Industry Background
The food industry in Australia is divided into several sectors among which the sphere of healthy food is the dominant one. The leaders of this market area are the international companies Weight Watchers and Paradise Food Industries (Weight Watchers Company, 2009; Paradise Food Industries, 2009). The products of these companies present in the market include cakes, cookies, and other tasty things for everyday consumption. The ideology of both Australian leaders is concentrated on the customers whose needs Weight Watchers and Paradise Food Industries in healthy food and better living conditions both companies try to satisfy (Weight Watchers Company, 2009; Paradise Food Industries, 2009). Needless to say, each of the companies positions itself as a leader of the Australian market of healthy food (Saad, 2008), and this paper will focus on the analysis of both companies’ performance carried out in order to identify the actual leader of the mentioned sector of the Australian market.
Weight Watchers Triple Choc Cookies
Beginning with the Weight Watchers Company, it can be called a rather influential player in the Australian food market. Although the companies dealing in products of everyday consumption like meat, fruit, vegetables, etc. take the bulk of the market share, the light healthy food produced by the Weight Watchers Company allows it to take 14% of the Australian market (Weight Watchers Company, 2009). The annual revenues of the company display permanent growth from A$346 million in the fourth quarter of 2008 to A$390 million in the first quarter of 2009 (Saad, 2008). The competitive prices for the newly introduced Triple Choc Cookies, that amount to A$3.30 per pack, allow the company’s product line to be in an advantaged position in relation to one of its major competitors, Paradise Food Industries (Weight Watchers Comapny, 2009).
Paradise Vive Lites Choc Chip Cookies
Being one of the leaders of the Australian food market sector, Paradise Food Industries enjoys annual revenue of A$130 million and controls over 12% of the market share in Australia (Paradise Food Industries, 2009). The recent figures reported by the company’s official website evidence the steady growth of the total revenues of the company, and allows its Vive Lites Choc Chip Cookies to be one of the most popular products among its customers (Paradise Food Industries, 2009). However, the lacking promotional initiatives and the relatively high prices for the cookies, on average, amounting to A$4 per pack, place Paradise Food Industries in a position of competitive disadvantage compared to other market players, and especially Weight Watchers Company (Paradise Food Industries, 2009).
Recommendations for Paradise Food Industries
Therefore, it is obvious that Weight Watchers Company is the leader of the Australian market in the sphere of healthy food. So, for Paradise Food Industries to improve its position in the market and make stronger competition to the Weight Watchers Company it is necessary to modify its production process, implement more updated mass production techniques, and by this reduce prices to make them more competitive. Next, the company must reform its promotional policies to make a clear appeal to all customer groups. Finally, Paradise Food Industries should attract investors to assist in the upgrading of its equipment and customer-related techniques. These simple three steps will allow the company to change the competition conditions in the Australian market.
Works Cited
Paradise Food Industries. “About Us.” Paradise Food Industries. 2009.
Saad, Joseph. “Weight Watchers.” Pitney Bowes. 2008. MapInfo. Web.
Weight Watchers Comapny. “About Us.” Weight Watchers Australia and New Zealand. 2009. Official Web Site.