<p>Background</p><p>Internationalization is a rapidly increasing trend of firms and markets in today’s business</p><p>environment where fashion companies have evolved to be one of the most successful and</p><p>dynamic international retailers. Though a majority of SMEs in the retail fashion industry have</p><p>the potential to become international, many never do due to a number of barriers. When</p><p>making decisions regarding international strategies, it is important for companies to analyze</p><p>and understand the foreign market to determine if there is an opportunity for success on the</p><p>market. However, many SMEs fail to do a thorough market analysis prior to</p><p>internationalizing and never reach their full potential on the market.</p><p>Purpose</p><p>The purpose of this thesis is, through a market analysis, to determine if Sweden is a suitable</p><p>market for a Canadian SME in the men’s retail fashion industry.</p><p>Method</p><p>A qualitative study was carried out to help determine the purpose of the paper where data was</p><p>collected through a single case study of the company Phresh Image. Primary research was</p><p>conducted through interviews with the CEO of Phresh Image as well as focus group meetings</p><p>to collect data regarding the company and the potential customers. The interviews were</p><p>structured after the theoretical framework and included participants described by Phresh’s</p><p>target group. Secondary data was collected regarding Sweden and the Swedish retail industry</p><p>and used to compare the domestic market to the foreign market.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>By answering the research questions, the thesis found that Sweden is a suitable market for a</p><p>Canadian SME in the men’s retail fashion industry. Branding, quality design were among the</p><p>most influential characteristics for Swedish consumers and retail companies in the fashion</p><p>industry must take these into consideration when internationalizing to Sweden. Canada’s and</p><p>Sweden’s economic, political and cultural environments proved to be rather similar though</p><p>some adaptation of a company’s marketing mix may be required. In addition, exporting was</p><p>shown to be the most suitable way for retails to enter into Sweden providing limited barriers</p><p>and low risk.</p>

Background Internationalization is a rapidly increasing trend of firms and markets in today’s business environment where fashion companies have evolved to be one of the most successful and dynamic international retailers. Though a majority of SMEs in the retail fashion industry have the potential to become international, many never do due to a number of barriers. When making decisions regarding international strategies, it is important for companies to analyze and understand the foreign market to determine if there is an opportunity for success on the market. However, many SMEs fail to do a thorough market analysis prior to internationalizing and never reach their full potential on the market. Purpose The purpose of this thesis is, through a market analysis, to determine if Sweden is a suitable market for a Canadian SME in the men’s retail fashion industry. Method A qualitative study was carried out to help determine the purpose of the paper where data was collected through a single case study of the company Phresh Image. Primary research was conducted through interviews with the CEO of Phresh Image as well as focus group meetings to collect data regarding the company and the potential customers. The interviews were structured after the theoretical framework and included participants described by Phresh’s target group. Secondary data was collected regarding Sweden and the Swedish retail industry and used to compare the domestic market to the foreign market. Conclusion By answering the research questions, the thesis found that Sweden is a suitable market for a Canadian SME in the men’s retail fashion industry. Branding, quality design were among the most influential characteristics for Swedish consumers and retail companies in the fashion industry must take these into consideration when internationalizing to Sweden. Canada’s and Sweden’s economic, political and cultural environments proved to be rather similar though some adaptation of a company’s marketing mix may be required. In addition, exporting was shown to be the most suitable way for retails to enter into Sweden providing limited barriers and low risk.

