Industry should review strategy for retail
Valor Econômico
The industry of home appliances and Electric and Electronic devices will have to review the strategies for the retail from now on. The association between Grupo Pão de Açúcar and Casas Bahia gave rise to a super player that concentrates 50% of the sales in these categories, with capacity to rule the market prices, especially when it comes to refrigerators and televisions, the main products. In the opinion of some sources of the sector, the natural escape would be to strengthen the position of the smaller retailers, but with big regional force - such as Insinuante in the Northeast, Ricardo Eletro in the Southeast, and Lojas Columbo in the South.
"The industry has to stimulate direct service to small- and medium-sized retailers, a part that ends up being relegated to the second plan in the past years", says Eugênio Foganholo, consultant of Mixxer Desenvolvimento Empresarial. Foganholo recalls Whirlpool's case, owner of the brands Brastemp and Consul that started catering to small- and medium-sized retailers by phone, through a toll free number. "They will have to review it", he says.
But that alternative requires extra care. "Strengthening smaller retailers so as to compete with the big companies is a trend, but these chains have credit limits, we do not know how much debt they can contract", says a source of the industry of electric and electronic devices who mentions the case of Arapuã with Semp Toshiba as an example. The manufacturer was the main creditor of the old retailer that underwent composition with creditors in the end of the 90's.
The bet on the regional chains does not replace the presence in the new retail giant, of course. "If you want to have 20% of the market, you must have 20% of sales in each of the major distributors", says a source of the industry of electric and electronic devices. But as they attempt to enter the regional retail with greater appetite, the manufacturers of home appliances and electronics may try a less uncomfortable position than the current one, of dependency.
Who is not too concerned about the new super player is the industry of portable electronics. According to estimates of the market, this segment has only 18% of its sales concentrated on the three chains - Casas Bahia, Extra and Ponto Frio. The percentage may be higher depending on the category (in mixers, blenders and processors, for instance, it is nearly 30%). But the segment managed to take advantage of the growth of the northeastern retailers and spread its sales even more in recent years.