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The purpose of this paper is to highlight two important strategies (private label strategy and specialty store strategy) of the Japanese wholesale apparel market and then to clarify the characteristics of those apparel wholesalers who own or intend to establish specialty private label stores.

A questionnaire survey was carried out on 3,008 apparel wholesalers in Japan and probit regression analyses were applied to identify what types of apparel wholesalers already own or whether they intend to establish specialty private label stores.

The main findings are as follows: large‐scale apparel wholesalers tend to own specialty private label stores but these wholesalers experience a worse financial outcome; apparel wholesalers with brand strength tend to possess their own specialty stores; and apparel wholesalers, who do not currently own specialty stores, plan to strengthen their brands in order to take advantage of apparel distribution channels.

Because of a lack of published data, no empirical studies have investigated the effectiveness of private label or specialty store strategies developed by Japanese apparel wholesalers. The present study has sought to address this problem by conducting questionnaire surveys with all Japanese apparel wholesalers and has, therefore, been able to clarify the situation regarding survival in the apparel market by considering those apparel wholesalers that already own or intend to establish specialty private label stores.

Examines the differences between consumers′ expectations and perceptions of service quality they received when shopping apparel specialty stores. Also takes into account consumer demographic characteristics. Utilizes SERVQUAL scale and methodology developed by Parasuraman et al., (1991). Calculates gap scores by subtracting the expectation scores from the perception scores. Using a factor analysis procedure, four determinants of service quality emerged: (1) Personal Attention; (2) Reliability; (3) Tangibles; and (4) Convenience. Findings indicate greatest disparity between expectations and perceptions for the Personal Attention factor. Consumer demographic characteristics of race, marital status, and income provided significant differences between expectations and perceptions for Reliability and Convenience. Also considers the importance of service as a patronage criterion for apparel specialty store consumers. Indicates that service ranked third in importance behind merchandise assortment and price.

The purpose of this paper is to identify selected store attributes of activewear specialty retailers that impact consumers’ satisfaction, which in turn influence word-of-mouth (WOM) and retail patronage behavior.

Using an on-site store intercept, 150 responses were collected to answer hypothesized relationships. An exploratory factor analysis was first performed followed by a confirmatory factor analysis and a structural equation analysis.

Results revealed that sales employees and store atmosphere attributes of activewear specialty stores had a positive influence on consumer satisfaction, which in turn had a direct impact on WOM and repatronage intentions for activewear specialty stores. Therefore, in order to satisfy consumers, activewear specialty retailers need to ensure that they provide an attractive and pleasant shopping atmosphere. Furthermore, satisfied consumers are likely to spread positive WOM about the retailer and display their intention to revisit the store in the future. The authors conclude by discussing the results and suggest implications and future research directions.

The findings of this research shed light on the managerial implications for activewear specialty retailers with regards to marketing strategies and consumers’ attitudes.

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship of older Generation Y (Gen Y) customers' (18‐27) shopping orientations to their expectations for retail services. It also seeks to assess the importance and impact of service expectations and perceptions on customer satisfaction and loyalty when shopping for apparel in different types of retail outlets.

Three different retail settings (department, specialty, and discount stores) were examined with parallel lists of retail service‐related questions using a convenience sample of older Gen Y female customers. Descriptive analysis, exploratory factor analysis, F‐tests, and regression analysis were employed.

Shopping orientations were related to older Gen Y customers' expectations for retail services and patronage in all three apparel retail settings. The modified SERVQUAL scale represented one grand service construct in each retail setting. Older Gen Y customers' expectations for service differed by store type, and their service expectations, service perceptions, and service quality were related to retailer satisfaction and store loyalty.

Generalizability of findings may be limited as the study was conducted with female older Gen Y customers shopping for a singular apparel category.

This study illuminates how retail services create value and satisfaction for older Gen Y customers. Results aid in development of service strategies and training programs by type of store outlet.

The study contributes to the scant literature concerning service quality and service expectations for female older Gen Y customers.

The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast customer perceptions related to satisfaction with conventional grocery stores as compared to specialty grocery stores. The study examines store attributes of product assortment, price, quality, and service in order to determine which attributes have the greatest impact on store satisfaction for each store format.

A mail survey was sent to a sample of specialty and conventional grocery store customers. The ten state sample was drawn from US households located in postal (ZIP) codes in areas where national specialty stores (e.g. whole foods) were located.

