Retail Project - Web Exercise Part I An Overview of...

Web Exercise Part I : “An Overview of Strategic Retail Management”
Exercise 1-3 Competitive Analysis
As the manager for a McDonald’s near my campus, there are many different factors that
need to be taken in to consideration about the surrounding competition. Such factors would
include who is my competition, where are my competitors located, what promotional tactics do
my competitors currently have in place, and what strengths and weaknesses do my competitors
have. The last question being what do I recommend my McDonald’s after I complete my
analysis of the competition.
The first question of finding out who my competitors are, I have discovered that the list
of my competitors on campus include: Jack in the Box, Whataburger, Sonic, Wendy’s, and
Burger King. The second question of where they are located places Jack in the Box at 343 N
LBJ Drive, Whataburger at 4040 Hwy 123, Sonic at 802 S. Guadalupe Street, Wendy’s at 701 E.
Hopkins Street, and Burger King at 1011 N IH 35. Some current promotions that are being run
by these locations all include a Dollar Menu, and both Jack in the Box and Whataburger stay
open 24 hours, also Sonic promotes a “Happy Hour” on their drinks as well as a brown bag
special. The largest threat McDonald’s has would be Jack in the Box. Their major strengths of
low prices are very similar to McDonald’s, they are located right next to campus, and as
mentioned earlier they are open 24 hours. Their weakness is the lack of parking available, and
being positioned on the corner of a one way street.
In order to capture market shares in the campus area, I would recommend that
McDonalds adopts some of the promotions offered by our competition, offering a set time where
customers would be able to receive an exceptionally good value. In addition to this promotion, I
would also like the executives to strongly consider contacting Texas State University in regards
1

to obtaining an on-campus location at the Student Center. If McDonalds was located on campus,
it would eliminate the majority of competitors from students traveling on foot.
2

Web Exercise Part II : “Situation Analysis”
Exercise: 2-1 Retail Start-Up Center
5 Most important lessons learned from “How to Open a Retail Store”
1.
Regardless of the type of retail business you want to start, you cannot
ignore the Internet
2.
Personality, motivations, your strengths and weaknesses, money, and
experience should be at the top of your checklist.
3.
Most successful small businesses provide something attractive or
advantageous by taking what's already there and developing some
innovative features
4.
Although a great location may not guarantee success, a bad location
will almost always guarantee failure
5.
Your selection of merchandise is what will set you apart from other
stores.