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There have been a number of studies of store image (especially in the US), some of which have thrown up useful definitions. But so far relatively little has been done to establish what difference may exist in image as far as different departments of a variety store are concerned. In this special feature, Peter McGoldrick discusses a survey carried out in a Manchester Marks & Spencer store which examined customers' perceptions of image, and looks at the implications for management.

Peter McGoldrick offers some thoughts on generic positioning and some comments on the progress of generics over the last seven years. He also takes up points made by Robert Pieczka in his article in our last issue.

It is no news that severe losses have been incurred by independent chemists over the last five to ten years, both in terms of numbers and share of turnover, and that to a great extent this has been due to increased competition from supermarkets and grocery multiples. In the past, research has been done into the distribution of retail pharmacies, but now a new study has been carried out by Peter McGoldrick and Emily Chan of UMIST. Their project has a rather different purpose. Instead of looking at shifts in share of trade, they choose to focus on the pharmacy customer, her shopping problems and attitudes, and this approach has pointed up ways in which the pharmacist as retailer can effectively develop his ‘over‐the‐counter’ trade — precisely that part of his business which up to now has been eroded by supermarkets and grocery multiples.

For some years now the technique of setting up “concessions” or shops within shops has been familiar in department stores. But with the closing of Bournes in London's Oxford Street, one of the most extensive practitioners of the technique — doubts began to set in. Dr Peter McGoldrick and his colleagues at UMIST have recently carried out a study into the question of shops within shops, based mainly on consumers' perceptions of them. They found that most retailers have now become more measured in their approach to concessions. It has been recognised that a diversity of names, design formats and staff loyalties may not produce the most coherent or powerful image for the retailer. Awareness of concessions amongst shoppers, however, is rather higher than expected. Younger and more affluent consumers tended to be the most aware, but most shoppers did not express strong preferences between concessions and own departments. The survey concludes that it would be a mistake to assume that concessions are entering a sharp decline — in fact there are signs of considerable growth potential in the superstore and variety store sectors. The major department store groups are however likely to seek even more control over their concessionaires, giving them less autonomy in their design and selling styles.

Given the ways in which the research pressures on university staff are becoming seemingly ever greater, an issue of the European Journal of Marketing that is given over to a survey of the kinds of research initiatives which are currently being carried out is timely. The study which provides the basis for this was conducted between December 1994 and February 1995, with questionnaires being sent to staff in universities throughout Europe. At the time the final selection was made, a total of 150 responses had been received from 18 countries.

Carrefour in France were (he first retailers to introduce the idea of “produits libres” — or generics, as they came to be called. In this country only three retailers so far include them in their range — International, Carrefour, and Fine Fare. UMIST have carried out a survey into the subject, which indicates that generics are compatible with attempts to upgrade a retailer's quality image, a major objective of some at the present time. In the writer's view, the recession is providing the right conditions for the development of generic ranges — and their appeal is likely to remain.

In spite of their importance within pricing strategies, “seasonal sales” have received little attention within the literature. The recent interest in “high‐low” pricing has, however, increased the attention given to temporal shifts in store‐wide, rather than item level, prices. Following a brief review, this paper draws upon two case studies of leading retailers of apparel in the UK. Evidence is also presented from audits of pricing and markdown activities over a three‐year period, illustrating some contrasts between stated strategies and actual pricing activities. A cost‐benefit analysis of high‐low pricing requires knowledge of consumer preferences and attitudes. Results are drawn from a study of over 2,600 “sale” shoppers, indicating stated preferences for markdown frequency, depth and coverage. In general “sale” shoppers appear to prefer a variety of markdown levels, increasing their scope to succeed as bargain hunters.

Discusses individual generic ranges based on a series of interviews with senior personnel in major retail companies. Presents data from a survey of 200 generic purchasers, outlining the methodology and findings. Reveals that, in the UK, conditions are suitable for the development of generic ranges within the grocery sector.

Some studies concerned with the allocation of tolerances have been published, but only a few deal with both cost and function. In order to overcome this drawback, and to tighten the liaison between design and production, work has been carried out in the area of tolerance, with cost, function and process capability the main parameters in mind. Such work is discussed, where the problem covered is the manner of specifying the component tolerances of an assembly, so that the resulting functional variables of the assembly can meet their respective functional requirements, and the cost of manufacturing all the components to their respective tolerances is minimised. It shows that, when manufacturing cost information and process capability information are available, functionally correct design at minimum cost can be achieved. Furthermore, how statistical analyses of the manufacturing processes involved can lead to the relaxation in requirements, thus, promoting industrial harmony while, at the same time, maintaining the desired levels of product quality and reliability, is shown.

Whereas price was the major marketing weapon in food retailing in the 1960s and early 70s, most food retailers now acknowledge that this has been superseded by other more subtle approaches. From the customer's viewpoint, to what degree is s/he aware of a store's prices, in this changing economic climate? The Economic and Social Research Council sponsored a study in which the two authors set out to measure price awareness levels at two supermarkets in the Manchester area. The differences in awareness that emerged between product groups and between brand types are, the authors claim, “of the utmost importance to retail price makers.”