...CHAPTER ONE BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY The environment in which the fashion industry operates the world over has become turbulent, unpredictable and therefore, difficult to exert managerial control. Cultures around the world are constantly influencing each other; hence, the world’s cultures are changing fashion constantly. Also, social, economic, political and legal factors keep changing than before. Competition in the fashion industry is so rife such that the survival of fashion organizations cannot be guaranteed (Stuart, 1995). During the last decade, the developments of new technologies all over the world and growing globalization of countries economies have produced the fastest changes ever. The fashion industry in Ghana, especially, the clothing sub sector (which is the focus of this study) has not been without the effect of economic, political, social, cultural and legal pressures brought to bear on all organizations. In recent years, protectionism has given way to globalization. With that change, Ghanaian clothing sector of the fashion industry has had to compete with imports from low wage countries. Retailers, unencumbered by protectionism, have also seized on the opportunity, often choosing to go directly to offshore manufacturers. As retailers become larger and more globally connected, they continue to build global brands marketed around the world. In doing so, they eliminate many Ghanaian clothing companies from their supply chain. The result has been major market...
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...| Canadian Apparel Federation | Exploratory Research Assignment | Owner June 2, 2012 | Introduction The Canadian Apparel Federation is facing numerous challenges as the apparel industry is very competitive and consumer tastes and preferences are constantly changing. Our study will present some of the major trends developing in the apparel industry and what companies can do to capitalize on the market and distinguish themselves from the competitors. Research Objectives The purpose of study is to identify what a company must do to separate themselves from their competition and how to best retain and attract customers. We will examine what actions are required by companies to become successful in the market. We will compare what qualities and traits successful companies possessed which provided them with a competitive advantage in the marketplace and kept their customers satisfied. We will compare three companies; Lululemon, American Apparel, and Roots Canada and report on what separates them from their competition and mistakes they have made in the past. Research Method Our research consisted primarily of exploratory research which will focus on the industry’s background to help us determine key industry trends, customer preferences and keys for success. We will collect background information from articles, industry data, companies internal data, competitors data and consumers opinions which will be gathered from online social media. Secondary data will...
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...James Borda Retail Marketing 10/5/12 Case 10 Case Study 1. Over the last decade, American Eagle and Abercrombie and Fitch have been two of the main clothing retailers competing for the affection of young adult shoppers, specifically within the teen-college age range of 18-22 years. While both companies carry a similar assortment of clothing apparel and try to cater to the same demographic, each company’s retail strategy does differ in various ways. A retail strategy is defined as the way in which a firm plans to focus its resources to accomplish its objectives. Being that both companies have the same target market and nature of merchandise, they both attempt to look for ways to gain a competitive advantage through their retail strategies. One main difference in their strategies is that American Eagle attempts to gain an advantage by selling their products at lower prices. By offering apparel that is equivalent to that of Abercrombie and selling it at a cheaper price they are able to attract the consumer who is looking to save money. On the other hand, Abercrombie keeps their prices a little bit higher to give off the appearance of higher quality in hopes to attract the consumer who looks to buy name brand, higher end clothing. Moreover, though it is incredibly important to gain a competitive advantage over other retailers in your market, it is even more crucial to sustain that advantage. Abercrombie has positioned itself strictly within the market of 18-22 year olds; to...
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...e-Business, e-Management and e-Learning, Vol. 1, No. 3, August 2011 Case Study of Online Retailing Fast Fashion Industry Wei Zhenxiang and Zhou Lijie Abstract—The study investigates into the fast fashion industry worldwide, specifically on Zara, H&M and UNIQLO with respect to efficient supply chain management, scarce value creation, low costs promotions and positioning strategy, supported by comparisons between several typical well-known fast fashion brands. Through the overall analysis of B2C apparel online retailing in China, statistics show an enormous space for online retailing fast fashion industry to explore but a far way to catch up with the leading enterprises in the world in terms of e-commerce scale. The next main part demonstrates a case of a Chinese fast fashion online retailer-Vancl, analyzing its keys to success in aspects of proper product positioning, brand positioning, business mode, marketing strategy, products and services, user experience, logistics and team management. In addition, relevant suggestions for further prosperity are proposed in the end of the paper. Index Terms—fast fashion industry, e-commerce, B2C, online retailing retailers to acknowledge that designs move from catwalk to store in the fastest time to capture current trends in the market. The apparel products are designed and manufactured quickly and cheaply to allow the mainstream consumer to take advantage of current clothing styles at a lower price. Since the primary objective of the fast...
