Footwear industry in Italy: A case study of GEOX internationalization to Portugal

Abstract

The purpose of this case study is to analyse the footwear industry, focusing on Geox S.p.A., one of the main enterprise of the global footwear market, leader of the “brown shoes” category in Italy, and its relative international expansion in Portugal. Specifically, two questions would be answered: (1) “Why the franchising model?” (2) “Why going to Portugal?”. But before that, the main company’s resources and activities would be analysed in order to understand the firm’s competitive advantage and successively analyse its sustainability using the VRIO methodology. At this level, technology & innovation was found to be the main driver of the firm’s competitive advantage as well as key driver for the firms’ competitive advantage’s sustainability. In order to better answer the two questions mentioned before the international business model of the company needed to be investigated both at the manufacturing and distribution level, with a consequent focus on the company’s presence in Portugal and the factors of success in the Portuguese market in order to better state the second query and then, to give the right recommendations.