Number of Stores
(1 yr) Number of Stores
Dillard’s 6,250 0.4% 41 -5.81% 310
J.C. Penny 17,759 1.2% 154 4.80% 1,100
Kohl’s 9,120 4.8% 133 2.26% 1,050
Macy’s 25,003 6.4% 161 -3.59% 850
REI 1,460 2.1% 10 0.00% 110
Sears Holding Corp. 43,426 -1.6% 312 -3.11% 3,900
Tanglewood 7,200 4.2% 53 3.75% 243
Target 67,390 3.10% 351 1.14% 1,750
WalMart 421,849 3.30% 2,100 0.00% 8,400
Profit ratios
PM (%) ROA (%) ROE (%)
Dillard’s 2.87% 4.72% 8.18%
J.C. Penny 2.19% 4.06% 7.38%
Kohl’s 6.06% 8.95% 13.96%
Macy’s 3.39% 5.72% 16.56%
REI 1.82% 2.85% 5.66%
Sears Holding Corp. 0.31% 1.43% 1.66%
Tanglewood 3.54% 5.36% 14.97%
Target 4.33% 7.44% 18.94%
WalMart 3.89% 9.09% 22.03%
All three profit ratio figures indicate corporate profitability.
PM is profit margin = (net income for the past year)/(revenue)
ROA is return on assets = (net income for the past year) / (average assets)
ROE is return on equity = (net income for the past year) / (shareholder equity)
Competitive Response and Strategy
The company’s specific niche is similar to that occupied by Kohl’s or Target, appealing to middle- and upper-income consumers looking for convenience and reasonable prices. This means that Tanglewood uses a layout and provides the same products offered of general merchandise retailers. Tanglewood also focuses on stocking quality products, providing customer service, and a more designer appearance than discount stores. This strategy is further supplemented by the company’s trademark “look” which involves an outdoors theme, complete with real wood décor and use of natural colors.
Like its competitors, Tanglewood has developed several proprietary brands of merchandise which are designed to complement its look. While the actual products are made by subcontractors, Emerson and Wood have personal responsibility for all products that are produced. Their own brands include Burford Kitchen, which includes wood-accented, rustic, sturdy kitchen utensils, and Wilderness Outfitter clothing and camping goods lines. The stores also have emphasized small home electronics, housewares, and bedding accessories.
Despite the company’s effort to emphasize its western appearance and theme, there is no shortage of high-technology innovations in the way that Tanglewood operates. They have worked hard to ensure that their web portals provide a clear guide to merchandise available in the stores. Through their “County Store” concept they have also made their stores a pick-up location for items ordered online. This allows them to utilize their low-cost shipping arrangements to the benefit of customers. Emerson notes, “We have a lot of consumers in places like rural Idaho, who don’t want to drive an hour to one of our stores and then find out what they wanted isn’t available. The online County Store makes sure that if they want something, we will have it in stock.” In addition, online shoppers who visit bricks-and-mortar locations also often buy other merchandise in the stores.
Organizational Structure
The structure of most retail stores is relatively similar, and Tanglewood has essentially evolved to have a structure that looks something like the familiar organizational hierarchy. This appearance is deceptive, because employees at all levels of the corporation are encouraged to make suggestions regarding operations. More than one major operational change has come from an employee suggestion.
Each store is managed by a single individual who has three assistant store managers working beneath him or her. The Assistant Manager for Softlines is in charge of all areas related to clothing and jewelry. The Assistant Manager for Hardlines is in charge of all non-clothing merchandise, including sporting goods, bath, bedding, and home decor. Another way to think of the distinction is that Softlines consists only of things that are worn, while Hardlines consists of nothing that is worn. The Assistant Manager for Operations and Human Resources is primarily responsible for activities, including security, clerical work, merchandise loading and warehousing, cashiers, and human resources management. Although the Assistant Manager for Operations is technically in charge of the smallest number of employees, this tends to be a more powerful position because it includes more managerial responsibilities, including staffing the store and training new hires. Department managers are in charge of specific product groups such as electronics, women’s clothing, or shoes. For each shift there is also a designated shift leader who completes most of the same tasks as store associates, but also has some administrative responsibility.
