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• Case | HBS Case Collection | June 2020 (Revised August 2020)

  Majid Al Futtaim Retail Geographic Expansion: Brick or Click?

  Juan Alcácer and Alpana Thapar

  This case illustrates the challenges that retailers face when they aggressively pursue geographical growth by expanding both their physical store network and their online presence. It features Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Retail, a franchisee of Carrefour hypermarkets in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, a company that strived to strike the right balance of offline and online for each of the markets it served. MAF Retail had a strong presence in the Middle East, particularly in its home market, the United Arab Emirates, and it had been building its presence in Egypt, Pakistan, Kenya, Georgia, and most recently in Uganda. There were also opportunities to open hundreds more stores in each of these markets and expand into 15 other countries in Asia and Africa where it had a license. But the retail environment was changing across the globe, owing to a shift in consumer behaviors that accompanied the rise of the online-only players. CEO Hani Weiss had been driving a digital transformation within the company, building the necessary technology and online capabilities to provide a seamless experience to its customers. The company also partnered with online-only players to increase its reach to customers in countries where MAF Retail had a presence and to provide an online offer to customers where it had no online store. Going forward, Weiss faced hard choices in deciding which markets to prioritize. He also had to determine the right balance of offline and online for each market. Should he invest his resources in opening new stores, or in building online capabilities—or both? How would his strategy differ in the key markets?

  Keywords: stores; ecommerce; digital transformation; Strategy; Expansion; Geographic Location; Decision Making; Online Technology; Retail Industry; Middle East;

  Citation:

  Alcácer, Juan, and Alpana Thapar. "Majid Al Futtaim Retail Geographic Expansion: Brick or Click?" Harvard Business School Case 720-482, June 2020. (Revised August 2020.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | June 2020

  What IKEA Do We Want?

  Cynthia A. Montgomery, Juan Alcacer, Emilie Billaud and Vincent Marie Dessain

  In 2018, Swedish furniture maker IKEA was undergoing a significant transformation. Challenged by the rise of online shopping and changing consumer behavior, and mourning the death of its founder, the Company's top executives knew they had to step out of their comfort zones and embrace new strategic initiatives to stay relevant. But which initiatives, executed where, when and how, would enable IKEA to achieve its goals in a way that was profitable while creating an IKEA they would want to pass on to the next generation of co-workers and customers?

  Keywords: Business Strategy; Transformation; Leading Change; Mission and Purpose; Business Model; Emerging Markets; Customer Focus and Relationships; Organizational Culture; Disruption; Consumer Products Industry; Retail Industry; Europe; Netherlands; Sweden; China; India; United States;

  Citation:

  Montgomery, Cynthia A., Juan Alcacer, Emilie Billaud, and Vincent Marie Dessain. "What IKEA Do We Want?" Harvard Business School Case 720-429, June 2020.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2014 (Revised June 2020)

  The Rise and Fall of Nokia

  Juan Alcacer, Tarun Khanna and Christine Snively

  In 2013, Nokia sold its Device and Services business to Microsoft for €5.4 billion. For decades Nokia had led the telecommunications (telecom) industry in handsets and networking. By the late 2000s, however, Nokia's position as market leader in mobile devices was threatened by competition from new lower-cost Asian manufacturers. Apple's 2007 release of its iPhone established an entire new category—the smartphone—immediately popular with users. What were Nokia's missteps over the years? What should Nokia have done differently?

  Keywords: Mobile phones; smartphone; telecommunications; Wireless Technology; Mobile Technology; Emerging Markets; Technological Innovation; Competitive Strategy; Telecommunications Industry; Asia;

  Citation:

  Alcacer, Juan, Tarun Khanna, and Christine Snively. "The Rise and Fall of Nokia." Harvard Business School Case 714-428, January 2014. (Revised June 2020.)  View Details

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