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This year, our editors have unanimously agreed on a select collection of topics. Industry Transformers will highlight companies & executives who have managed to stay relevant in this ever changing environment. They will outline how businesses and people must evolve, adapt, and transform in order to become top leaders in the marketplace.<\/p>\n Enjoy our ninth topic: International Invasion<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the apparel industry, there are numerous international retailers that open shop in the United States. Ireland-based Primark <\/strong>is one that customers have been wishing and waiting for. The long anticipated debut of Primark\u2019s first U.S. store occurred last month in Downtown Crossing in Boston, MA. Along with the four-level, 77,000 sq. ft. store, Primark opened a distribution center in Bethlehem, PA, last month. The next store will open at King of Prussia Mall, in Pennsylvania, on Nov. 25.<\/p>\n Primark plans to open a total of eight U.S. stores by the end of 2016. The retailer has already cut deals to lease space from Sears. Primark will open at the Burlington Mall and South Shore Plaza Mall, both in Massachusetts, the Danbury Fair mall in Connecticut, the Freehold Raceway Mall in New Jersey, and the Willow Grove Park Mall in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n Founded in 1969 in Dublin, Primark has 292 stores encompassing 11 million sq. ft. of selling space in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, and France. The company employs more than 62,000 people around the world. Primark is known for its on-trend fashions for the whole family and extremely low prices. Primark does not sell online and says that selling online would not be cost effective given how low its prices are already.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Home Depot vs. Lowe\u2019s Crossing Borders<\/strong><\/p>\n When it comes to entering into foreign territories, the perennial numbers one and two dominant players in our domestic home center\/hardware market have displayed very different though consistent expansion models. Upon first entering respective markets both north and south of our international borders, Lowe\u2019s<\/strong> initially commenced operations by exporting many of its USA-based executives to respective foreign markets, to build its own stores, essentially from the ground up.<\/p>\n Home Depot<\/strong> on the other hand, while relying on its USA-based executive corps to plan its entries across borders, quickly acquired major chains based in its new foreign territories to rapidly expand foreign retail operations, while adding executives from these acquisitions who were native to these foreign terrains. Home Depot has been careful to keep in place retailing nuances which it felt distinguished the retailers it had acquired. At the same time the company was announcing its respect for the true cultural differences of the customs and customers of the new territories in which it was hoping to succeed.<\/p>\n Lowe\u2019s on the other hand, consistently chose to enter respective foreign markets with long-term Lowe\u2019s executives directly managing their new enterprises abroad. In 2009, Lowe\u2019s initiated retail operations in Mexico under the direction of Francisco Fernandez who was installed as Director General of Lowe\u2019s-Mexico. Fernandez had been an executive with Lowe\u2019s since 2002.<\/p>\n The actual planning for the commencement of Lowe\u2019s Mexican operations began in 2007. Lowe\u2019s took two years to carefully establish its real estate policies for its Mexican venture, while carefully planning the merchandising of stores for its distinctly new clientele. The company broke ground for its first two stores in Mexico in 2009. The stores opened in early 2010.<\/p>\n Of these two competitors, Home Depot entered Mexico first, in 2001. Initial entrance into this market was cautious. The company was tentative as it sought first hand answers as to the true viability of this market. Home Depot also had to study many of its traditional concepts and tweak them for the Mexican culture. At this time Mexicans were just getting used to self-service and enjoyed smaller footprint specialty stores for their building and remodeling needs.<\/p>\n In 2004, Home Depot announced its confidence in a strong future south of the border, by acquiring Home Mart, the second largest Mexican home improvement retailer. At the time Home Mart was operating 20 locations. This brought Home Depot\u2019s total of locations in Mexico to 39.<\/p>\n Currently, Home Depot operates over 60 locations in Mexico. Lowe\u2019s operations in Mexico now include ten locations. It seems the acquisition of Home Mart, proved to be just the jumpstart Home Depot needed to assume a position which Lowe\u2019s seems unlikely to approach anytime soon.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/email\/trans_side_1b.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
2015 will be a very exciting year for CSG’s prestigious content writers and industry experts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Apparel & Department Store Retailers<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n
\n Discount, Dollar, & Hardware Retailers<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n \n