Mr Price 's Business Environment

This case analysis will be focused on the company QVC (Quality, Value, and Convenience). We will perform an analysis review, which, will provide a comprehensive insight into the company’s historical and current business structures, strategies and efficiencies in their operations. It will include a detailed SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) (Humphrey) and the primary activities of the Value Chain Analysis (Porter), to provide greater insight into the firms’ competitive advantage. These key concepts will be used to analyze QVC’s business model, define potential challenges and initiate a plan of execution. We will then recommend solutions

The company was recently presented an opportunity by its largest retail customer to significantly increase its share in their private label manufacturing. The prospect of growth was risky, since it

For the company to ensures success in its operations there is need to cultivate customer loyalty and facilitate efficient supplies, differentiator linkage between operations and buyers must be put in place. This will be facilitated through some ways. To cater for customer needs the company will have to ensure it adopts a competitive pricing strategy against the existing competitors and new entrants in the market. The company has a lean pricing policy and to take advantage of its off- price apparel strategy. The customer’s loyalty has to be sustained through the low prices they enjoy

Trader Joe 's sells gourmet foods to its customers with a low cost business model, which may seem very difficult to maintain, due to the rising costs in the international markets and the United States. However, with Trader Joe 's long term experience in operations and limited variety of products, this enables the company to reduce costs and transfer those savings to their customers. Furthermore, Trader Joe’s has a very efficient management process that allows keeping the product costs down to keep their customers satisfied. The management process is very significant for Trader Joe 's in which they have planned marvelously to carry certain products which is obtained at a discounted price from their suppliers. Additionally, Trader Joe’s keep costs down to a minimum by choosing non-prime store locations. For

Strategically, Company G seemed to rely solely on volume sales with a low price point in all markets: Internet, wholesale, and private label. Their “basis for competitive advantage is lower overall costs than competitors…finding ways to drive costs out of their businesses and still provide a product…that buyers find acceptable.” (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, & Strickland, 2012) With an SQ rating of 5, quality was not a distinguishing factor; low costs were.

The company’s resource strengths are advertising, celebrity appeal (2 contracts), competitive low pricing in several segments, rebate offer, and model availability. The company’s resources weaknesses are in SQ rating, free shipping, retailer support, and delivery time. The external market opportunities that will have the company growth and increase profitability; sustained low-cost strategy in the wholesale segment, compete in private label segment (no bids in Year 12) and expanding on manufacturing capacity. In Year 12, Company C was able to lower manufacturing cost by 10% and 7% in North America and Asia-Pacific respectively. External threats to Company C are companies like A, B, and E selling at a loss in the private-label segment. Company C will strive to compete with low-cost strategy but with a controlled loss (if any), unlike the current price wars in the private-label segment, which in Year 12 Company C did not compete. Company C is strong in the wholesale segment and in the industry as a whole. The company has some strong resources to continue its growth and probability. Company C’s

By end of 90’s the company was dominant in many of the categories it competed in. The challenge was found in whether it can continue its dominance in it’s new, expanding product ranges and could maintain its dominance and synergy in its all categories on low and high price offering in hardware, home furnishings, office and house ware, while maintaining its management and corporate structures.

Reed Supermarkets started out as a lower-end retailer, but over the past two decades Reed has moved into the high-end in the supermarket business. They have done this with a combination of exceptional customer service, a full assortment of both standard and high-end products, including bakeries, meats and seafood. This niche has been very successful and been the diving force in their growth. Unfortunately, as noted above, customer loyalty to a quality brand has dwindled and been replaced y the need to find the best price. Reed has attempted to combat this by both increasing their high-margin products (private label and prepared foods) and increasing the number and amount of specials they offer. These tactics have done little to change customers’ perception of Reed as a high-end and high-priced retailer. See Appendix A for a full SWOT analysis on HLL.

This gain value and addresses a key decisive achievement factor in the industry (Grant,2010). As position is important to offer convenience and a deep assortment, An extra unique intangible resource would be their brand representation and customer loyalty, this is vital since it can attract or attract consumers and it could be necessary to build the brand image .

First of all, a strong brand can be seen as the condition for organisations to expand products, offer more service, and introduce new products (Chernatony and McDonald, 2003). Secondly, a strong brand can lead to growth marketing communication effectiveness (Keller, 2009). ‘To build a strong brand, the right knowledge structures must exist in the minds of actual or prospective customers so that they respond positively to marketing activities and programs in these different ways.’(Keller, 2003, p. 140) Furthermore, Kay (2005) asserted that the strong brand can be seen as a resource of management, which make brand extension easier and useful to build distribution network. Companies are not treated by the intermediaries (Chernatony and McDonald, 2003). Moreover, companies are comparatively easier to change price if they have strong brands. As Henderson, et al (2003) said, a strong brand can allow for premium pricing even still remain loyalty customers, which help companies to survive in the intensive competitive market.

Mr Price Group is a retailer that focuses the value fashion markets. More than 80% of revenues are realised through cash sales which results in the company being less susceptible to the cyclical nature of the retail industry and also not reliant on credit to drive sales (Mr Price Group Ltd, 2016).

The launching and opening of the first Mr Price group store was in 1987 in Durban, Brickhill Road and within 3 years from when the first store was opened, there was a total of 19 Mr Price Factory stores. At about 1991, their current CEO, McArthur was elected as the managing director of the chain stores and his first marketing based decision was to focus on

Mydin offers varieties of similar range products as their competitors where they are still able to undercut prices by reasonable percentages. Mydin’s pricing strategy is low price strategy where this strategy emphasizes on low price products as well as maintaining the quality of their products. It also focuses on reducing the cost from their operation to produce lower price products yet good quality. Besides that, Mydin used low price strategy to attract lower and medium income group in across Malaysia. Therefore, lower and medium income families are willing to purchase at lower price and high quality products at Mydin. Nevertheless, Mydin able to sustain its customers for long period of time and it will increase customer loyalty through their low price strategy. In addition, this low price strategy may attract small wholesalers and petty traders in getting cheaper supplies from Mydin. “It has also contributed to the business expansion and is reflected by an increase in number of wholesalers and petty traders who have registered as their frequent buyers (Armum, N.D)”. Furthermore, Mydin also emphasize in bulk buying and bulk selling to enjoy lower prices. Thus, Mydin selling in bulk enable to cut cost as well as sustains lower price for its wholesaler, bulk purchasers and end user. Therefore, Mydin was encouraging people to buy in bulk in order to save more. In addition, Mydin purchase raw materials in bulk in order to save more cost. “Mydin sources merchandise both locally and from other countries including Bangladesh, China, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and some more” (Armum,

Porter’s Five Forces is used to assess the attractiveness of the market. The market environment forms part of the external environment. Mr Price has no control, but some influence on the market environment. Porter’s looks at: The level of rivalry in the market, the threat of new entrants that may join the market, the power of suppliers and the power of buyers.

In today's world, no business operates in isolation without interacting with the environment where it operates. Irrespective of the nature of business whether public or private organization; manufacturing; service industry; local or international firm, its operations are inhibited by the environment in which it operates.