ABSTRACT
The market for consumer goods is a basic factor in an economy. Developing countries are ideally situated for small manufacturing plants which make use of raw materials obtainable locally. Efficient marketing of the products they produce must follow if the consumer and the economy are to benefit fully. The chapter shows, through a case study of Sears Roebuck and Co. in Latin America, that an efficient system of distribution, where emphasis is placed on merchandising techniques, source development, personnel training, and community participation, is as essential to the expansion and growth of an economy as are the extraction of mineral wealth, agriculture, power, transportation, or heavy industry. The operation in Peru illustrates the pattern of development. In 1955, when Sears entered the Peruvian market, it immediately established a buying office to: train local personnel in its buying methods, develop local merchandise to its specifications, and develop local sources.
