Strategic choices for retail development in the context of marketing management

Working out the retail development strategy is a crucial and the most time-consuming task to be solved by retailers in the context of marketing management. The lack of theoretical and methodological frameworks constrains working out strategic directions for retail development. In this regard, the authors define the concept of the strategy and its role in marketing management in retailing. The basis for the retail development strategies is to establish relationships with suppliers, customers and within the network, the effectiveness of which is determined by the effectiveness of selected methods for this purpose, exercises and principles of conduct. In the au-thors’ opinion, in the circumstances concerned one of the directions of the strategy realization should be establishing control over con-tractors’ activities in the framework of horizontal and vertical co-operation strategies. The authors state that in case of the horizontal cooperation strategy realization general guidelines should be strategic alliances conclusion and franchising development. While implementing the vertical cooperation strategy suppliers and retailers should establish sustainable relationships. In order to evaluate the rela-tionships between the supplier and the retailer the paper provides a procedure of calculating the interrelationship force indicator. The procedure is based on scoring a satisfaction level taking into account mutual requirements, followed by weighting and averaging these indicators. The proposed procedure can be used for configuring a suppliers’ portfolio. Supplier Relationship Management within SCM models, as well as assessment of the level of commitment will allow time to adapt to the changes associated with the structure of suppliers.