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...families, as well as of the local community and society at large. Traditionally in the United States, CSR has been defined much more in terms of a philanthropic model. Companies make profits, unhindered except by fulfilling their duty to pay taxes. Then they donate a certain share of the profits to charitable causes. The European model is much more focused on operating the core business in a socially responsible way, complemented by investment in communities. This model tends to be more sustainable because : • Social responsibility becomes an integral part of the wealth creation process - which if managed properly should enhance the competitiveness of business and maximise the value of wealth creation to society. • When times get hard, there is the incentive to practice CSR more and better - if it is a philanthropic exercise that is peripheral to the main business, it will always be the first thing to go when push comes to shove. Different organisations have different definitions of CSR- although there is considerable common ground between them. Regardless of the definition one chooses, there is a broad agreement that CSR is about how companies manage their business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society. 1.2 Importance of CSR: Presently a growing number of companies participate, make progress, show good financial...
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...The Textile Apparel & Clothing Industry in India Market Research 2009 Market Research on Textile Clothing & Apparels Prepared for Italian Trade Commission, Trade Promotion Section of the Consulate General of Italy Mumbai By ACE GLOBAL PRIVATE LIMITED NEW DELHI, INDIA Table of Contents 1. Introduction................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Objectives ................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Coverage ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Methodology ............................................................................................................... 2 Secondary Research ...................................................................................................... 2 Primary Survey .............................................................................................................. 2 1.4 Draft Report ................................................................................................................ 3 2. Market Characteristics................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Market Size ................................................................................................................. 4 2...
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...Accounting for Decision Making American Apparel: Drowning in Debt? Case Study Analysis Prepared by Group 7-section A: Ambika Ravi Shankar - 14009 Ashish Sopori -14018 Ashvita Ganesh - 14020 Tamilarasi Rajappa – 14066 Pragadeeshwaran Selvaraju - 14075 Introduction American Apparel, is an American multi-national clothing manufacturer, distributor and retailer since 1988based in Los Angeles, California. Dov Charney, a Canadian business man was a founder and former CEO of the company. He was involved in nearly every part of the business process from design and manufacturing to marketing. The Ernst & Young named Charney Entrepreneur of the Year in 2004. He was also termed "Man of the Year" by various fashion magazines. American Apparel is about vision, passion, intensity, brand-free, sustainable, fair wages, solar power, recycling, creativity and the can-do spirit”, according to CEO Dov Charney. American Apparel is known for their creative campaigns, print advertisements and own designs. The company promotes provocative and controversial advertising campaigns, which is largely the inspiration of the former company CEO, Dov Charney. The company was ranked 308th in the Inc. 2005 list of the 500 fastest growing companies in the United States, with a 440% three-year growth and revenues in 2005 of over US$211 Million. General facts on the global clothing industry The world clothing and textile industry (clothing, textiles, footwear and luxury goods)...
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...It reduced the price of products and at the same instance expanded geographical boundaries. Online retail brought shoppers and vendors close like never earlier. By transcending geographic limitations it allowed companies to even mark those consumers who were earlier “inaccessible.” The Internet is providing a gamut of breakdowns for new advanced business representations and transactions. It also unlocked new channels for advertising professionals to better endorse their products and services. Internet Shopping Habits Globally, an online study conducted by Nielsen Global, found that approximately half of the Internet-using populace has made at minimum one online purchase. The process of online shopping behavior includes five steps: 1. The customer identifies their need for a specific product – apparel in our case 2. She refers to the Internet for additional information about the merchandise 3. She compares costs with other competitors to weigh different alternatives 4. She makes a purchase choice where she settles for a product or a brand. This stage is followed by the actual buying 5. The buyer will calculate the adequacy of the product/brand in relations of her original needs. This impacts the future buying behavior and choices of the...
