Costco Swot Analysis

These items are equal to or better quality than the national brands. The different brands give you more options when shopping. What are the benefits of having a Costco membership? In addition to accessing great savings and variety, joining Costco also gives you access to several other benefits that make membership well worth

Costco has its own brand, Kirkland Signature, that does surprisingly well for a store brand. This label, obviously, earns a higher profit as there are less middlemen involved and Costco can charge a higher mark-up to account for its lower cost of obtaining the products (Page 2015). The various pricing strategies Costco offers, allows consumers to recognize discounted prices for respected brands and items and return to the chain

They offer their private label Kirkland Signature brand, as well as, a large selection of name brand merchandise. Costco is always looking to add new brands to their product line. “They experienced a impressive 18.52% return on equity in 2014. Sales exceeded $110 billion, and net income totaled $2.06 billion, or $4.65 per share. Our cash flow was strong; and over $900 million was returned to shareholders in the form of dividends ($584 million) and share repurchases ($334 million)”, (Costco Wholesale Return on Equity (TTM) (COST), 2015).

People love going to Costco and getting the ultimate shoppers experience plus free samples. All three can have Target chasing after their customers. But this graph above shows that the growth in Costco is slowing as of 2014. At first it would seem Costco is doing the best but Costco only, "has 649 stores; when you compare that to Wal-Mart's 11,000 locations, it seems tiny" (Tahiri 2014). There is also the fact of how well Costco pay its employees.

Panera has done all of those as far as I can tell, I personally do not care much for the price or amount of food they offer but everything else is spot on (many people I know love Panera). Panera has many rivals, much more than normal; they compete from both ends of the spectrum which is probably why they are doing so well. Their market is so large they can handle the pressure from outside. Five Forces Model Factor Analysis Impact Rivals competitive Pressure • Buyer costs to switch brands are low • Competitors are numerous and equal in size and competitive strength

 Why has Loblaw’s strategy been successful? Loblaw success can be attributed to its efficient operations, its customer loyalty programs, the popularity of its private label brands, and large-scale purchasing efficiencies. Loblaw has showed a good understanding of the Canadian grocery market due to its time-tested strategy. The company has presence in virtually all Canadian provinces with a tailored value chain that helps them achieve high revenue and standards. Additionally Loblaw offers competitive wages and benefits.

Alternative Solutions 1. Expand network of suppliers to leverage price of products. 2. Implement global marketing strategy of products while increasing international supplier network. 3.

Cutco has targeted the high end of that market and created a corporate culture based on maintaining the highest quality standards. In the marketing strategy employed by Vector marketing, the company that manages the sales force for Cutco, customers have the ability to share their personal stories of family and times when their Cutco product has helped or served them. Thousands of customers have written stories to the company to express how their products have affected their lives, it is these stories that create lifetime customers and appeal to other consumers when looking for what they want. Vector calls this the friends of friends approach to marketing and it is very successful in this case as annual sales are over $200 million. I believe that there is more money to be had if they mass produce and used either retailer or wholesaler channels, but Cutco isn’t willing to sacrifice the quality for the

Premier Inn is a famous British hotel brand with over 700 facilities worldwide. Being founded by Whitbread in the year 1987, the company is the result of a merge between Premier Lodge and Travel Inn. Premier Inn hotels operate under the strategic partnership between the leading international companies and Britain’s leading hospitality firm Whitbread PLC. This allows enhancing the popularity of the Premier Inn brand all over the world.

Introduction Tiffany & Co. is a holding organization that works through its backup organizations. The Company 's main auxiliary, Tiffany & Company, is a goldsmith and especially retail merchant, whose stock offerings incorporate a broad choice of jewelry (92% of overall net deals in monetary 2016), and in addition timepieces, sterling silverware, china, gem, stationery, fragrances and accessories. Through Tiffany & Company and more subdivisions, the Company is busy in designing the product, assembling and retailing exercises. Tiffany was established in 1837 when Charles Lewis Tiffany opened a store in downtown Manhattan.

Executive Summary Starbucks is an American coffee company and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the biggest coffee-house organisation in the world with more than 21,500 stores in 64 nations as of May 2015. The very first Starbucks opened in Pike Place Market in Seattle on the 30th of March, 1971, founded by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker. From Starbucks’ founding as a Seattle coffee bean roaster and retailer, the company has expanded rapidly; especially between 1987 and 2007 when an average of two new Starbucks stores were opened every day.

Costco is high aggressiveness retail firms due it sells

Key Trends – Globalisation One of the main opportunities Costco has is more global expansion to specific targeted countries. Although operating in many countries, Costco is heavily dependent on the U.S. and Canadian markets. It still has the opportunity to expand into the Asian and Australian markets where it has a limited presence. Costco has the capability to operate about 100 stores in Taiwan, Korea and Japan combined and about 20 stores in Australia. It currently has 41 stores in Taiwan, Korea and Japan combined and 6 stores in Australia.

Brand loyalty is a concern of other competitors but Trader Joe’s. Having no brand products can become a strategic

Starbucks has the ability to effectively leverage their product differentiation strategies by offering a product mix that is seen as premium by offering high quality beverages and snacks. Starbuck’s brand equity is built by providing each customer with a unique experience with good customer service, clean and well-maintained stores that reflect the culture of the communities in which they operate (Geereddy, 2013). So, the company’s core competencies are their focus on quality, outstanding customer service, care for its employees, continuous product advancement and the company’s drive to be involved in the community they are in. By focusing on these core competencies, Starbuck’s has been able to demand higher prices for their products and gained customer loyalty since their company is associated with high quality products and excellent customer service in the minds of their