There are many ways for companies to fail. Some fail because they become arrogant. Others fail because they become complacent. Some fail because they obsess over efficiency while neglecting innovation. But occasionally, a company commits a much rarer and more devastating sin: it simply forgets where it is. That is precisely what happened to Starbucks […]
There is a particular kind of ignorance – maybe even arrogance – that often infects successful American brands. It begins with a dangerous assumption: “People everywhere love what we love.” Then comes the second assumption: “Retail is retail.” And that is where the trouble starts. When the American restaurant chain The Cheesecake Factory entered Australia through […]
Walk into almost any American store and you will find all sorts of products made in China. Smartphones, laptops, clothing, toys, household goods, and thousands of other products are imported from China every single day. But there is one product category that most American consumers never see: Chinese electric vehicles (EVs). This is interesting because […]
In November 2017, Domino’s Pizza arrived in Austria with considerable fanfare. The American pizza giant, already operating thousands of stores across more than 80 countries, opened its first Austrian outlet in Vienna’s Floridsdorf district. Executives spoke enthusiastically about bringing Domino’s renowned delivery expertise, digital ordering systems, and “pizza theater” concept to Austrian consumers. The company […]
There was a time when you could not walk through a major shopping mall – from Vienna to Shanghai to Los Angeles – without being pulled in by the shimmer of a Swarovski store. Glass cases glowing, crystals catching the light. A brand that promised a slice of luxury without the intimidation of velvet ropes […]
It looked perfect on a map. A bridge between Europe and the Middle East. A fast-growing economy. Rising energy demand. Strategic pipelines. Political relevance. For Austrian oil company OMV, Turkey was not just another market. It was supposed to be a hub. By the late 2000s, OMV had a clear strategic ambition: build a dominant integrated […]
In 2017, Full Metal Jacket quietly disappeared from Netflix’s Vietnamese catalog. There was no dramatic announcement, no public dispute, only a quiet a removal at the request of local authorities. For most viewers, it passed unnoticed. For Netflix, however, it should have been read as an early warning: Vietnam would not be just another emerging […]
The pink packaging is instantly recognizable. Walk into a duty-free shop, a European delicatessen in New York, or a souvenir store near Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral and you will likely find a stack of Manner wafers. For more than a century, the company behind them – Josef Manner & Comp AG – has built its […]
For companies built on operational perfection, expansion often feels less like risk and more like geography. If the formula works in Austria, Germany, and the UK, why wouldn’t it work somewhere sunnier? By the late 2000s, Aldi Süd, operating through its Austrian subsidiary Hofer – had turned discount retail into a science: fewer products, lower […]
Fix Dessert Chocolatier never set out to build a global category. Founded by Sarah Hamouda in Dubai, the company created a handcrafted chocolate bar inspired by personal creativity and regional flavors—pistachio cream, knafeh, and a story rooted in place and authenticity. Then social media intervened. A viral TikTok video transformed the “Dubai Chocolate” bar into […]
British multinational retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has a range of cosmetics and body care products called China Blue. One can’t help but see the irony in the branding when thinking of M&S’s China blues, which it must have felt in China over the last decade. M&S, known to the Chinese as Ma Sha Bai […]
In 2011, US retail giant Target decided to enter the Canadian market. It seemed like a logical move because of the geographic and cultural proximity, and the fact that Canadians frequently drove across the border to shop in Target’s stores in the US. Ultimately however, Target’s rapid move into Canada was one of the most […]