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...Marinelle Briones June 16, 2012 S38-Markma Using the SPADE method, analyze Giordano Holdings Limited, Inc. Case I. SITUATION Jimmy Lai was born into poverty in Guandong, China. He was exposed to many western retail businesses that encouraged him to join the retail market himself. He thought of using a pizza parlor name to open his own clothing chain. Lai founded Giordano in Hong kong in 1981. Giordano’s success is measured by the company’s relentless focus on its five corporate business values of quality, knowledge, innovation, simplicity and service. The company has its own apparel manufacturing division where many of its own clothing styles are produced. Giordano is also renowned for its basic and practical men’s, women’s and children’s T-shirts and trousers, especially denims. In comparison, Giordano is very similar to the American based retailer The Gap. The product is sold under the brands of “Giordano”, “Giordano Concepts”, “Giordano Junior” and “Giordano Ladies”.[1] Giordano’s first beginnings were gloomy. It originally targeted the upscale market of Hong Kong and sold exclusively only men’s casual apparel and with too high prices, as a result, they were unsuccessful. However, this does not hinder Lai to continue his dream and transform the company. Combining what he learned from other successful internationally acclaimed brands such as United Colors of Benetton, McDonalds and Marks and Spencers, Lai created and centered his attention...
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...of children’s merchandise. They sell clothing and accessories for newborns to 10 year olds. The company is not just a retail store, they also design, contract to manufacture high quality merchandise under the brand name “The Children’s Place.” The first Children's Place store was opened by two 1965 graduates of Harvard Business School, David Pulver and Clinton Clark.[1] The Children’s Place is a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ exchange since 1997 and the headquarters are located in Secaucus, New Jersey. They currently employ about 5,000 full time employees. This company is a vertical retailer and their website is WWW.ChildrensPlace.com. According to GlobeNewsWire.com, The Children’s Place is the largest pure-play children's specialty apparel retailer in North America.” [2] This company owns many brands and licenses but the three main brands they own or have owned are their own brand of “The Children’s Place” clothing and accessories, Disney Stores through Hoop Holdings, and licensed graphic t-shirts. The first company brand is their self named brand, “The Children’s Place.” This is their most well known brand because it is what they sell in their stores. They have lines ranging from newborns to 10 year olds. They sell everything from clothing to accessories including shoes. They have design teams who design seasonal clothing for each age group. They have lines for both girls and boys. Their logo on their website for this clothing line is, “Big Fashion, Little Prices.”[3]...
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...design within two retail companies to identify constituents that can have a negative and positive influence on the stores. Apparel department of two discount department stores were selected and observed in the constituents that create their merchandise assortment and store design. Apparel departments of Target and Big W at Fountain Gate in Victoria, Australia were selected as locale of study. The report consists of two sections. The theoretical study section is based on literature review of two elements of marketing mix; merchandise assortment and store design. The second section will discuss the similarities and differences between the two retailers. Recommendations will be provided to both retailers based on the study. The survey method was followed to conduct the study and data were collected through an unobtrusive observation and also a use of a retailer observation checklist. Table of Contents Introduction 3 Literature Review 4 Retailers’ Store Design & Merchandise Assortment 6 Recommendation & Justifications 9 Conclusions 10 References 11 Appendix 1: Observation Checklists 12 Appendix 2: Individual Reflection 13 Introduction The Australian clothing retailing industry has...
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...The Gap Inc. In 2010 Case Summary Case Summary This case study describes the business environment of the apparel market and how Gap Inc. tried in this highly competitive market environment to manage a turnaround in the time between 2000 and 2010. The U.S. clothing store sector accounted for approximately $156 billion in the year 2009 and had slightly declined compared to 2008 due to the worldwide recession. Average before-tax profits estimated by IBIS-World were around 3% in the year 2009. The level of globalization in the market is relatively low and made up by a large number of small and few major, domestically owned companies. The family clothing store industry is the most important sector, as it is responsible for more than half of the revenues in the U.S. clothing market. Concerning the gender woman clothes are most interesting, due to their will to spend more. Women clothing accounts for 50% of the market, followed by men and children with market shares of 37% and 13%. Hereby more than one third of the adult population has to be considered obese. According to price sensitivity 65% of the market is value-priced driven and targeted by family stores of companies such as Ross Stores or TJX Companies. They focus on still wanted brand names and discounts by delivering off-season styles. More emotional driven fashion and brand-conscious customers rather shop at Gap or Abercrombie & Fitch and are influenced by marketing efforts. These four companies are the major rivals...
