Introduction
THG plc, formerly The Hut Group, is a British e-commerce retail company headquartered at Manchester Airport, England. It sells own-brand and third-party cosmetics, dietary supplements, personalized products, and luxury goods online. It provides e-commerce software, digital marketing, and fulfillment services to third parties through its Ingenuity division. As of 2022, the Company operates 18 fulfillment centers, which ship to 195 territories worldwide. It is a high-volume company operating in more than 190 countries. THG is committed to innovation and sustainability and employs effective marketing, performance, supply chain management, and quality control procedures, making it effectively compete in the market.
The firm originally sold CDs and DVDs online before building white-label web stores for large physical retailers such as Asda, Argos Entertainment, Tesco, and WHSmith. It was formed in 2004 in Manchester with a £500,000 investment from Matt Moulding and John Gallemore (Butler, 2021). After the 2007 advent of the iPhone undermined this business model, The Hut Group began purchasing online merchants and integrating them into the organization’s present systems and warehouses (Retail Week, 2022). The Group focused on the beauty and leisure sectors due to their strong margins and potential for worldwide development (see Appendix 1). According to a Sky News article from August 2017, Old Mutual Global Investors made their first private equity investment in The Hut Group (Kleinman, 2017). The Hut Group is one of the UK’s unicorn firms, with a valuation of over £2.5 billion in 2017 (Kleinman, 2017). This makes it one of the most valuable private companies in the UK.
The Company is currently making remarkable progress in the stock market since its operations started. THG’s list on the London Stock Exchange in 2020 made it the biggest IPO on the LSE since 2013 (THG, 2022). The share price increased by 25% on the first trade day, producing £920 million for the firm and £961 million for the Company’s floating shareholders (THG, 2022). Following the floatation, Molding earned one of the largest dividends in UK business history, totaling at least £830 million in shares. THG’s share price has declined by over 60% from the beginning of the year to early October 2021 (Ramnarayan and Cruise, 2020). The corporation organized a capital markets day on October 12, 2021, to share its sustainability plan with investors(Ramnarayan and Cruise, 2020). Following that, shares plunged 35%, erasing £1.8 billion from THG’s worth (THG, 2022). The Company, therefore, needs to develop effective measures to avoid such losses.
The Operating System
Following criticism of the Company’s governance procedures, the Company had to change its leadership. Charles Allen took over as chairman in March 2022, with Moulding continuing to serve as CEO (Reuters, 2022). The corporation launched a new sustainable strategy to boost its public image and production management. THG x Planet Earth will be focused on three pillars connected to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: climate and environment protection, supply chain and circularity strengthening, and empowering people and communities. To support THG’s expanding e-commerce platform, the firm is updating its foundational infrastructure with a new information storage and data access system. With the proceeds of its IPO in September 2020, THG has amassed $1.88 billion, which it is using to fund its further global development (Savvas, 2021). SoftIron’s source code Ceph-optimized storage solution is designed to solve crucial issues associated with e-commerce sites.
The Board of Directors ensures that THG adheres to these principles and that the Company’s policies are reasonable in light of the Company’s size, the industry in which it operates, and other relevant circumstances (THG, 2022). The Board’s first responsibility is to increase the firm’s value for its shareholders. To this end, it approves or suggests changes to THG’s organizational structure and financing levels and sets the Company’s general strategy and direction. It must also support any changes to the financial statements or controls before they may be used. It manages THG’s risk assessments and internal controls and is responsible for corporate governance.
Process Design
The Company is currently dedicated to research, development, distribution, and production. Management of corporate processes for maximum effectiveness is what “operations management” is all about (Greer, 2021). There are in-house R&D and production capabilities for division brands and contract manufacturers. Proper operations management is crucial for the success of any organization in ensuring competitiveness in the global market (Slack et al., 2010). Within the next four years, The Hut Group (THG) plans to implement a sustainability strategy that will allow it to offset its past emissions fully. This exemplifies the Company’s strategic approach to operations management. Since the Hut Group is now primarily a retail platform, the experience it provides its customers is the Company’s ultimate offering.
