The Wall Street Journal reports that a new survey from Accenture suggests that 42 percent of people questioned said that retailing mergers/acquisitions – like the one just engineered between Sears and Kmart – result in higher prices, while 32 percent said that they cause a decline in customer service. Only 27 percent of those surveyed said that such mergers result in lower prices, and 23 percent said that they cause customer service to improve.
There were some positives cited by consumers – 53 percent said such mergers lead to a greater variety of products and services, and 47 percent said they tend to increase the number of store locations
Asked whether customers benefit in general from such mergers, however, more than half – 54 percent – said no.
There were some positives cited by consumers – 53 percent said such mergers lead to a greater variety of products and services, and 47 percent said they tend to increase the number of store locations
Asked whether customers benefit in general from such mergers, however, more than half – 54 percent – said no.
- KC's View:
- It may be simplistic, but it seems fairly safe to say that any time a retail business is perceived by customers as doing things that are in its own interest and not theirs, it is not a positive trend.
