Cosco Essay

620 Words3 Pages
1. What is the competition like in the North American wholesale club industry? Which of the five competitive forces is strongest and why? Five Forces Model Analysis 1. Competitive force of buyer bargaining power A high buyer bargaining power exists in the North American wholesale club industry because the market is only focused on the wholesale club’ members. Therefore, each member is important to the seller. Moreover, the buyers have high bargaining power because buyer switching costs to competing brands or substitute products are low. 2. Competitive force of substitute products A high competitive force of substitute products exists in the North American wholesale club industry because switching costs is not high in the said industry. For example, members in Costco can easily switch to BJ’s and Sam’s club in the next year because the membership fees are quite similar. (Costco membership fee ranges from $50-$100, BJ’s membership fee ranges from $45-$90 and Sam’s club’s membership fee ranges from $35-$100). Moreover, wholesale clubs meet the same needs of their customers – providing more affordable goods compared to supermarkets. Aside from this, customers who do not want to pay for a membership fee and would just want to buy the same goods can buy them from supermarkets, but with a higher value. 3. Competitive force of supplier bargaining power A high competitive force of supplier bargaining power can be observed in the North American wholesale club industry. The said wholesale clubs partner with private-labeled brands in order to offer great deals to their customers. Wholesale clubs are able to get the products at a cheaper price; however, the suppliers make sure that competition between brands/products offered in the wholesale club is not high. Moreover, this partnership with the said suppliers allows wholesale clubs to offer a treasure-hunt

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