California here they come – can Tesco win in the West?
Andrew Seth
Home advantage matters – to every team. Companies are the same. Take P&G in the US, British Unilever, French L'Oréal. Retailers are similar – it's axiomatic. 'Don't leave home if you can't win here.' Wal-Mart built its huge home base before leaving the US; German Aldi and French Carrefour are home market leaders. Sainsbury, was the UK leader when it bought Connecticut Shaws. It has since lost leadership and its US stores.
Retailers do not always travel well. Outside the US, Wal-Mart is weak. Ahold, powerful Dutch...