HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION STRATEGIES AND MARKETING PERFORMANCE OF QUOTED BREWERY COMPANIES IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined horizontal integration strategies and marketing performance of quoted brewery companies in Nigeria. The study utilized the positivism research philosophy and correlational research design. The population of this study consisted of the four (4) brewery companies quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The unit of analysis was made up of managers of the four (4) quoted brewery companies in Nigeria. The managers include: branch managers, strategic managers, operational managers, production managers, marketing managers and sales managers. A population of 24 managers of the above categories were drawn from the four (4) quoted brewery companies in Nigeria. The census sampling technique was adopted. A structured questionnaire was used as the main instrument for data collection. The census sampling technique was adopted. Data were collected from the respondents with the aid of a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was structured using the modified four (4) points Likert-type scale which range from Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree to Strongly Disagree. The data collected were analyzed statistically while the Spearman Rank Order Correlation Coefficient (rho) was used to test the formulated hypotheses. The bivariate analysis was performed with the aid of SPSS version 23.0. The findings revealed that horizontal merger has a significant relationship with sales growth and market share growth of quoted brewery companies in Nigeria. Horizontal acquisition was also found to have a significant relationship with sales growth and market share growth of quoted brewery companies in Nigeria. The study equally reported that horizontal alliance has a significant relationship with sales growth and market share growth of quoted brewery companies in Nigeria. Based on these findings, it was concluded that horizontal integration strategies significantly enhance the marketing performance of quoted brewery companies in Nigeria. Based on the findings and conclusion, it was recommended that quoted brewery companies in Nigeria should adopt horizontal integration strategies as it would improve their marketing performance.