Swot Analysis Of Publix

General Overview: Kroger and Publix Supermarkets are both dominating competitors in the grocery store market. Providing customers with low prices, unbeatable deals and a unique quality of products is what both companies strive for. The purpose of this report is to present our analysis of two competing companies within the same industry. Through research we have explored, analyzed and applied our learnings of information systems through comparing the websites, social media usage of each company, marketability and competitive advantages of Kroger and Publix Supermarkets. In this report we will present our findings of the objectives above and further compare and contrast the two companies.

1. The grocery industry is a commoditized industry, which makes it difficult for grocers to sustain through differentiation. Buyer power is high and thus, cost leadership and operational efficiencies are critical. There is fierce competition amongst various grocery stores, with the main players such as Loblaw and A&P holding multi-banner stores in various market segments. Traditional grocery stores also lose some of their market share to drug stores, convenience stores and other retailers who have entered the industry. Threat of substitutes from fast-food and take- away outlets is not as prevalent, since many grocery stores have started stocking ready-to-eat meals and have deli services available for consumers. Competitive

Publix is not your quintessential grocery store, it is so much more. What is it about Publix that make it unique from all the other stores that sell groceries? What are its unique selling points that add extra value to a visit? Why are customers willing to pay more to shop there? To quote Publix President, Todd Jones, “We believe that there are three ways to differentiate: service, quality and price. You’ve got to be good at two and the best at one. We make service our number one, then quality and then price” (Jones, 2013).

Benefits can be expensive and one would hope that their employer is able to provide a good benefit package while they are employed. Publix and Whole Foods are similar in terms of 401K and health insurance. Publix also offers employee stock ownership and education benefits. The key difference is that Publix offers employees sixteen paid days off after one year versus Whole Foods, which only offers ten days off after one year. The extra week that Publix offers can be essential when seeking a career due to kids, vacations, unscheduled events etc. Rewarding employees with incentives like more time off creates a positive working environment and gives the employee motivation to be more

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

On the whole, Publix Supermarket is a great company to work for and not just because it is Fortune’s Top 500 on an annual basis. The company increases and retains its human capital, not by offering higher salaries, conversely by giving its employees better benefits and incentives. For instance, offering tuition reimbursement to employees would encourage them to pursue an education. However, it would also open doors, of potential advancement and increase earnings within the company as

Publix is an employee-owned supermarket chain that is said to be the largest of its kind in the United States. Its operations span throughout the southeast region, with locations in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina; with Florida having nearly half of the company’s operating base. George W Jerkins founded the corporation as an employee-owned private entity. The company has managed to create over 168,000 jobs in its numerous branches now totaling to a tune of 1098 stores. Moreover, it has invested in cooking schools and grocery distribution. The company’s turnover in the previous year, 2014, was 28.92 billion US dollars to 1.74 billion as its net profit ranking it to be the thirteenth largest private retail company in the United States (Forbes.com, 2014). Currently, the price of its stock share is around 39 US dollars per share capital. The company has managed to build a niche for itself competing with the likes of Costco, Whole Foods, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Sam’s Club and even Wal-Mart.

This is obvious from McMillan’s account of working for both food growers and food sellers, which are each given their own part in The American Way of Eating. When stores adopt similar policies they become more and more homogenous. When consumers go to a grocery store, there are certain expectations of the ‘typical’ grocery experience that are kept constant from store to store. With the consolidation of grocery stores, the homogeneity of grocers has increased and grocery stores have become more alike. This leads into the second manner in which consolidation has affected the grocery industry. Since one grocer won’t offer a radically different product from another, grocers have to take actions that establish a unique identity and image, which often leads to these large companies giving back to their communities. Walmart alone, gave over $1 billion of its earnings to charity organizations just last year. I know this from experience as well, as when I was fundraising for the Bettendorf Speech and Debate Team, Walmart and Hy-Vee each gave the team grants. This behavior is also evident when McMillan cites a phrase from a Walmart training video, “We want a better life for

Publix Super Markets is one of the largest and fastest growing employee-owned grocery companies in the United States. The company seeks to provide a broad range of quality and fresh products at reasonably affordable prices. They purposefully strive to avoid waste, offer great value, and act as good corporate citizens for the communities that they serve. The company also maintains manufacturing and distribution centers to supply its stores. Unless otherwise noted, the core information about the elements of Publix comes from their website, whose address is http://www.publix.com/Home.do.

