Food retailers and financial services in the UK: a co-opetitive perspective

The financial services sector operates in a turbulent environment. The availability offinancial services for customers has grown considerably, with providers encompassing retailersthrough to specialists. Food retailers in particular are the non-financial sector key movers in themarket change underway. Within this context, this paper aims to provide a framework toconsider the operational, strategic and relational issues concerned with the entry of British foodretailers into the financial services sector. It explores in particular the service provisionrelationships between large food retailers and financial institutions, suggesting that this is a caseof co-opetition, a concept which refers to the concomitant presence of competition and cooperationin a relationship. Promoters and inhibitors leading to a co-opetitive relationshipinvolvement are examined.