BCG Matrix Analysis on General Mills Canada
General Mills is a company that has many brands in the food industry, however, they are more famously known for their individual brands. Their primary brands include Cheerios, Nature Valley, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Hamburger Helper, Betty Crocker and Yoplait (General Mills Canada). When these brands are organized into different categories, General Mills’ product mix is the result. Taken right from General Mills Canada website and how they organize their brands for consumer friendliness, their product mix includes: baking products, cereals, dough/pastries, fruit, ice cream, meals, organic/natural, pasta, pizza, snacks, soup, vegetables, and yogurt. Each individual type in the product
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For a complete 8-year trend of cereals net sales, refer to Appendix D, which also shows a stable trend with very few fluctuations.
The Dog
In the BCG Matrix, dogs are also known as the products that “break-even” and generate only enough cash to cover the market share. The meal product line in General Mills can be identified with the dog. Based on the company’s 2014 Annual Report, it can be seen that meals have a relatively low market share of about 14%-15% (refer to Appendix A and B). However, what is shocking is that it has the lowest expected growth at about 5% (refer to Appendix C). Due to the fact that it does not have as a high a market share as cereals, the meal product line is identified with the dog. The meal product line is also relatively new for General Mills, however, it was introduced into a relatively established market. According to an article by The MinnPost, it reveals that General Mills did not introduce the meal product line until 2013. This is relatively late in the market since there are other companies that have ready-to-go meals since the 1980’s.
The Question Mark
A question mark in the BCG Matrix identifies the product that has most potential to grow; however, it is currently at a low market share stage. The organic / natural product line from General Mills’ fits this definition better than other products. To clarify, the organic / natural product line consists of vegetables and some
Consumers are increasingly skipping breakfast and morning food sales are on the decline. Yogurt tastes are changing as well, with many consumers opting for Greek yogurt as opposed to regular yogurt. GIS was greatly impacted by these changes in consumer preferences and saw US cereal sales drop 3% from 2017 to 2016 while US yogurt sales dropped 18% year-over-year. In July of 2017, GIS introduced a new French Style yogurt brand to appeal to changing consumer tastes and increase yogurt sales. One positive for the industry is that consumers are snacking more often. Consumers want convenient filling foods that fit in with their busy lifestyles. The packaged food industry can take advantage of this growth capitalize on the growing popularity of quick meals and nutritious snacks. Snacks comprise 21% of GIS’s total net sales and this is expected to continue to grow as GIS introduces more healthy options. Another concern is aging populations in the developed world. As consumers age, their dietary needs change. Older populations move away from many foods products with high levels of sugar and fat in favor of more nutritional products. There is slow population growth with birth rates below the replacement level in many developed nations. This decline in new consumers is a problem for the industry as they can no longer rely on consumer growth
Everyone has his or her own personal preference towards buying generic or name brand products. When shopping in a grocery store does the type of pasta really matter to you? How about the type of macaroni and cheese you reach for? Same ingredients, same directions on how to mix and stir up the final manufactured goods but is it really the “same”. To a lot of people it might not make a difference, but like me, a lot of people prefer spending the extra 50 cents on a box of “Kraft Macaroni and Cheese” and it’s worth every penny.
This report examines the UK market for Breakfast Cereals. The market has grown substantially in the last 5 years with a high demand for quick meals in the morning due to busy lifestyles. This has had an advantage to the sales of the market.
The second step will be assessing the supply market and discovering who offers what. General Mills is a member of the World Cocoa Foundation, which helps create contact with cocoa farmers, origin governments, and environmental organizations. It is very important to consider environmentally and labor friendly options when developing my sourcing strategy for cocoa beans. General Mills does not want to risk partnering with an unethical cocoa farmer who violates labor laws using young children or putting the workers through harsh conditions.
The cereal market is a booming industry. It has been around for over one hundred years and continues to attract millions of customers’ everyday. The market structure of the cereal industry is an Oligopoly. This is because there are four large firms, Kellogg, General Mills, Post, and Quaker Oats, which dominate the industry.
As this was Keller’s first audit on a dog Foods company, additional research was conducted to gain insight on some the most common risks that occur in the dog Foods industry. The audit team also went to visit the client prior to the audit to gain a clear understanding on how their business works. The audit team consisted of the audit manager Pete, and two audit staffers Maureen and Ben.
General Mills, Inc. has three segments. U.S. Retail sells ready-to-eat cereals, meals, yogurt, organic foods, etc. The International segment includes retail business in Canada, Europe, Latin America and the Asia/Pacific region. Bakeries and Foodservice sells to retail and wholesale bakeries, and convenience stores. The company makes money through producing various food and products and distributing them all over the world.
