Charles Chocolates Case Analysis In March of 2012 Steve Parkland was hired as the new president at Charles Chocolates. He was immediately faced with numerous decisions about the future of the company. The board of directors had tasked Parkland with doubling or tripling the size of the company over the next decade, but the board and the senior management team had different opinions about the strategy that would accomplish this goal. The main issues that Parkland faced were how to increase the company’s operations while maintaining the traditional culture and support of the board. The premium chocolate industry is a large market in the United States and continues to grow around 10% annually. It is also populated with very strong …show more content…
In order to attract and keep the new, non-local, customer base Parkland needs to increase Charles online presences and sales channels. This is a low risk, low cost opportunity with the potential for large growth in new geographical areas. If Parkland wants to achieve the aggressive growth that the board desires his ability to improve the capabilities and the operations of the company will be one of his greatest barriers. Due to the affluent nature of the customers and the possible variety in the product Parkland should focus on improving the company’s organizational capabilities. A new plant will eventually be needed but that decision can be delayed if Charles can streamline its operations. Parkland needs to institute policies that will measure productivity and develop an accurate method of forecasting sales. This will result in lower inventory carrying costs, fewer out of stock issues, and fewer backorders that need to be filled. If Charles can reduce the number of back orders and out-of-stock products it can focus on a single product line at a time which will reduce the frequency of expensive switching costs. There are many other growth opportunities that Parkland may pursue in the future. He may wish to grow the Sandwich Heaven segment of the business, growing the corporate connections of the company, and expanding into other physical locations in the
Chocolate was previously considered a “delectable symbol of luxury, wealth, and power” (Klein) in the 1500s. Using modern technology, it is now easily produced. While
Hershey’s began as a single building, creating chocolate, but soon transformed to thousands of companies around the world. “A founder of one of the world’s largest confectionery companies … He [Milton] was a pioneer in the mass production of milk chocolate, turning it to form an expensive luxury into an affordable, everyday treat” (McMahon). Money was not a factor involved with this creation of greatness but much more the quality given to his customers. Even though the quality was a luxury he felt compelled to allow everyone to experience the flavor. Bringing the cost of chocolate down made many more people able to buy the product. “Milton Hershey was a man who measured success not in dollars, but in terms of a good product to pass on the public, and still more in the usefulness of those dollars for the benefit of his fellow man” (Milton S.). Along with the products growth in cost reduction, the company’s development grew as well. More people were buying the product all over the country so that called for an expansion of the industry. Hershey’s creation is what launched the chocolate industry that continues to expand today. The increase in consumers caused growth around the world therefore adding to Hershey’s
While Europe and the United States account for most chocolate consumption, the confection is growing in popularity in Asia and market forecasts are optimistic about the prospects in China and India (Nieburg, 2013, para 9). According to the CNN Freedom Project, the chocolate industry rakes in $83 billion a year, surpassing the Gross Domestic Product of over a hundred nations (“Who consumes the most chocolate,” 2012, para 3).
Candy is not yet a “mature” industry in the United States. The compound annual growth rate for candy in the past ten years has been close to 6% a year, a very solid gain in an industry that is supposedly mature. In fact, within the chocolate confectionery subcategory, the United States ranks 11th in the world in per capita consumption and fifth in the world in growth since 1980. Based on current demographics, many analysts believe that there will be further growth for confectioneries. A “baby-boomlet” is on the way, significantly increasing the teenage population. By the time the population bulge peaks in the year 2010, it will top the baby boom in the 1960s in both size and duration. According to government statistics, the percentage of children between the age of 5 and 14 will rise during the 1990s, increasing from 14.2 percent of the population in the 1990 to 14.5 percent in the year 2000. This trend will serve as a strong foundation for increasing consumption of confectionery products through the end of the century. Nevertheless, spending for food and drink as a percentage of all personal consumption is declining in the United States, and most manufacturers recognize that future opportunities lie in using profits from domestic
Because of the amount of substitutes on the market, the premium chocolate industry is also has a high level of competition engrained in it. Rival companies with similar products consistently offer an alternative for customers.
He had great plans for the company and wanted to turn it into a global giant. He applied his skills, and after some few years, the company had increased its capacity. Within five years in the industry, the company’s sales expanded from 3000 units to 12,000 freight cars by 1999. They also raised employees from only 600 to over 3,000 and the figure keeps on expanding. He aims at nothing else but just success. The company under his leadership have received so many performance-related awards, and its success stories have been awesome. Success has been witnessed, and they are still
Chocolate has been a part of the United States’ history from the country’s earliest begins, through its expansion and growth, to the modern day America.
Morrison Restaurants is a good example of an organization that believes in strategic management. The article details the steps taken to formulate their strategic plan. Three major goals of the organization are outlined along with both operational and action plans to carry them out. The organizations overall plan addresses how the entire company, which operates many different concepts in various markets will pursue their goals in each division. Some organizations believe that strategic planning is only the responsibility of top management. “Too many managers have experienced this scenario: The chief executive officer announces a bold new corporate initiative aimed at generating performance improvements (Levesque and Roberto, 2005, 53).” This top down approach is not the case with the Ruby Tuesday Group. Their strategic planning team consisted of the CEO of Morrison Restaurants, division presidents and managers, human resource staff from corporate headquarters, key managers within the Ruby Tuesday Group and an outside consultant. “Chain-restaurant companies face an array of strategic decisions about the growth of the company (Lombardi, 1994, 40).” Therefore, it is important to get all levels of staff involved in the strategic process.
With the increasing trend in healthy diet preference, the underlying drivers of change of competition in premium chocolate industry at the strongest level are the buyers’ preferences for differentiated, refined products, instead of standardized ordinary products that are no longer demanded. In addition, baby boomers - generation with their disposable income are spending a lot on high quality premium chocolates.
“Knock, knock, knock” Fiona heard three fast, intense knocks at the front door. This surprised her because no one comes to a house in the middle of the woods. When her mother answered the door two middle aged men in suits stated their names and carried on into the house. Fiona noticed they were each carrying a box. She tried to look inside, but she could only make out shiny gold plastic wrappers. Once she saw the men taking something out of the kitchen, she quickly noticed what was going on, and she was very shocked.
The Brooklyn based chocolate business is known for their carefully wrapped chocolate bars. However, the Mast Brothers Chocolate Company, which hs been selling expensive treats might just be a cover for recycled chocolate.
Being a part of the product development team for Chocoberry I know that we will have the responsibility to make sure that we draft up a business plan with the option of marketing chocolate products with basic health claims for the United States’ retail consumer market. The business model for Chocoberry has an open-minded place to design, develop and manufacture new products worldwide and with that they have to make sure that trough there.
The objectives that Montreaux USA wants to achieve in the coming 3 years are national distribution of the new Montreaux product line, $15 million in annual sales, and to be within the top 25 in revenue. Accounting for 52.6% of the market, chocolate is the most profitable segment of the confectionary industry. In 2011, Europe captured the largest regional share of the global confectionary market at 45.2%, with the Americas following at
This report focuses on the United States-based ice cream producer, Dreyer’s, Inc., which used to be the largest ice cream company in America. In order to consolidate the ice cream industry, Rogers and Cronk, CEO of Dreyer’s, carried out some advancing operation philosophies including the launch of a strategic plan named the “Grand Plan” in the year 1994. The report gives a description of the expectations of the “Grand Plan” and their
A central aspect of the dynamic problem facing a business in an evolving and competitive industry is the decision about additions to productive capacity. The purpose of this report is to provide strategic advice for the CEO of Bonkers Chocolate Factory (BCF), the U.S division of a multi-national candy company operating in the highly competitive chocolate products market.