Perception of satisfaction were higher among specialty grocery store customers compared to conventional grocery store customers. For both store formats, store price, product assortment, service and quality positively influenced satisfaction. Stepwise regression indicated that each store attribute contributed differently to store satisfaction for conventional and specialty store formats.

The results demonstrate that price, product assortment, quality, and employee service influence store satisfaction regardless of store type (conventional stores or specialty stores). However, the degree of influence of these attributes varied by store type. The results imply that while specialty store shopper satisfaction characteristics are clearly delineated, conventional store shopper characteristics are more difficult to pinpoint. Research limitations include a sample that is more highly educated and has higher incomes than the average American household.

Despite the growth of new product categories and new industry players, few studies have investigated customer satisfaction within the retail food industry. Comparisons of specialty and conventional food stores are equally scarce.

The purpose of this study is to validate the Retail Service Quality Scale (RSQS) developed by Dabholkar et al. in the Malaysian business setting, specifically in the context of apparel specialty stores.

Two well‐known retail clothing store chains were selected for this study. Purposive sampling method was used, with a total of 211 responses collected from customers of all X and Y's chain stores in the northern region of Malaysia.

The paper finds that all the five dimensions: physical aspects, reliability, personal interaction, problem solving, and policy, are highly suited for measuring retail service quality in clothing stores, also proving that the instrument is applicable in the Malaysian setting. Retail service quality is furthermore associated with future consumption behaviour in terms of the customers' intention to visit, purchase and recommend the stores to others.

The instrument is proven to be valid, reliable and appropriate for studying retail businesses that offer a mix of services and merchandise. The instrument is also applicable in another culture other than the USA, namely Malaysia.

Retailers can utilize the instrument for benchmarking current levels of retail service quality, carrying out periodic inspections to measure service performance and improvement, as well as to detect problematic areas of service quality within the stores that are in need of attention.

This research contributes to the somewhat limited studies carried out on instrument validation in Malaysia. Furthermore, the RSQS is tested in Malaysia – a country with a vibrant, dynamic retail environment and heightened consumer awareness for fashion and retail.

Consumer perceptions of retail store attributes for a set of particular stores were examined to determine their effect on store preference. Respondents rated 13 stores. Four variables were found to affect store preference using forward stepwise logistic regression: type of clothing desired in stock, outside store appearance, shopping hours, and advertising. Significance of the effect of store attributes on store preference varied by store type. In addition, associations between customer perception of store attributes, education and age were observed. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Successful retailing concepts never remain static. When they become popular, competition increases and this inevitably leads to the need for differentiation and a repositioning of marketing appeal. In America off‐price apparel retailing originated in the early 1970s, selling high quality brand name clothes from relatively spartan stores where the overheads were minimal. It was designed to serve a marketing void that fell between high priced department and speciality store goods and discount operations. Their success and growth has inevitably meant a move up market, however. In the second of an irregular series of articles on American retailing Dr David Rogers describes this experience and muses on whether an equivalent operation could work in the UK.

Female consumers' preferences for shopping via CD/ROM, television or catalogue versus in a specialty store were investigated. Videotaped shopping simulations were viewed by 191 subjects who selected preferred options within each of six forced‐choice pairs. Specialty store was most and television least preferred. Catalogue was most preferred among non‐store options. Fashion Opinion Leadership, Clothing Interest Inventory and Shopping Orientation measures, and demographic and open‐ended questions were used to profile and explore preference behaviour. Analysis with Chi‐Square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) profiled five consumer segments. Subjects had positive and negative perceptions of each venue and believed that shopping through electronic media will be dominant non‐store options in the future.

The Japanese retail environment is of interest to businessmen, politicians and academics. Different observers tend to base their views on their own vested interests and national expectations, Japanese observers included. There is a need for more objective, unbiased research into Japanese retailing, consumer behaviour and marketing. Presents an overview of Japanese retailing employing predominantly Japanese language sources. Outlines briefly the general structure of the retail industry, emphasizing the large number of outlets overall. Considers the independent retail sector, notably the existence of street associations, and the corporate retail sector, putting emphasis on the latter owing to the lack of information available in English. Considers three forms of corporate retailing in detail, namely department stores, general merchandise stores and groups, and speciality shopping centres – commonly known as “fashion buildings”. In conclusion, notes that there is great scope for further research into Japanese retailing, and three general sectors are suggested.