Integrated channel strategies of Apex Footwear Limited

Abstract

The industry of footwear in Bangladesh started from the colonial period. Currently Bangladesh exports footwear products to more than fifty countries including EU, China, Japan, Korea, Canada and North America. Bangladesh is in the eight rank for the largest footwear manufacturer in the world. Apex began its business with leather business in 1990. Currently apex holds the place for the largest shoemaker in the subcontinent with share of 15% leather footwear export in Bangladesh from $1.1 billion leather export. This paper serves the purpose of analyzing various channel strategies that Apex Footwear holds. Three key channels of Apex are- Retail outlets, E-commerce website & Franchise store. According to primary research, retail division of the Apex generates most of the sale. Moreover, retail business of Apex is now at the maturity stage which therefore requires new strategies to remain in the market. The report exhibits the involvement of different departments in store development process. On the other hand, e-commerce website of Apex is still in the introduction stage. In addition, franchise stores are established mostly for rural people which offer branded products at a reasonable price. The report interprets a survey result conducted on retail customers. Analysis of the survey contains customer’s experience at Apex’s retail outlets. Lastly, the report provides some recommendations based on customer’s suggestion.