TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether new store locations by two incumbent supermarket chains in Singapore were consistent with a preemptive strategy.Design/methodology/approach The methodology involved collecting store location data and using a geographical technique (Thiessen polygons) for inferring the existence of a preemptive strategy.Findings The analyses revealed that while NTUC Fairprice’s (the dominant incumbent) new store location strategy was consistent with a preemptive strategy, the second ranked player’s (Cold Storage) was not. Being the dominant incumbent, NTUC Fairprice had the incentive (protect its dominant position) as well as ability (scale, low costs and a merchandise mix that appealed to the mass market) to adopt a preemptive strategy. Cold Storage, on the other hand, lacked both the incentive (appeal to the narrow expatriate segment) and the ability (scale or low costs) to follow a preemptive location strategy.Research limitations/implications The analyses did not distinguish between the opening of large vs small stores because the data on store sizes were not available. The analyses focused on an earlier time period because the implementation of the analytical technique (construction of polygons) was more feasible during the timeframe.Practical implications The paper identifies conditions under which it may be appropriate for firms to follow a preemptive strategy.Originality/value The paper adopts a highly appropriate methodology (Thiessen polygons) that takes into account the locations of own as well as competitor’s stores for analyzing the new store locations by supermarket chains. The paper’s conclusions about the conditions under which preemptive strategies are likely to be adopted can be useful to future researchers as well as managers.
VL  - 11
IS  - 1
SN  - 1755-425X
DO  - 10.1108/JSMA-07-2017-0052
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/JSMA-07-2017-0052
AU  - Pangarkar Nitin
PY  - 2018
Y1  - 2018/01/01
TI  - Location preemption by oligopolists: evidence from the Singapore supermarket industry
T2  - Journal of Strategy and Management
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 131
EP  - 146
Y2  - 2024/09/23
ER  -