KITEA (B): Getting Ready to Face IKEA

Ramon  Casadesus-Masanell; Gamze  Yucaoglu

Supplement | HBS Case Collection | March 2019

KITEA (B): Getting Ready to Face IKEA

by Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Gamze Yucaoglu

Abstract

The case opens in September 2015, when IKEA is about to open its first store in Morocco. It then chronicles the efforts of KITEA CEO Amine Benkirane and his son Othman between 2013 and 2015 to prepare KITEA for IKEA’s entry. After incurring losses for the first time in 2013, KITEA had bounced back and recorded profits and growth in 2014 and 2015. The improvements in supply chain management, product range, and relationships with stakeholders that the duo had been working on tirelessly seemed to be paying off. After an intense preparation period, was KITEA ready to face off against IKEA in Morocco?

Keywords: retail; KITEA; IKEA; furniture; furniture industry; entry strategy; responding to entry; Localization; competitive interaction; Private Sector; For-Profit Firms; Business Strategy; Strategic Planning; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Adaptation; Corporate Strategy; Business Model; Market Entry and Exit; Retail Industry; Morocco; Africa; North Africa;

Language: English

Format: Print

7 pages

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Citation:

Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and Gamze Yucaoglu. "KITEA (B): Getting Ready to Face IKEA." Harvard Business School Supplement 719-421, March 2019.

This case explores the strategic decision-making process of premium power tools manufacturer Hilti in 1999, when the company was considering implementing a fleet management system in the construction industry. Fleet management would involve a shift from selling power tools to leasing them as a service. For Hilti, it represented an entirely new business model, which would substantially differentiate the company from its competitors. While fleet management had the potential to significantly improve the customer experience, Hilti was already a successful firm under its extant model and had to decide whether the restructuring of its business model was worth the risk.

Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2019 (Revised April 2019)

KITEA (A): Democratizing Furniture in Morocco

Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Gamze Yucaoglu, Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Gamze Yucaoglu

The case opens in 2013 as Amine Benkirane, founder and CEO of the leading Moroccan furniture company KITEA, contemplates the loss his company has incurred for the first time in its 20-year history. The case then describes KITEA’s origins and provides a detailed overview of the business plan that enabled Benkirane to bring affordable modern furniture in flatpacks to the Moroccan market, which had previously been dominated by unorganized artisans. At the beginning of 2010, KITEA was a market leader with a robust market share of 24%. However, Benkirane read about rumors that IKEA was planning to enter the Moroccan market. The case explores in detail KITEA’s efforts to prepare for the increased competition. In 2013, KITEA found itself in a difficult situation, facing a downturn in the economy, a slowdown in sales, a delayed store opening, and souring creditor sentiment following the news about IKEA’s entry. Would KITEA be able to bounce back and remain competitive when IKEA entered the market?

Keywords: retail; KITEA; furniture; furniture industry; entry strategy; responding to entry; Localization; competitive interaction; Private Sector; For-Profit Firms; Business Model; Business Strategy; Strategic Planning; Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Adaptation; Corporate Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Retail Industry; Africa; Morocco;

Citation:

Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and Gamze Yucaoglu. "KITEA (A): Democratizing Furniture in Morocco." Harvard Business School Case 719-420, January 2019. (Revised April 2019.) View Details

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KITEA (B): Getting Ready to Face IKEA

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