Competitive strategy types in the UK independent retail sector

The UK's independent retailers have been regarded for some time as being generally bereft of strategic direction and marketing expertise. As a broad grouping of small businesses they have been deemed to lack the ability and financial resources for developing and implementing effective policies consistent with their rapidly changing, increasingly competitive trading environments. The once ubiquitous, nationally symbolic small shop has been considered to be the defenceless prey of multiple chains waiting to be picked off as large-scale organizations strive for further domination of the retail sector. This article presents a contrary view to the wholesale demise of independent retailers and their indiscriminate labelling as strategically inadequate business units. It identifies a taxonomy of competitive strategy types that includes a number of successful businesses with clear strategic direction, positioning and implementation. Evidence is provided from an exploratory investigation of independent retailers located in rural towns, which identifies differences in the strategic and operational activities of retail independents along with variations in their performance.