Breeder’s Own Pet Foods, Inc. proposes to adopt a market penetration strategy due to having identified a growth opportunity in the dog food market, for its nutritionally balanced, high quality dog food brand, Breeder’s Mix. This premium product has been sold traditionally, to the show dog kennel market, but company executives are now convinced it can be repackaged and offered as a frozen premium product, to picky pet owners via general retail distribution channels. Since the product is considered premium, it should fetch premium prices because of its ingredients and its claimed benefits to
There are three main categories of dog food: dry, canned and treats. In 2011 the sales of dog food totaled somewhere in the arena of 14 billion dollars. Endeavoring to bring new dog food to an already established market can be a “daunting” task, especially when that particular dog food is frozen. Breeder’s Own Pet Foods as a whole has realized how diverse the dog food market is; however, brokers within this conglomerate believe that the true organic potential of this marketplace has yet to be “tapped” into effectively. With an ever-changing push toward becoming
Positioned to be perceived by buyer as the only dog food that they would want to purchase for a dog that is considered part of the family
Caninantics’s mission is to be the leader in introducing innovative, dog food dispensing product to the market. Through close customer contact and excellent relationships, Caninantics, will meet the needs of the customers. Caninantics, LLC, is a privately-held corporation and maintains an office and a small warehouse in a mixed-use area of North Beach. Three of the four investors in the company have full operational responsibility, the co-founders, have both entrepreneurial and industry experience to brings operational management, marketing, and financial skills
|Weaknesses: • Lack of availability in all stores • Lack of appeal to consumers due to thawing time / freezer space (convenience) • Lack of appeal to supermarkets due freezer location • Lack of brand equity in retail market • Premium price | Threats: • Store Location - Consumer must be educated to find product in different area of store • Saturated market – sales top 14 million in 2011. Dog food is also heavily advertised, so the challenge is to entice the consumer to buy Breeder’s Mix. • Competition - 5 major brand name dog food companies dominate market with 75% of US dog food sales • Challenge to get supermarkets to give up valuable freezer space for dog food |Evaluation of AlternativesBreeder’s Own Pet Foods product development strategy should be evaluated. Currently only 1 out of 10 dog owners regularly buy frozen or refrigerated dog food and ¾ of those surveyed expressed no interest in purchasing frozen dog food (Kerin and Peterson, 2013). This indicates that there is a limited market for dog owners who would be interested in a product such as Breeder’s Mix. Research does suggest however that frozen dog food dollar volume is increasing annually indicating there is a strong opportunity for Breeder’s Own to be the first to tap into the frozen dog food market in the Boston area. Breeder’s Own Dog Foods needs a strong marketing campaign to convince consumers their brand is superior to
After careful review of each of the elements in launching this product, the following analysis can be determined. Zenith has to answer a specific series of questions in order to decide if their product of Show Circuit dog food will be a viable product. The market was in fact correctly segmented, although Zenith needs to see the shopping behavior of those willing to spend more on pet food. Marketing in a supermarket could inhibit the potential growth of the product. Because the market is already segmented and offered such a variety of dog foods, Zenith will have to market the product correctly and focus in on the benefits to be successful. Show Circuit needs to seek a position of a higher quality product in a different, more convenient location. It is important to play up how the location is a benefit rather than a detriment. This goes along with the sales program being successful. Show
As marketing manager of the RBG business, Ivan Guillen must propose a solution to repair Pillsbury refrigerated baked goods (RGB)’s business performance. Since the refrigerated-cookie product line consisted of 62% of RBG’s unit sales and over 75% of the company’s profits, Guillen found it appropriate to alter this segment in the market. Proposing this idea to GMCC would require Guillen to consider all the challenges he faces. Guillen will have to discover a strategy to increase household penetration since it has fallen to 24% in the past few years. The lack in market penetration has
Portland Drake Beverages (PDB) had acquired Crescent Pure, a non-alcoholic, all natural energy enhancing and hydrating functional beverage. Having organic ingredients as the bases of Crescent Pure beverages made the perfect acquisition for extending the PDB organic brand to more markets. These multiple attributes made the drink an attractive product for the consumer, but the necessity to position it, sparked a debate. Some people wanted to market it as an energy drink, while others wanted to market it as a hydrating drink. The VP of marketing, Sarah Ryan, thought that although Crescent Pure fit both of these categories, there was an alternative option. The third option would be to position the new beverages as healthy drinks, this would be a broader market positioning strategy, one that a transcendent product like Crescent Pure, could fulfill. The concern was to simultaneously position the drink in the most lucrative market, while also ensuring that the drinks attributes aligned with the market consumers’ needs.