Hypercompetition and Strategic Planning in the Retail Food Industry

Much has been written about the changing competitive structures often caused by the advent of new technology or the entry of nontraditional competitors into the market. These new realities suggest a changing perspective on what constitutes competitive strategy, including a view arguing that competitive differential advantage is not sustainable and therefore companies must face up to this reality in their strategic planning. This paper examines food retailing and assesses competitive change within food retailing. The paper goes on to look at D'Aveni's 7-S model and determine its applicability to strategy development in food retailing. Suggestions for strategy formulation within food retailing are given and applications proposed.