O Brasil tem experimentado, nos últimos anos, o aumento no consumo de vestuário. A ascensão de um grande contingente de pessoas a um determinado patamar de consumo trouxe uma série de oportunidades para a indústria têxtil nacional. Não apenas o comércio varejista de roupas se sofisticou como também a cadeia têxtil-vestuário precisou se adaptar a uma nova realidade: um modelo de produção que tem como base a velocidade e o preço. Este trabalho, a partir de uma análise que engloba os processos produtivos e a venda de vestuário na capital paulista, busca explicar de que maneira o varejo legitima seu produto enquanto moda. Assim, elencamos três fatores essenciais para a análise de nosso objeto, a moda varejista: i) como nasceu e se desenvolveu o modelo de varejo existente até hoje. Nesta etapa abordamos a história de três magazines extremamente relevantes para história do varejo da cidade e mesmo do país Casa Alemã, Mappin e Mesbla - além de dois bairros fundamentais para a formação da indústria têxtil de São Paulo o Brás e o Bom Retiro. ii) o modo como a cadeia têxtil-vestuário paulistana adaptou seus meios de produção para acompanhar as mudanças do mercado. Aqui, analisamos dados quantitativos oriundos da RAIS além de material bibliográfico sobre o tema e, iii) como operam os atores envolvidos na fabricação e na venda da moda varejista. Para isso, abordamos dois representantes de funções centrais na produção de moda varejista, a produção e a distribuição: uma confecção, a R Confecções e um magazine, a saber, a Riachuelo. Nossa pesquisa é balizada pelo referencial teórico de Patrik Aspers, pesquisador suíço cujo foco de investigação é o mercado de moda varejista europeu. O instrumental apresentado por este autor nos permite compreender como se formam e se organizam os mercados de moda varejista. / In the last years, Brazil has experienced an increase in the clothing consumption. The entrance of a large number of people into a certain consumption level brought a series of opportunities to the domestic textile industry. Not only the retail clothing market became more sophisticated but the textile-clothing chain had to adapt to the new reality: a production model based on speed and price. This paper, from the analysis that encompasses productive processes and the garment retail sector in the city of São Paulo, tries to explain how retail legitimizes its product as fashion. Therefore, we listed three essential factors to the analysis of our subject, the retail fashion: i) how did the existing retail model come to life and develop. At this stage, we take the history of three department stores extremely important to the history of retail in the city and even in the country: Casa Alemã, Mappin, and Mesbla. We also included two neighborhoods that were the building blocks of the textile industry in São Paulo Brás and Bom Retiro. ii) how the textile-clothing chain of São Paulo has adapted its production means to keep up with the market changes. Here we analyze quantitative data from RAIS and the material about this subject found in the literature, iii) how the manufacturing and sales stakeholders operate in the retail fashion. We interviewed two representatives of production and distribution core functions in retail fashion: one apparel manufacturer - R Confecções and one department store, Riachuelo. This research follows Patrik Aspers theoretical referential, a Swiss researcher whose investigation focus is the European retail fashion market. The tools presented by this author allows us to understand how retail fashion markets are created and organized.

O Brasil tem experimentado, nos últimos anos, o aumento no consumo de vestuário. A ascensão de um grande contingente de pessoas a um determinado patamar de consumo trouxe uma série de oportunidades para a indústria têxtil nacional. Não apenas o comércio varejista de roupas se sofisticou como também a cadeia têxtil-vestuário precisou se adaptar a uma nova realidade: um modelo de produção que tem como base a velocidade e o preço. Este trabalho, a partir de uma análise que engloba os processos produtivos e a venda de vestuário na capital paulista, busca explicar de que maneira o varejo legitima seu produto enquanto moda. Assim, elencamos três fatores essenciais para a análise de nosso objeto, a moda varejista: i) como nasceu e se desenvolveu o modelo de varejo existente até hoje. Nesta etapa abordamos a história de três magazines extremamente relevantes para história do varejo da cidade e mesmo do país Casa Alemã, Mappin e Mesbla - além de dois bairros fundamentais para a formação da indústria têxtil de São Paulo o Brás e o Bom Retiro. ii) o modo como a cadeia têxtil-vestuário paulistana adaptou seus meios de produção para acompanhar as mudanças do mercado. Aqui, analisamos dados