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  • August 2008 (Revised March 2010)
  • Case
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Finland's S Group: Competing with a Cooperative Approach to Retail

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Tarun Khanna, Samuli Skurnik and Jordan Mitchell
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:39
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Abstract

The case looks at the two dominant Finnish retailers: S Group and Kesko. S Group is a customer-owned cooperative, which has a unique holding structure whereby 1.7 million residents (or 70 percent of Finnish households) own 22 regional cooperatives. In turn, the regional cooperatives own SOK, a centralized company that provides services to the regional cooperatives. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, S Group lagged far behind the market leader, Kesko. However, since 2005, S Group has held the leadership position; in 2007, it had captured 41 percent market while Kesko's was 33.9 percent. Kesko Plc is publicly traded and pursues a model whereby retailer entrepreneurs use their personal funds to invest in stores and operate them completely. The case requires that students consider sources of competitive advantage that arise from the companies' markedly different business models.

Keywords

Business Model; Cooperative Ownership; Public Ownership; Competitive Advantage; Retail Industry; Finland

Citation

Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, Tarun Khanna, Samuli Skurnik, and Jordan Mitchell. "Finland's S Group: Competing with a Cooperative Approach to Retail." Harvard Business School Case 709-409, August 2008. (Revised March 2010.)
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About The Authors

Ramon Casadesus-Masanell

Strategy
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Tarun Khanna

Strategy
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More from the Authors
  • IBJ, Inc. (A-B): Seeking Matrimony in Japan By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Jordan Mitchell
  • Biocon Biologics, 2023 By: Tarun Khanna and Radhika Kak
  • Tata Group in 2021: Pursuing Profits through Purpose By: Tarun Khanna, Krishna G. Palepu and Vidhya Muthuram
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