Samenvatting

This report presents a detailed analysis of the German market concerning bakeries as well as a detailed recommendation to Bakker Bart on whether they should enter the German market. This research evolved from five years of experience as a floor manager at the store Bakker Bart in Gouda. As a European Studies student, I have studied the German market, Export Management, (advanced) Research Skills and Marketing in particular.
Preliminaries. The main purpose of this research is to underline the reality of a more globalized world and the possibilities it creates for companies planning to operate internationally. Moreover, it highlights Germany as a potential market for Bakker Bart and other franchising companies. This research is aimed at companies planning to export to Germany.
Acknowledgements. Since this report contains a large part of my research undertaken in the past four months, I want to thank the people that have empowered me during this period. I am privileged to have had Mr. Schröder as my thesis advisor. His recommendations have been truly useful to me. His opinions opened my eyes to new visions. I would also like to thank the company Bart’s Retail B.V., in particular Mrs. J. van der Sluijs (Human Resource Manager) and Mr. S. Detillon (franchisee) for giving me the opportunity to conduct this research. In addition, I would like to express my appreciation to family and friends for helping me collect all the questionnaires in the federal state Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany. I have moreover been fortunate to be working with experts Johanna Maukner and Torben Leif Brodersen who helped me gain insight into German laws concerning the environment and franchising. Last, I want to acknowledge the inspiring work of all the authors and researchers that have helped me raise my thesis to the next level.