GCSE BUSINESS STUDIESS COURSEWORK

E valuate the present marketing mix for walker’s crisps and make recommendations for the development of the marketing mix in the future

Aims and objectives

Objective

My objective is to conduct research into the company Walkers, which specialize in crisps. This is to enable myself to discover how the firm can improve their product and broaden the range of customers that buy walkers therefore increasing there income.

Aims are as follows:

• I will gather as much as possible information about Walkers crisps.

• I will find out about the variety of Walkers crisps products.

• I will do a market research about Walkers crisps.

• According to the data, which I collect from the marker research, I will find out what percentage of people, prefer walkers brand to their competitors.

• I will do some more research in the Internet in order to find out what people don’t like about Walkers Crisps.

• I will examine the walker’s crisp logo and see how affective it is at catching the attention of customer.

• I will find some information about the growth and sales of the Walkers Crisps company.

• I will see how affective the promotion of other companies is in comparison to Walkers.

• I will find out how Walkers advertises their product in other ways such as, television, magazines, newspapers, Internet and posters.

• I will hand out a questionnaire to the general public. This is to find out their views about Walkers.

• After collecting data I will analyze and evaluate my findings and present them in an understandable manner.

• I will make recommendations on how walkers might improve their product and promotion.

Background of company

History

Mr Henry Walker came to Leicester in the 1880’s as a butcher, his company and factory was doing great, and from there they moved to cheap side in 1912, everything was going fine until the Second World War. Meat was then rationed, and the Walkers shopped ran out of meat to sell very early on in the morning. So Mr Walker turned to the potato crisp market, as they were becoming popular with the new rationing. Everyone wanted some of Walker’s new crisps. Today, Walkers is Britain's favorite crisp and the biggest crisp manufacturer, employing over 4,000 people in 15 locations.

Frito-Lay’s Walkers Crisps is the UK’s number one grocery brand and has used Lander as their brand design consultancy since 1994 across the entire brand portfolio. Walkers analyzed the evening snacking category and found that 42 percent of all snacks were being eaten after six p.m., yet crisps only accounted for 20 percent of snacks consumed. Research suggested that evening snacking was a continuing growth area and Walkers decided to make crisps part of their evening snacking portfolio. The only potato snacks currently available in this segment were Kettle Chips and Pringles.

The size of walkers

Today Walkers are owned by Frito-lay it is a private limited company which makes it a subsidiary of PepsiCo. 13.5million bags of crisps are sold every day in the UK and walkers snack foods are responsible for helping the 300,000 or so outlets in the UK who sell the walkers product to maintain the exceptional growth rates they have seen in this market over the last few years.

The market

With over a 40% share of this market, walkers have advice and help in improving the range stoked also the display and presentation of the products, the space and the location of the product in store is a valuable help to the verity of outlets they serve. On the web site it is estimated that 11million people will eat Walkers products every day

General business activities of Walkers crisps

A team of around 400employees have responsibility for growing sales in supermarkets, which accounts for around 50% of there total sale, as well as traditional retailers such as newsagents, independent grocers and petrol forecourts. Of equal importance are wholesalers and cash and carry outlets, who supply snack foods to independent retailers. Increasingly important are new outlets that are starting to recognize the profit opportunity that savory snacks can offer as well as traditional leisure sites. Among the many ways Walkers help retailers grow sales and enhance profit the advice range selection and display equipment. This maximizes the impact that it has upon the consumers in store and through point of sale materials supports brand promotions.

The legal structure

The legal structure is weather a business is a sole trader or a public limited company and the way in which a business conduct things legally. A lot of walker’s brands were formally branded under the name Smiths Crisps The name of this company comes from when walkers, Smiths and Tudor were three main brands of Nabisco’s UK snack division; it is also oligopoly. The UK retail trade is among the worlds most dynamic and sophisticated ensuring crisps and snacks continue to be the fastest growing products is the on going challenge for the sales force at walkers snack foods. Presently Walkers Crisps brand is being given a £20m facelift by owner PepsiCo which is a public company or an incorporated company, with three new flavors and a lower-fat, lower salt recipe. This shows that Walkers are trying to improve the healthiness of there product so that they can appeal to more of the population and try and improve there wellbeing whilst improveing the size of their company.

Target market

Marketing and competition

Walkers operates in the crisp and snacks market. Walkers sell snacks to all age groups genders religions, and all of society that eat crisps. There are quite a few competitors for Walker’s in the crisp market including: Golden Wonder, Nik-Naks, Seabrook, Kettle, Supermarket’s own brand, Doritos, Mcoys etc.

Market segmentation

There market is segmented in this is true for walkers as well they prove this in the different ways that they package there different sorts of crisps. This difference and similarities depends on a number of factors including:

• Grouped by Ethnicity

• Grouped by age

• Grouped by gender

• Grouped by income

• Grouped by area

• Grouped by occupation

The walkers company is split up in to 3 main ranges of crisps they are

• Core range

• Healthier snacking

• Sensations

Customer Targeting

W alkers Wotsits are a firm favourite with the kids. There bold designs and bright colours appeal to kids because it s what their drawn to almost. Walkers target children a lot because most of their market is based around children and them consuming the walker’s product.

S ensations, another brand within walkers is known as the posh crisp implying that this particular crisp is sophisticated and is mainly targeted at a more mature consumer maybe aged around 20+. The packaging it is presented in is a very simple yet classy look not a bold and out standing as wotsits but more plainly presented.