Samenvatting

Nowadays, the final consumer has multiple channels to choose from to buy products. Shopping can be done offline as well as online. Although, multiple stores in the middle segment, such as V&D and Blokker, are in difficulty. More and more businesses are integrating online into their offline businesses, in order to stay on trend and be considered as a key player in the retail industry. However, discount stores such as Primark and Action do not own a web shop, but are very successful in their offline stores. Therefore, the main focus of this report is to analyse the impact of discount stores on the retail industry in the Netherlands.
In order to research to what extent the discount stores, such as Primark and Action, have influenced the practice of retailing in the Netherlands in the past five years, a central research question was formulated: In what way have discount stores, such as Primark and Action, influenced the practice of retailing in the Netherlands in the past five years?
The research has shown that the key factors to the successes of discount stores are low prices and a wide, fast changing assortment. The two largest discount stores in the Netherlands, Primark and Action, are examples of stores that apply that type of business model. Most importantly, the stores respond in an exceptional way to the changing consumer behaviour.
To conclude, the discount stores have had a considerable influence on the practice of the retailing industry in the Netherlands. Stores in the middle segment are barely coping with their low sales. However, the discount stores cannot solely be blamed for the problematic condition in which some stores in the middle segment find themselves. Other causes could be the aftermath of the financial crisis, the success of online shops, and stores in the middle segment not being able to compete with discount stores. The discount stores have simply taken advantage of the situation by offering the right products at the right time.
Discount stores that have not yet developed an online shop, are able to do without in the short run. Currently, the advantage of the discount stores lies with the remarkably low prices at which their products are offered. In the future, discount stores could use online shopping to attract even more consumers. Most likely, the stores in the middle segment will suffer the most from these developments.