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Article: The long haul. (PriceCostco Europe, warehouse clubs in the United Kingdom)(Industry Overview)(Company Profile)
- Article from:
- Grocer
- Article date:
- November 15, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 William Reed Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Four years ago this month, the American warehouse club operator Costco came to Britain in a blaze of publicity. But since then, things have been much quieter. What's happened? Andrew Pring reports
If you want to grasp the essence of successful warehouse clubs -- and to the surprise of many, Britain does have one such operation -- then Jim Murphy's modest workstation is a good place to start.
Situated above the shop on an industrial estate near Watford, the American md of PriceCostco Europe (UK) runs affairs from a bargain basement desk unshielded in the middle of a strictly utilitarian open plan office.
Every day Murphy, usually tieless, ...