Abstract
DSG international, know as Dixons Store Group, is one of the largest consumer electronics retailers in Europe. For instance, the company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. The Group owns 1,300 stores and online stores, across 28 countries and employing 40,000 people. More than 100 million customers shop in-store and online every year.
Since 1937, when the first Dixons photographic studio opened in England, the Group has multiplied their acquisitions in order to dominate the market. Indeed, the company owns the major electrical retailing stores such as Dixons, Dixons Travel, Currys, Currys digital, PC World and Electro World and many other brands across Europe like Pixmania, Equanet and Advent Computers. Mail order on a massive scale was a key success factor for the company.
The company specializes in selling high technology consumer electronics products, including audio-video equipment, PCs, small and large domestic appliances, photographic equipment, communication products and related financial and after sales services. Moreover, the Group retails other products and services such as electrical products, spares, repairs, mobile services, online digital photo processing and childcare equipment.
In May 2008, the Chief Executive John Browett decided to put in place a plan to improve the financial performance of the firm and to focus the business on the customer. 20,000 employees have received the training program called FIVES. It consists in applying radical five points related to an analysis of their customers to redefine the priorities and understand exactly what the customer wants from them. The renewal and transformation of the business begins by the focus on the customer through delivering a combination of value, choice and service. The second step is to concentrate on the portfolio on winning positions. The third stage is to transform the business to expand the choices for the customers and improve the in-store buying experience. The fourth point is to penetrate in the internet market in order to develop a multi-channel retailing. The last step is to diminish the cost base by simplifying processes.
