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Marks And Spencer Essay

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Strategy Management MARKS & SPENCER: COMPETITIVE ADVANTEGES AND FUTURE STRAGEGIES 1 TABLE OF CONTECTS 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY…………………………………………………………..3 2. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………3 3. DISCUSSION, ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS……………………………………...3 4. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………….6 5. BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………....8 2 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report will outline Marks and Spencer’s current capabilities by examining the group’s internal environment and competitive advantages. In other to do so, a SWOT analysis will be use. The study of the current situation will produce recommendations for future strategies. 2. INTRODUCTION Marks and Spencer Group (M & S) is an iconic and leading retailer of food, home …show more content…

  Long experience in the retail industry. Longstanding partners and alliances after a long history of trade. (Walters, D. and Lancaster, J.,2000) Strategic position in international markets, with potential for network expansion. One example of this expansion is in China. As Szakonyi, M (2011) reports, “M&S’s hub was moved from Hong Kong to mainland China to tap the growth of Chinese retail business and gain cost efficiencies”. M& S international business grew by 5.7% in FY2010 despite the economic crisis (DATAMONITOR 2011).   A strong culture of quality, service, and customer focus. Marketing is one of Marks and Spencer most successful strategies. M & S uses celebrity endorsements like Twiggy designing her first fashion collection (International Business , 2012). Also, it is well known for its TV commercials where the company, in order to attract younger customers without losing their client based, puts together more established celebrities alongside with younger models. Weaknesses  As food retailer, it is much smaller than the main supermarkets and most of its offering has a very short shelf life in comparison with its competitors (DATAMONITOR 2011). In the current economic climate, price is a very important and convenience means a higher price tag.   Food offering cannot compete with the wide range of products other retailers offer. “M&S legacy stores are inconsistent in terms of layout.

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