Super Selectos: Winning the war against multinational retail chains

This case describes how Super Selectos, a local food retail chain from El Salvador, succeeds in competing against Walmart, the number one food retailer in the world. The case's structure facilitates a discussion of competitive strategy and positioning in the food retail industry in emerging markets. The case provides enough information for the reader to understand the differentiation strategy that allowed Super Selectos to increase its market share even after Walmart entered its domestic market. The goal of the case is to illustrate how a well formed and executed strategy allows a firm to succeed even against the most resourceful rivals. Discussing the case provides insights into the development of the food retail industry and consumer segmentation in developing economies. The case provides the basis for discussing the strategic options that Walmart has in the Salvadorian market and illustrating the challenges that large multinational corporations face when they are entering new emerging markets.