quantitativos oriundos da RAIS além de material bibliográfico sobre o tema e, iii) como operam os atores envolvidos na fabricação e na venda da moda varejista. Para isso, abordamos dois representantes de funções centrais na produção de moda varejista, a produção e a distribuição: uma confecção, a R Confecções e um magazine, a saber, a Riachuelo. Nossa pesquisa é balizada pelo referencial teórico de Patrik Aspers, pesquisador suíço cujo foco de investigação é o mercado de moda varejista europeu. O instrumental apresentado por este autor nos permite compreender como se formam e se organizam os mercados de moda varejista. / In the last years, Brazil has experienced an increase in the clothing consumption. The entrance of a large number of people into a certain consumption level brought a series of opportunities to the domestic textile industry. Not only the retail clothing market became more sophisticated but the textile-clothing chain had to adapt to the new reality: a production model based on speed and price. This paper, from the analysis that encompasses productive processes and the garment retail sector in the city of São Paulo, tries to explain how retail legitimizes its product as fashion. Therefore, we listed three essential factors to the analysis of our subject, the retail fashion: i) how did the existing retail model come to life and develop. At this stage, we take the history of three department stores extremely important to the history of retail in the city and even in the country: Casa Alemã, Mappin, and Mesbla. We also included two neighborhoods that were the building blocks of the textile industry in São Paulo Brás and Bom Retiro. ii) how the textile-clothing chain of São Paulo has adapted its production means to keep up with the market changes. Here we analyze quantitative data from RAIS and the material about this subject found in the literature, iii) how the manufacturing and sales stakeholders operate in the retail fashion. We interviewed two representatives of production and distribution core functions in retail fashion: one apparel manufacturer - R Confecções and one department store, Riachuelo. This research follows Patrik Aspers theoretical referential, a Swiss researcher whose investigation focus is the European retail fashion market. The tools presented by this author allows us to understand how retail fashion markets are created and organized.

By the later decades of the twentieth century, retail internationalization was no longer the activity of a few multi-national retailers; revising the traditional view of retailing as a national business and the need to understand the process of internationalization. Academic research enriched the understanding of this activity, moving away from the early use of surveys to delve into the specific processes of the retailers in order to properly analyze foreign expansion activity. Initial research focused on the perspective of the firm, contributing to knowledge of the why, where, and how of the internationalization process. As this research expanded its scope, it became necessary for researchers to explore when internationalization occurs and to document what was the impact of internationalization on the host country. This call for research was made by Dawson (2003), who proposed a framework for the study of foreign impact on the domestic retailers of a host country. This study utilizes the Dawson model to measure, analyze, and explain the when and what of the retail internationalization process. In recognition of the complexity of the retail internationalization process, it was determined that the study would focus on one type of impact: changes in sectoral competitiveness. It was also determined that this study should be undertaken in a market and retail sector where substantial foreign entry had occurred and could potentially be measured, analyzed and explained. Therefore, the study is undertaken in the Canadian apparel sector between 1989 and 2007. The study was conducted as a mixed method research in two stages: an empirical study of market data and an interview study of industry experts. Since retail functions at the local level, the shopping centre was used as a microcosm of the market and provided empirical evidence to measure impacts in a temporal sense and by intensity. The interviews with industry experts were used to collaborate and explain the mall data, providing important first-hand context to explain the retail internationalization process. This study contributes to the validation of the Dawson model as a tool to measure and explain the impacts of foreign entry on a host country’s sectoral competitiveness, and through its methodology will provide the necessary modifications to the model for continued study of the retail internationalization process.

