Through the market survey and personal interviews I suggested a new financial proposal for the Liverpool Retail India Ltd. My suggestions included that the company should keep their merchandise in the new format of retail outlets i.e. Large Format Stores
RESEARCH PROPOSAL ON VIABILITY OF LIVERPOOL RETAIL IN LARGE FROMAT STORES
1. VIABILITY OF LIVERPOOL RETAIL IN MBO & LFS
By:
Nikita Sanghvi
Stevens Business School
Batch 2009-11
2. AREA OF RESEARCH
Operations in new evolved Retail Market, that is, Multi-brand outlets & Large Format Stores
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
To propose Liverpool Retail about investment in Multi-brand outlets (MBOs) & Large
Format Stores (LFS)
To demonstrate viability of Liverpool Retail in Multi-brand outlets & Large Format Stores
To make Liverpool Retail’s new investment a profitable initiative
To provide information about various pros & cons of the new investment in MBOs & LFS
To give data of current status & performance of other apparel brands in all formats of
retail stores
To derive the relationship between the fresh investment & impact on sales of Liverpool
retail in market
To know consumer purchasing behavior in Large Format Stores (specific apparel
department )
To establish Liverpool Retail as a premium brand in the market
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The area covered in the survey would be only Ahmedabad.
It would be difficult to get sales details from the store managers because of its
confidentiality.
HYPOTHESIS
H1: Expectations and perception varies according to format of retail store irrespective of
the Brand name
H2: Expectation and perception does not varies according to format of retail store
irrespective of the Brand name
H3: Promotional activities of the LFS do affect the sales of a brand
H4: Promotional activities of the LFS do not affect the sales of a brand
H5: Image of the mall affects the sales of a store
H6: Image of the mall does not affect the sales of a store
H7: People are Loyal to particular Brand irrespective of the format of retail store
H8: People are not loyal to particular Brand irrespective of the format of retail store
H9: Factors that affects the consumer behavior for liking a type of retail format is the
same for each Age group
H10: Factors that affects the consumer behavior for liking a type of retail format varies
for each age group
3. RESEARCH DESIGN
Research Type:
Our research type is Quantitative and Suggestive research because it will compare the
performance of various formats of retail outlets and attractiveness of the investment in the new
retail formats.
Coverage:
i) Area of Study: Retail Management
ii) Period of Study: 10 days
iii) Proposed Submission Date: 20th July 2010
Data Requirement:
For this research we would require:
i) Entrepreneurs who are already functioning in EBOs, MBOs & LFS
ii) Store Managers & Staff of the various brands present in the store
iii) Customers who are actually purchasing from various types of retail stores
Data Collection method:
Target population will be asked to fill up the Questionnaire and we will also refer to the data which
is already published in print media or online media.
Scaling Techniques:
We will use the Comparative Scaling techniques as for capturing the data about the preference
and performance of various formats of retail store.
SAMPLING DESIGN
Sampling Techniques:
We will use the Probability Sampling Method. In this Probability sampling Method, we will use the
Simple Random Sampling as in our research each respondents in the population will have an
equal opportunity of selection. Each Respondent will be selected independently of every other
respondent.
And we will also use Cluster sampling as we will divide our target population in different areas of
Ahmedabad and then a random sample of clusters will be selected.
Sample Size: We will take the sample of about 100 people who are related to retail business in
some or the other way.
4. Questionnaire
Two set of questionnaire were prepared:
i) for store managers
ii) for the customers visiting the store
5. A study on the Customer perception about EBO, MBO & LFS stores
(Questionnaire for customers visiting the stores at the mall)
Q1. How often do you shop in an apparel and lifestyle showroom? _______
a. On Weekends
b. Once or more in a month
c. Once in two months
d. Only on special occasions
e. Only when necessary
Q2. Where do you prefer shopping the most? (Rate : 1= least preferred 3= Most preferred)
a. Exclusive Brand Outlet (e.g. Spykar, Pepe)
b. Multi Brand Family Store (e.g. Kenzer, Half-ticket)
c. Large Format Store (e.g. Central, Pantaloons, Westside)
Q3. To buy your preferred Brand apparels you go to its-
a. Exclusive brand outlet
b. Large format store
Please state the reason for your choice:______________________________________
Q4. Do you switch to other Brands when multiple brands are available in Multi-brand stores and
Large Format stores?
