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Supply-side influences
Labour costs. The costs of employing people with particular skills can vary between different
areas in any country, but are likely to be more significant when international comparisons
are made. Labour costs can be expressed in two ways. The ‘hourly cost’ is what firms have to
pay workers on average per hour. However, the ‘unit cost’ is an indication of the labour cost
per unit of production. This includes the effects both of productivity differences between
countries and of differing currency exchange rates. Exchange rate variation can cause unit costs
to change dramatically over time. Yet in spite of this, labour costs exert a major influence on
the location decision, especially in some industries such as clothing, where labour costs as a
proportion of total costs are relatively high.
Land costs. The cost of acquiring the site itself is sometimes a relevant factor in choosing
a location. Land and rental costs vary between countries and cities. At a more local level,
land costs are also important. A retail operation, when choosing ‘high-street’ sites, will pay a
particular level of rent only if it believes it can generate a certain level of revenue from the site.
Chapter 6 Supply network design
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Tesco is an international retailer with sales in excess of
£50 billion, operating around 4,000 stores worldwide,
employing almost half a million people and serving millions
of customers each week. It sells a wide range of items
including groceries, petrol, financial services, electrical
goods, household items, toys and even furniture. Although
based in the UK Tesco now trades all over the world. One
of its big successes is Thailand, where it has 476 stores
and employs over 36,000 people. Tesco’s expansion
strategy is founded on the need to provide quality products,
convenient locations and opening hours and value for
money. The company has come to realize that international
markets need differing local approaches, with local supply
chains, different store formats and sensitivity to local
traditions. So how does Tesco (branded ‘Tesco Lotus’ in
Thailand) adapt its operating practice to local conditions?
Some things are relatively straightforward. For
example, those stores with limited opening hours open at
9.09 precisely, as Thais believe these numbers bring good
fortune. Other things are based on a thorough understanding
of local customers. They discovered that around 5% of
their customers were actually small family-run stores
taking advantage of Tesco’s lower prices. Rather than
discourage this they developed their ‘Club Pack’ products
that shopkeepers could break up and sell in their own
stores at a good profit. They also investigated the shopping
experience their Thai customers really want. ‘We started
out by asking our customers what they want our stores to
sell and look like. From the responses that we received, we
realized that the optimal solution would be best delivered
by Tesco Lotus constructing its own malls’ (Mrs Veena
Arunyakasem, Mall and Media Director, Tesco Lotus).
So, they developed two new concepts, the Lifestyle
Shopping Mall and Community Mall. Lifestyle Shopping
Short case
Tesco Thailand
7
Malls contain the flagship hypermarket stores and other
shops, including restaurants and banks, promoting
high-quality local brands rather than expensive imported
brands. ‘These “lifestyle shopping malls” provide better
service and increased convenience to our customers.
The biggest beneficiaries will be our upcountry customers
who have previously lived a long way from the nearest
cinema’ (Gwyn Sundhagul, Tesco Lotus Director and
Chief Marketing Officer).
Community Malls are smaller and emphasize easy
access to local neigbourhoods.
Other local developments take account of cultural
sensitivities. Thais greatly admire individuals and
organizations that help the poor. So Tesco set up
‘Tesco for Thais’, a non-profit charitable foundation.
The green agenda is also important in Thailand and
large organizations are expected to lead the way. In 2004
Tesco opened its first ‘green’ superstore in Bangkok.
This store includes a range of energy-saving initiatives
including recycling and the use of rainwater, with its air
conditioning run by solar panels, the size of three football
pitches, on the roof.
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