Frozen food products in Pakistan: marketing and distributional challenges in a developing country.
The aim of this case study is to understand the challenges the frozen food industry in a developing country like Pakistan has faced in the past, and is currently facing. The study reveals that instead of focusing limited resources on developing core competencies by enhancing retail and distribution and introducing new products, firms in the frozen food industry have spent resources on developing the transportation system, distribution system and the capacity of the retailers. Each of these producers has already invested heavily in setting up an infrastructure, both at retail and distribution level, which in a developed country would not have been required of them. The future shows much potential as third party companies tentatively step into the domain of cold chain warehousing and distribution, taking the burden of this activity away from the manufacturers and the retail segment moves towards a change in methods of doing business as retail outlets copy the modern trade and invest in their own infrastructure (freezers). These two developments are leaving the manufactures to focus on their core business: manufacturing. However, manufacturing is now at a crisis, as unfortunately the government has been unable to provide any solution to the electricity emergency in the country. Should these companies now divert resources to producing their own electricity?