Overall, with 1 store manager, 3 assistant managers, 17 department managers, approximately 24 shift leaders, and approximately 170 associates, there are around 215 employees per store. All employees, full or part time, are members of the core work force. Tanglewood does not extensively use a flexible workforce, such as temporary employees. A core workforce is viewed as essential for the organizational values and culture, described below, that Tanglewood seeks to develop and maintain.
Stores are organized into 12 geographical regions, with approximately 20 stores per region. Each region has a regional manager who oversees operations of the stores. The store managers report directly to the regional managers. There is considerable variation between regional managers in how they run their HR practices. The tendency for some regional managers to encourage human resources practices which are counter to the Tanglewood philosophy is a major reason that an external consulting firm was brought in to centralize human resources.
The breakdown of stores and employment by division is as follows:
Division Area Covered Stores PCs PCs/S Employees
1 Eastern Washington 25 3,120,000 124,800 5,400
2 Western Washington 25 3,011,000 120,440 5,400
3 Northern Oregon 18 1,850,000 102,778 3,900
4 Southern Oregon 16 1,710,000 106,875 3,400
5 Northern California 23 3,000,000 130,435 4,900
6 Idaho 17 1,366,000 80,353 3,700
7 Montana and Wyoming 18 1,418,000 78,778 3,900
8 Colorado 23 4,550,000 197,826 4,900
9 Utah 19 2,351,000 123,737 4,100
10 Nevada 19 2,241,000 117,947 4,100
11 New Mexico 18 1,875,000 104,167 3,900
12 Arizona 22 5,580,000 253,636 4,700
Total 243 52,300
Note: PCs is the population of the area covered; the abbreviation PC for Tanglewood means “potential customers.” The PCs/S is the number of potential customers per store. Employee figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
Organizational Culture and Values
Whereas many elements of the Tanglewood operational plan have been based on other firms within the retail industry, the company’s culture and values are distinct from most of its major competitors. From its inception, this company has emphasized employee participation and teams. At orientation, every employee hears the philosophy that Wood and Emerson proclaimed as their vision for employee relations, “If you tell someone exactly what to do, you’re only getting half an employee. If you give someone the space to make their own decisions, you’re getting a whole person.”
Most retail stores have a strict hierarchy with assistant store managers providing directives to their subordinates, and most associates’ primarily follow orders. Tanglewood, on the other hand, has allowed each department manager to formulate distinct methods for running their departments in coordination with the employees they supervise. There is still a well-defined ordering of job responsibilities, but efforts are made to involve employees in the decision process when possible.
One of the most important cultural elements of the organization is an emphasis on “straight talk” in all areas of the business. The company provides employees with information on the company’s share price and overall profitability for each quarter, along with other details about company activities. Profit-sharing for all employees is part of the company’s push to encourage employees to think like managers. In addition, mandatory weekly store meetings (one meeting for each shift) give employees a specific time to voice their suggestions for in-store improvements. Associates who make suggestions that are implemented by management receive financial bonuses. Department managers are also given financial incentives for successfully developing and implementing new policies and procedures, further reinforcing the participatory management style of the company.
Every shift is run based on a team concept. While the most senior associate is designated as a shift leader, the other members of the team are encouraged to provide ongoing suggestions. All employees share all tasks, so there are no designated “customer contact” or “display” employees. It is also expected that associates will make themselves available to help the other members of the team. Quarterly performance evaluations include several items specifically reflecting the associates’ interactions with other team members and initiative to improve the department.
Because of the heavy emphasis on employee suggestions, Tanglewood’s upper managers have ample opportunity to observe the leadership and decision making qualities of their associates. This is one of the main portals through which promotion and advancement are achieved. All new employees without retail experience, even those with college degrees who are targeted as having management potential, spend a period of time working in the store as an associate. This is seen as a way of preserving the company’s unique culture and values over time.
Human Resources at Tanglewood