I skuggan av den ökande svenska elektroniska detaljhandeln står en fysisk butikshandel inom mode på sin bristningsgräns. När allt fler konsumenter väljer att konsumera mode genom den digitala världen så kan det få förödande konsekvenser för den fysiska modebutikshandeln. Som ett samlingsbegrepp kring den trend där butiksägare inte längre klarar av att finansiera sina butiker har ordet ‘butiksdöd’ använts. Pandemin Covid-19 har snabbspolat detta fenomen, men studiens respondenter menar att det inte finns en butiksdöd utan att det är den fysiska modebutikshandeln som håller på att moderniseras. Uppsatsen studerar butiksdöden ur ett svenskt modebutiksperspektiv och utforskar hur svenska fysiska modebutiker kartlägger olika värden för att skapa konkurrenskraft. Studien grundas i teorier som tydligt relaterar till konceptutveckling av fysiska modebutiker. Den första teorin är Customer value proposition för att sedan integrera nästkommande teori om utilitaristiska och hedoniska handelsmotivationer. Tredje teorin utgår från kundupplevelse baserat på purpose, priorities och pursuits. Tidigare forskning riktar fokus på hur den fysiska handeln överlag kan applicera CVP, utilitarism och hedonism för att skapa mervärde för modebutiken. Forskningen brister däremot i hur valda teorier i kombination med kundupplevelsen ser ut i svensk butikskontext från ett managementperspektiv, vilket denna studie belyst. Analysresultatet är baserat på ett urval av svenska klädvarumärken som bedriver fysiska butik. En kvalitativ studie har utförts med företagsägare, ledningspersonal samt butiksägare vars svar analyserats för att få svar på uppsatsens syfte. Den insamlade datan från intervjuerna presenteras med utgångspunkt hur respondenterna ser på modeindustrin i dagsläget, men även hur den kommer att utvecklas framöver. Analysresultatet presenterar stegvis en modell utefter nämnda teorier kring hur en modebutik kan omdefiniera eller förstärka konceptets värdegrund, i syfte att skapa hållbar konkurrenskraft. Två grupper baserat på butikskoncept utformades utifrån analysresultatet, varav den ena behållit konkurrenskraft och andra upplevt sämre konkurrenskraft. Grupperna har blivit tilldelade namn som representerar butikens position, De moderna och De traditionella. Resultatet redogör därefter vad som kan tänkas ligga till grund för upptäckten. I uppsatsens diskussion presenteras resultatet från analysen samt aktiviteter som modebutiker inom fysisk modebutikshandel kan tillämpa för att förstärka sin konkurrenskraft gentemot e-handeln. Slutatsen påvisar att många respondenter påverkats av butiksdöden. De moderna som ej upplever butiksdöden arbetar frekvent med aktiviteter och upplevelser medan De traditionella arbetar utefter att minska kundens uppoffring genom effektivisering av inköp. Butiker som blivit påverkade bör därmed prioritera om butikens erbjudande och granska vad som lämpas bäst efter konceptets värdegrund. Studien hoppas att bidra med kunskap till fysiska modebutiksaktörer för att konkurrenskraft gentemot elektroniska detaljhandeln. / E-commerce is continuing the path of exponential growth, however it also entails consequences in the retail market. When customers prioritize e-commerce rather than fashion retail shopping, an increasing number of brick-and-mortar stores are closing. The global pandemic Covid-19 has effectively speeded up the pace regarding the phenomenon, though some believe it’s a hoax. This study aims to bring the truth of this phenomenon to light from a swedish fashion retail perspective. The study of fashion retail stores includes efforts taken to maintain competitive advantage. This is accomplished through established theories which have an indirect impact on retail fashion stores ability to maintain competitive advantage. These theories are Customer value proposition, hedonic and utilitarian shopping motivations and customer experience based on 3Ps, which includes purpose, priorities and pursuits. Previous research shows how these theories can be applied in retail stores, however none of them use an approach of a management perspective, which this study aims to do. The method that is used in this study is based on a qualitative research method, using semi-structured interviews. The semi-structured interviews were held individually with thoroughly chosen candidates with competences in the field, such as business owners and managers of a fashion retail store. Throughout the chapter regarding the results, a model is introduced step by step which purpose is to bring additional knowledge to retailers, in hopes that it will increase their competitive advantage. Additionally, two camps were introduced. One who had maintained its competitive advantage and the other who has been affected by the phenomenon and lost its competitive advantage. In the discussion, the results are presented and activities as well as physical experiences retailers can implement are suggested. In conclusion, it is clear that there are two sides. One side has been affected by the phenomenon and lost its competitive advantage, and the other side who has maintained its competitive advantage thanks to activities, retail experiences and a loyal community. Those retailers who were affected the most should therefore redefine their business as to whether they should go online or redesign their retail store concept, in order to achieve sustained competitive advantage. The study aims to contribute with knowledge retailers can use in order to strengthen or redefine their competitive advantage against e-commerce.