Research by: Sandeep Puri, Shweta Pandey,& Babak Hayati
Abstract
With the acquisition of Rustan Supercenters Inc. (Rustan’s) in November 2018, Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. (Robinsons) had become one of the top retailers in the Philippines, with over 1,800 stores. Although the acquisition brought Rustan’s network of more than 80 stores, located largely in Metropolitan Manila, under the Robinsons umbrella, the multiformat retail giant could not use the trademark and trade name “Rustan’s” without the Tantoco family’s approval. This case assesses the Robinsons brand and the retailer’s possible post-acquisition growth strategies. It also discusses the benefits and risks associated with this acquisition, the possible brand-transition options available to Robinsons, and whether this trend-reversal strategy will provide the retailer with a competitive edge.
Learning Objective
This case is designed for graduate- and postgraduate-level courses and offers an opportunity for students to apply different marketing tools to support their analysis of a post-acquisition roadmap for the company. Working through the case and assignment questions will allow students to do the following:
- Evaluate the retail industry in the Philippines and the acquisition of a major player by a competitor.
- Understand the different brand management issues that an acquiring company needs to address upfront and post-acquisition.
- Understand different brand-transition strategies in the retail industry.
- Understand the relevance of and issues associated with a dual branding strategy in retail management.
Issues: Brands, Change management, dual-branding strategy, Retail, Acquisition
Disciplines: Marketing, International
Industries: Other Services, Retail Trade
Setting: Philippines, 2018
Intended Audience: MBA/Postgraduate
To cite this case: Puri, S., Pandey, S., & Hayati, B. (2019). Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc.: Navigating Rustan’s acquisition. Ivey ID: 9B19A047.London, Canada: Ivey Publishing.
To access this case: https://www.iveycases.com/ProductView.aspx?id=105682
