TY - JOUR

T1 - Liberty in Paris

T2 - international retailing, 1889-1932

AU - Doherty, Anne Marie

AU - Alexander, Nicholas

PY - 2015

Y1 - 2015

N2 - This article considers the international retailing operation of Liberty of London in Paris between 1889 and 1932. Using data from the company archive, the article challenges assumptions regarding the nature and role of early retail activity in the internationalisation process. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from the marketing and management literature, the article considers Liberty’s Paris operation from entry stage activity in the late 1880s through to the divestment process in the early 1930s. Detailed consideration of this firm shows that the specialist retailer with distinct firm specific assets developed in the domestic market was operating internationally in the late nineteenth century.

AB - This article considers the international retailing operation of Liberty of London in Paris between 1889 and 1932. Using data from the company archive, the article challenges assumptions regarding the nature and role of early retail activity in the internationalisation process. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from the marketing and management literature, the article considers Liberty’s Paris operation from entry stage activity in the late 1880s through to the divestment process in the early 1930s. Detailed consideration of this firm shows that the specialist retailer with distinct firm specific assets developed in the domestic market was operating internationally in the late nineteenth century.

KW - international

KW - retail

KW - brand

KW - strategy

KW - divestment

U2 - 10.1080/00076791.2014.927865

DO - 10.1080/00076791.2014.927865

M3 - Journal article

VL - 57

SP - 485

EP - 511

JO - Business History

JF - Business History

SN - 0007-6791

IS - 4

ER -