| Abstract | After joining WTO, Vietnam retail market is becoming a potential destination for both
international and domestic retailers. The modern trade types such as supermarket,
hypermarket, convenience store, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) shops, etc. attract
the customers a lot. Therefore, the competition among retail distributors in Vietnam is
getting more and more aggressive. Saigon Union of Trading Co.operatives (Saigon Co.op)
in particular and Vietnam retail market in general must cover their distribution network
over every channel and area to enhance its competitiveness and position in the retail
industry.
Although owning a chain of famous domestic supermarkets with brand name Co.opmart,
Saigon Co.op has been facing with the fierce competition from powerful retailers in a
competitiveness of market, especially when appearing many giant foreign competitors such
as BigC, Lotte, Metro, Aeon, etc. so it is essential to try its best to maintain the top retail
position in domestic market. This research aims to review and analyze the operation of
Saigon Co.op during the last 5 years, define customer shopping habits and trends at
supermarkets, subsequently find out main factors affecting the market share of Saigon Coop
in retail industry. Saigon Co.op faces both opportunities and challenges in the local
retail market with the rapid growth of local retailers and the participation of international
retail giants. The major result of this work was to propose marketing strategies, including
Diversity business concept, Expanding retail network, Assortment and price strategies,
Human resource development, Technology application, Building strong relationship with
suppliers, and especially fulfilling customer expectation, to improve the competitive
advantages of Saigon Co.op and to maintain the top position of Vietnam retail market. |