the hands of retailers because before selecting the location they have to check many factors like walking traffic, competitor, parking, infrastructure, etc. They also have to decide that they want to buy the site or they will take it on rent. So after deciding all these things they reach to the final decision. Managing a Business/Workforce He told us that managing the workforce means a lot to them, because they have to decide that what type of people they need what type of training our employees need, and what will be the salary of our employees. All these things can be controlled by the retailer.

Uncontrollable Factors of Shoppers Stop

 Government Policies  Seasons  Inflation Rate  Technology  Infrastructure Government Policies Government policies or Legal Restriction It cannot be controlled and the big example of this is sealing of illegal shops. The taxes and duties which retailers have to pay to the government.

Seasons He told us that natural climates cannot be controlled and they have to go according to that like in winters they have to change their theme and products also. He also told us that a sometimes season plays a negative role like in rainy season their sales goes down. So these things cannot be controlled and they can only launch new marketing strategies to attract the customers. Inflation Rate He told us that as we all know that now inflation rate is more that 12% so it is creating more problems for us because due to this people are getting more aware of saving money and due to which our sales is also affected. If we analyze the global market then we will see that every sector is going down except one or two. And retail sector is also not doing well these days. Against this we cant do anything, we can only wait.

Technology He told us that day by day the technology is upgrading and the problem is that the new competitor comes with new technology because of which they also have to upgrade their technology which results more expenditure, which is not good for any business. Competitors Analysis: In India, as we analyzed we find only few competitors for Shoppers Stop & those are mainly foreign players and also Individual stores. The name of few competitors is given below:  Lifestyle  Globus  Central  Pantaloons  Westside  Ebony  Reliance trend Situational Analysis: Situational Analysis includes current organizational mission, current ownership and management alternatives, and current goods/services category. As we have explained above about the mission management alternatives, current products, so now here we have done the SWOT analysis of Shoppers Stop. Strength  Variety  Range Different Brands  Pioneer  Loyal customer  Low risk  Good financial position

 Presence across various segments

Weakness  Very high prices: They provide international Brands due to which their prices are very high.  Less Schemes: They do not offer so much schemes, they offer schemes only on special occasions like Diwali, Independence Day, etc.  Less Discounts : They offer less discount in their schemes, they basically offer 10% to 20% discount  Competition from standalone stores  Late entry into value retailing  Store makeover expenditure Threats  Government Policies  Entrance of New Players  High attrition  Lesser consumer spending  Entry of foreign players  Unorganized sector  Independent stores Opportunities  Awareness about the brands  Quality  Youngsters  Higher disposable income  Collaborate  Private levels  Tier 2 & tier 3 cities  Enter new consumer goods segments.

Suggestions:  They should introduce more schemes, discounts, sales to increase the sales.  They should introduce Low rate Brands which will attract the middle class customers also or brands for masses.  The stores becomes a bit messy because of a large footfall & small size of stores so they should have larger outlets  They offer parking space only for the first citizen card holders which acts as a constraint for many first visitors to visit the malls  Shoppers stops competitors used aggressive medium of advertisement like television commercial ads, thus to gain a competitive advantage over the competitors Shoppers Stop such medium of marketing.  They should also use the interactive shopping experience also adds on an element of entertainment for young customers and can turn into a family affair as well.