As more rumours spread about what exactly Woolworths’ new hardware business will look like, we can see that perhaps it isn’t just Bunnings (and therefore Coles’ parent Wesfarmers) who should be worried about a shift in their competitive environment.

According to this story, the new entrant (which might be called Masters) -  a joint venture between Woolies and US giant Lowes – may not just be selling the usual hardware merchandise.  Also on the cards are whitegoods (i.e. fridges, washing machines, dishwashers etc).  That would certainly be a challenge to some of the big players in that retail segment, such as Harvey Norman and The Good Guys.

This isn’t just a random diversification choice either, as Lowes has extensive experience with this market, and presumably can suitably integrate the offerings into the retail mix.  It will be intriguing to see whether this upsets the likely co-located store mix for the firm, as some homemaker-type centres may find this new challenger upsets their tenant mix.  

Another interesting titbit in the story is the possibility that WooliesWareHourse (I’ve decided to grant them that brandname) will go down an explicit ‘Do It For You’ path, which would be a neat differentiation position in the hardware space.

This case in progress serves to demonstrate the blurry lines between markets and the scope for competitors to slip across from adjacent markets (among many other strategic lessons).

Filed under: Retailing, Strategic management

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