Walgreens provides a look into their locus in the industry through declarations of purpose, vision, mission, and guiding principles or “stars”. These statements give the public an idea of where they have been, their intent on delivering value to consumers, and what their business is based upon. We learned previously that family was a large part of where Walgreens originated from. Their purpose statement says “We help people across the world lead healthier and happier lives.” (Walgreens Boots Alliance, 2015, About Us) Just as the founder, Charles R. Walgreen, Sr. indicated in the way he conducted business, so too is today’s company focused on the same objective.

Publix Super Markets Inc., usually known as Publix, is a private basic need and general home item retail chain organization that is situated in the South-Eastern U.S. Publix is owned its own employees, which is a noteworthy purpose of pride that the organization uses to extend a positive, family situated picture to its clients. Publix concentrates its items mostly in food dissemination, for example, common staple things like poultry, dairy, and meat. Publix underlines its pharmaceutical office as a state of value and administration advantage over its rivals (one source, 2015). Publix's real space for operations is inside the U.S. General store and Grocery industry (Vault, 2015). The larger part of Publix's stores are situated in Florida, with extension to new markets including Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and its most up to date areas in North Carolina. With 1,095 markets in operation, getting $28.9 billion in deals from a year ago (Publix 1, 2015), Publix is on an upward development direction worth paying heed to. Publix has discovered accomplishment by accentuating a system of administration and a family-accommodating picture advancement, rather than the advancement of item cost. With this system

Costco and its subsidiaries began operating in 1983 in Seattle Washington. The company is engaged in the operation of membership warehouses, in the U.S, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, United Kingdom and Spain according to the company website. It also has subsidiaries in Taiwan and Korea. Costco main objective is to offer its members low markups on a limited selection of nationally branded products as well as a selection of private labels in a wide range of merchandise categories. Jim Sinegal inherited this philosophy from his longtime employer and mentor, Sol Price who was the pioneer of the warehouse store in the 1970’s. Price’s main focus was on the lowest possible markup rather than the deepest discount. In his mind, the word discount equated with the meaning of cheap and inferior products. Sinegal build on Price legacy by promoting high value products at low price as the core ingredient which sets Costco apart from other business model.

Whole Foods Market (WFM), founded in 1980, had evolved and expanded from a local supermarket selling natural and health foods into a big leader of the natural and organic food industry in the U.S. WFM used the slogan “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet” to indicate the company mission of promoting organically and naturally grown food, more healthy eating, which helped to sustain the world’s entire ecosystem. The vision of the founder of WFM, John Mackey, was to build WFM to an international brand that providing greatest quality of natural and organic foods in those areas where WF stores located. WFM implemented different strategies on company growth, store location, product line, pricing, merchandizing, marketing and customer service, social media, and purchasing and distribution to fulfill its eight core values (Thompson, A. A., Peteraf, M. A., Gamble, J., & Strickland, A. J., 2016).

SWOTT analysis is a fundamental systematic stratagem used for examining both the external and internal factors which affect the company (Lee et al., 2001). Operating businesses use the SWOTT examination to analysis their market standing based on the competitive edge, market share and complete feasibility. SWOTT analysis provides the company with the current information on its weakness, strengths, business trends, and opportunities (Lee et al., 2001). The primary elements of SWOTT analysis are internal and external elements. This paper discusses the external and internal elements which can have an impact on the business of Costco’s new division.

The purpose of this study is an examination of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and treats (SWOT) related to Whole Foods Market, Inc. Much of the research and information originates from the company’s 2014 annual report. The Form10-K, reputable internet sources and the Whole Foods Market company website provided the data and information to establish a complete SWOT analysis. The research and SWOT analysis has been used to recommend a strategy for growth and sustainability of Whole Foods Market.