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...IN-COMPANY TRAINING REPORT ON MARKETING STRATEGY OF TOMMY HILFIGER COMPLETED IN TOMMY HILFIGER LTD SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT OF BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (BBA) GURU JAMBHESHWAR UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, HISAR TRAINING SUPERVISOR: SUBMITTED BY: MR. SAUMYA GHOSH MANDEEP SINGH (Senior Marketing Manager) Batch: 2007-2010 Enrollment No.: 07511213132 Session: 2007-2010 RNIS COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT DIRECTORATE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION GURU JAMBHESHWAR UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, HISAR-125001 PROJECT REPORT ON MARKETING STRATEGY OF TOMMY HILFIGER COMPLETED IN TOMMY HILFIGER LTD SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT OF BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (BBA) GURU JAMBHESHWAR UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, HISAR TRAINING SUPERVISOR: SUBMITTED BY: MR. SAUMYA GHOSH MANDEEP SINGH (Senior Marketing Manager) Batch: 2007-2010 Enrollment No.: 07511213132 Session: 2007-2010 RNIS COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT DIRECTORATE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION GURU JAMBHESHWAR UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, HISAR-125001 STUDENT DECLARATION I hereby declare that the Summer Training Report conducted at “Marketing Strategy Of Tommy Hilfiger” submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement of bachelor of business administration (BBA) RNIS College...
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...Consumer Sciences, Vol 31, 2003 The importance of apparel product attributes for female buyers Ernest J North, Retha B de Vos and T Kotzé OPSOMMING Die doel van hierdie artikel is om die bevindinge van ‘n empiriese ondersoek te rapporteer wat uitgevoer is om vroulike verbruikers se aankoopbesluite vir ‘n kledingstuk te ontleed wat gebaseer is op die waarde wat hulle aan sekere eienskappe van die produk heg. Alhoewel menige studies in die verlede verbruikers se houdings jeens produkte en hul eienskappe gemeet het, is die moontlikheid van die effek van interaksie tussen die attribute oorgesien. In die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks het die literatuurstudie getoon dat daar ‘n behoefte is aan ‘n studie om te bepaal wat die waarde is wat vroulike verbruikers aan sekere produkeienskappe heg voordat aankoopbesluite gefinaliseer word. ‘n Vraelysopname is as primêre data-insamelingsmetode gebruik waartydens die respondente versoek is om aan te toon wat hul voorkeure is vir dertig gepaarde kombinasies van die produk en sy eienskappe. Hierdie studie het op vier eienskappe, naamlik handelsmerk, styl, kleinhandelaar en prys gefokus. Hipoteses is geformuleer en voorkeurkeuse-ontleding (“conjoint analysis”) is vir die ontleding van data gebruik. Die bevindinge toon aan dat daar beduidende verskille is in die waardes wat vroulike verbruikers heg aan die eienskappe van ‘n kledingstuk voordat aankoopbesluite geneem word. INTRODUCTION Although the apparel industry seems to be in the maturity stage and growth...
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...noopurJournal of Fashion Marketing and Management Emerald Article: Postponement and supply chain structure: cases from the textile and apparel industry Hassan Chaudhry, George Hodge Article information: To cite this document: Hassan Chaudhry, George Hodge, (2012),"Postponement and supply chain structure: cases from the textile and apparel industry", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 16 Iss: 1 pp. 64 - 80 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13612021211203032 Downloaded on: 19-12-2012 References: This document contains references to 19 other documents To copy this document: permissions@emeraldinsight.com This document has been downloaded 704 times since 2012. * Users who downloaded this Article also downloaded: * Hassan Chaudhry, George Hodge, (2012),"Postponement and supply chain structure: cases from the textile and apparel industry", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 16 Iss: 1 pp. 64 - 80 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13612021211203032 Hassan Chaudhry, George Hodge, (2012),"Postponement and supply chain structure: cases from the textile and apparel industry", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 16 Iss: 1 pp. 64 - 80 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13612021211203032 Hassan Chaudhry, George Hodge, (2012),"Postponement and supply chain structure: cases from the textile and apparel industry", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 16 Iss: 1 pp. 64 - 80 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13612021211203032 Access...
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