Regional adaptation of multinationals – Wal-Mart's Quebec case study

Serge Lafrance, Yanik Deschênes and Terence Flynn

Wal-Mart is the biggest retail company in the world. For a company of that size, with an international reach, there are always questions about the benefits standardising versus adapting business procedures to the geographic markets in which it evolves.

Regional adaptation of multinationals – Wal-Mart's Quebec case study

Serge LafranceLeger Marketing, Canada

Yanik DeschênesCorporate Affairs, Wal-Mart, Canada

Terence FlynnDeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Canada

INTRODUCTION

Wal-Mart: Public Opinion on the Upswing in Québec

Since 2001, Wal-Mart's brand image has experienced significant variations in Québec. In 2004, the company's brand image was at 71% and it dropped to 11% in 2006 (see Figure 1). The Company became the one with the most negative media coverage in the province and its traffic, sales and profits plummeted seriously. This drop can mainly be explained by the labour conflict...

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