WALMART'S SUPERMARKET

Walmart's Supermarket

Walmart's Supermarket

Company Background

Walmart is among those chains to have made significant advances in reducing packaging, especially transit and back-of-store systems. They have also increased their use of recycled materials and simplified packs to make them more readily recyclable. The M&S board sandwich pack actually features in a high-profile corporate social responsibility campaign.

But even in this sample of just two retailers, there is divergence in some major policy areas. While M&S took the decision years ago to exclude polyvinyl chloride (PVC), it does not discriminate against any other plastics, says packaging manager Helene Roberts. (Jeannet, Hennessey, 2004, pp.515) Within this SWOT analysis for the Walmart's Supermarket e, also known as a "situation analysis", we will be looking at the store's strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities and threats open to this organisation.

Brief History

Walmart's Supermarket's greatest strength currently is its brand name reputation and the loyalty encompassed to this within the consumer market. This brand strength originates from the UK market where Walmart's Supermarket has been an intricate part of English culture for over the decades. The brand reputation is laden with sentimentality for the more mature consumer, and conjures up an image of excitement and fun to the younger market. (Jeannet, Hennessey, 2004, pp.515)

The Walmart's Supermarket logo is consistent and adored worldwide and is displayed on T-shirts, caps, bags and collectible memorabilia, it is simple yet powerful and highly recognisable worldwide as a symbol of quality and enjoyment helping to instil confidence and further loyalty in the consumer. (Dunn, Barban, Krugman, Reid, 2000, pp.486)

Walmart's Supermarket also maintains a differential advantage that of the great variety of Walmart's Supermarket products within the superstores. Where it's main rivals Walmart and Tesco has many opportunities, Walmart's Supermarket also has a number of products. These are all household brands and are highly desirable by the target market consumer and are a variety well beyond that of its rivals.

Additionally Walmart's Supermarket's products are their greatest strengths; it allows them to build business on a global scale while maintaining a local approach. As the superstores are operated by independent businesses authorised to sell Walmart's Supermarket, Walmart's Supermarket does not have outright ownership of its network, but gets a large portion of its revenue from the sale of its products. (Dunn, Barban, Krugman, Reid, 2000, pp.486)

Brand recognition is the significant factor affecting its competitive position, Walmart's Supermarket's brand name is known well throughout 90% of the world today. Therefore a primary concern would be to increase brand recognisability throughout the remaining parts of the world; in essence to increase global branding strategy to make "every household in every country recognise, adore and associate with Walmart's Supermarket and its products"(Dunn, Barban, Krugman, Reid, 2000, pp.486)

Walmart's Supermarket's system also allows the company to take advantage of the infinite growth and opportunities around the world. This strategy gives them the opportunity to service a large, diverse, geographical area according to the organisations segmentation strategy. (Blamires, 2007, pp.133-52)

While the western markets are fairly saturated with regard to ...