Reed Supermarkets: a New Wave of Competitors Essay

Unclear brand image: made many changes that have strayed from their main brand image and focus.

If Reed continues to focus on building its quality image, then it should not be as concerned about these low-priced retailers.

Once the decision was made to transition our Performance and Size products to Low End and Traditional we had to decide on an approach. We could make gradual changes that were done by December each year and allowed us to update product specifications annually, or we could use the forecast and make the change in one adjustment. The latter would not allow us to revise the product for several years but it also would not allow the other teams to know what we were doing until the products finished their move. We decided that the surprise positioning was the better option as it wouldn’t allow the other competitors time to mimic our decision if it turned out to be successful.

In the past, JCP had, on average, one price campaign every day. The stores were full of sale signs and retail rise was getting out of control. JCP partnered with numerous exclusive collaborations which was hoped to bring about an expansion for the firm. However, due to the economic slump, the oversaturation of the market, and an expected lack of quality in the goods from the consumer perspective, JCPenney’s success was degrading in contrast to its competitors. (Sloan, 2010).

Operating on very thin profit margins, players in the supermarket industry traditionally either focus on a premium segment or follow a discounter strategy at the low end. Premium players address educated and more price elastic consumers who value healthy, natural and organic food; the share of perishable items for these players is normally distinctly higher. Players that focus on a discounter strategy offer a higher share of simple necessity items and value price competitiveness over premium features like healthiness or organic origin. Independently of the focused customer group it is imperative for players in the supermarket industry to be cost efficient and optimize operations

Grocery shopping is more diversified and evolved than ever before. Individuals across the nation have access to everything from exotic products to unique delivery services. Often, specialty stores have limited locations whereas specialty services have a limited reach. However, two retailers have expanded to hundreds of locations while adhering to unexpected market positioning for previously untargeted market segments. Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s have become household names while also innovating beyond regional and national traditional chains. Despite comparable size in

Lastly, the company suggest to expand their current inventory through increasing production and capacity. With the increase in production rate the company can gain more consumers as a whole through supply and demand. Doing this would give the company an opportunity for more exposure and perhaps better brand recognition.

With 30% of Dollar General’s inventory being made up from nationally known brands and the other 70% consisting of Private label brands, Dollar General does not face a large threat from the bargaining power of suppliers. While the national brands are on par, or sometimes below, big box stores such as Wal-Mart’s prices. Dollar General’s focus is supplying consumers with quality products at the lowest price possible. Since the majority of their products are created internally the power of supplies to control prices or production is very low.

With giants such as Walmart, and Kroger running the grocery store industry it’s difficult for companies such as Smuckers to bargain for shelf-space and prices. Brand name items drawn to the center of the store are what leverages these companies to succeed in the industry. After numerous acquisitions and strategic alliances, Smuckers developed a solid core of product lines which experienced success rapidly. Product lines that experienced the most success as a result of strong positioning in the industry included their Coffee labels, flour and baking products, Oils and food spreads. A 9-Cell Industry Attractiveness/Business Strength Matrix shows that the Industry attractiveness is relatively moderate. With many competitors and strong buyer power from large grocery chains such as Kroger, companies such as Smuckers have explored different strategies that have proved successful in what can be described as a saturated industry. The case insinuates that there may be opportunities in the industry in regards to special markets and perhaps Oils and Baking with sugar free products, but otherwise the recession, although it drove families to buy store bought as opposed to eating out, has had its effects on the food service industry as well.

The current size of the organisation is not as big as some of the rivals in the area. The chain compromises of 15 stores and has a big head office and

Specialty grocery stores have grown in attractiveness to customers, but the main issue is that often specialty stores have restricted locations which in turn limits their reach to customers. Whole Food’s Market and Trader Joe’s are two specialty grocery stores who have increased locations to the hundreds while adhering to an unforeseen market standing for formerly untargeted market segment.

JC Penney had to undergo and withstand several competitive issues to include changing of brand image, selling strategy and marketing strategy. JC Penney also had to account for Environmental Factors to include: a population that continued to age and also unemployment rates. JC Penney tried to influence customers by portraying an everlasting sale. No matter how hard JC Penney tried to market their products, if people didn’t

 Illustrates low prices and at the same time, not portray a cheap image to consumer.

Reed’s executives have put forth three alternatives to increase revenues in the Columbus market. The first is to continue with their

To make his business successful, Colin must consider an integration of price, promotion, place, and product. He must also try and distance themselves from their competition. To do so the brothers must maintain the quality of their merchandise and customer service, reasonable prices, and improve their promotion strategies. For one thing, the price of his products must be within a