a. Yes
b. No
Q5. When you go to shop for apparels, your purchase remains:
a. Exactly what you need
b. More than what you had planned
c. Much more than planned
Q6. How often do you buy branded products in case of apparels?
a. Mostly
b. Sometimes
c. Never
Q7. What attracts you towards a Large Format Stores?
a. Product range and variety across all age groups (menswear, womenswear and kidswear)
b. Multiple brands under one roof
c. Loyalty programs
d. Ambience/ in store setup
e. Convenience in shopping
f. Rebates and discounts on purchase
g. Visual display
6. Q8. How often do you enter an apparel retail store/ lifestyle showroom on the basis of the window
display?
a. Very Frequently
b. Frequently
c. Rarely Never
Q9. How often do you enter an apparel retail store/ lifestyle showroom on the basis of the sales
promotion initiative publicized outside the showroom?
a. Very Frequently
b. Frequently
c. Rarely Never
Q10. Rate the importance of following for you in a retail store on a scale of 1 to 5, where
Least important =1 & Most important =5
a. Multiple brands 1 2 3 4 5
b. Variety 1 2 3 4 5
c. Quality 1 2 3 4 5
d. Store ambience 1 2 3 4 5
e. Staff behavior 1 2 3 4 5
f. In-store promotions 1 2 3 4 5
g. Deals and offers 1 2 3 4 5
h. Convenience in shopping and product placement 1 2 3 4 5
i. Affordability 1 2 3 4 5
Q11. Do you think location of store in the proximity area affects your purchase behavior?
a. Strongly Agree
b. Agree
c. Neither Agree nor Disagree
d. Disagree
e. Strongly Disagree
7. Q12. Exclusive benefits and privileges given to loyal customers who frequently visit the stores attract
you towards the store?
(E.g. Green card in case of Pantaloons, and first citizen cards in case of Shoppers Stop)
a. Strongly Agree
b. Agree
c. Neither Agree nor Disagree
d. Disagree
e. Strongly Disagree
Q13. Would you like to buy apparels of a new brand launched in the Large Format Store?
a. Yes
b. No
PERSONAL INFORMATION
1. Name:
2. Gender:
Male [ ] Female [ ]
3. Age group (in yrs):
a. Under 18 [ ]
b. 18-25 [ ]
c. 26-35 [ ]
d. 36-55 [ ]
e. > 55 [ ]
4. Area of the residence__________________
8. A study on the performance of apparel segment tenants at Mall
(Questionnaire for tenants at the mall)
1. Name of the store: _______________________________________
2. What is the average [approximate] no. of customers visiting the store per week? ________
3. Among the customers who visit the store, what percentage actually buy from the store?
Approx. % ………………..
4. Are your weekly average sales greater than your expected average sales?
a. Much greater [ ]
b. Greater [ ]
c. About the same [ ]
d. Worse [ ]
e. Much worse [ ]
5. At the current volume of sales, how would you rate the profitability of your shop?
a. Highly profitable [ ]
b. Profitable [ ]
c. Break even [ ]
d. Not profitable [ ]
e. Loss [ ]
6. What do you think about the trend in sales performance, whether it is increasing or decreasing?
a. Rapidly increasing [ ]
b. Increasing [ ]
c. About the same [ ]
d. Decreasing [ ]
e. Rapidly decreasing [ ]
7. How do you rate the overall performance of the store at the mall when compared to your outside
stores?
a. Much better [ ]
b. Better [ ]
c. About the same [ ]
d. Worse [ ]
e. Much worse [ ]
8. Do you think that the current tenant mix is complementary and helping the store?
a. Most helpful [ ]
b. Helpful [ ]
c. About the same [ ]
d. Not helpful [ ]
e. Least helpful [ ]
9. Are there too many competitors for the store at the mall?
a. Yes [ ] b. No [ ]
10. List the kind of promotional activities that has affected your store’s sales:
a.______________________________________
b. ______________________________________
c. ______________________________________
d. ______________________________________
e. ______________________________________
11. Do you have your own Exclusive Brand Outlet?
a. Yes [ ] b. No [ ]
9. 12. Does your Exclusive Brand Outlet perform better than the store in the mall?
a. Yes [ ] b. No [ ]
13. Do you think opening a store in the mall will have good impact on the Brand (in terms of sales)?
a. Yes [ ] b. No [ ]
14. Please give reasons for your opinion:
a. ______________________________________
b. ______________________________________
c. ______________________________________