Developing new products is a crucial cross-departmental, knowledge-intensive endeavor in today’s fast-paced, globally competitive market. Scholars and industry leaders agree that design engineers may play a pivotal role in the creation of innovative goods (Hernández et al., 2018). Engineers and web designers are on staff to provide consumers with the finest service possible. When the corporation has a crystal-clear understanding of which groups of customers frequent certain websites, it can tailor the products and services it provides to those customers in a very personalized manner. Academics and industry leaders agree that design engineers may play a critical role in the creation of innovative goods (Hong et al., 2005). A website’s selection of goods and services is tailored to its target audience. However, the organization produces its websites using a unified framework built on a single technology platform, allowing for increased and more rapid delivery (Skinner, 2007). While Cult Beauty is a high-end retailer, Glossy Box offers affordable options.
Planning and Control Management
Planning, scheduling, buying, managing, quality control, and inventory control are the seven primary responsibilities of operations management in a manufacturing company. Online stores have historically relied on a demand-based planning strategy for their operational capacity (Alvekrans et al., 2016). The Hut Group also uses this method but has added some new twists. Since client satisfaction and retention are paramount, the firm spares no expense in providing its staff and consultants with ongoing training (Jackobs et al., 2018). Their top goals are grounded on sound business practices, such as the security of sensitive information, the welfare of employees, and the reliability of goods and services (THG, 2022). The Company aims to be among the best ones in the global market.
Additionally, the firm is committed to a zero-waste policy as they have taken steps to lessen its reliance on plastic and ramp up its in-house recycling efforts. The Hut Group expanded and improved steadily because of its ingenuity and other innovative forms. Through 18 years of consistent investment in proprietary e-commerce technology, global fulfillment, distribution solutions, brand, marketing, and analytics, THG has built its Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) business worldwide (THG, 2022). The system streamlines management and planning processes. The corporation can simply predict and plan inventories and schedule purchases and manufacturing using the data collected from their websites (Perrellin and Perrier, 2019). Successful contemporary planning and management rely heavily on novel approaches (Sakun et al., 2021). Customer satisfaction is a direct outcome of innovation’s ability to streamline processes and boost productivity.
Supply Chain Management
Creating a closed-loop system is key to Hut Group’s approach to supply chain management. Through their membership in Sedex, their suppliers undergo environmental and ethical performance audits (Martinez et al., 2010). It helps them guarantee that only responsible business practices are used across their supply chain. The online cosmetics store has pledged to switch to 100% renewable power for its operations and to 100% recyclable, reusable, or compostable packaging by 2025. THG has promised to encourage change among its partners by demanding that 50% of its suppliers and THG Ingenuity partners develop carbon-reduction objectives by 2025 (THG, 2022). An adequate supply chain management strategy may boost a company’s reputation and lead to longer-lasting partnerships with reliable vendors (Koberg and Longoni, 2019). All vendors will commit to the Group’s ethical sourcing principles by 2025 (THG, 2022). THG promises that by 2025, all workers hired directly and those hired via agencies will be paid a fair salary (THG, 2022). These current strategies ensure fair competition in the global market to beat its rival competitors.
When communicating with the key players in the supply chain, the organization is transparent and thorough. The adaptability of the business is enhanced by the on-demand strategy, which allows for capacity and demand-anticipation planning (Wieland, 2021). The Company has five warehouses like Amazon, allowing fast shipping to any part of the world. THG’s products are manufactured and sent all over the world thanks to the efforts of the Procurement and Supply Chain team. Currently, the team’s efforts are important for maintaining the Company’s market standing (Kotler and Armstrong, 2019). THG is committed to responsible supply chain management via creativity and morality. Hut Group’s supply chain management is efficient, sustainable, and ethical, largely due to the Company’s commitment to innovation.
Quality Management
THG Beauty sells both own-brand and off-brand cosmetics, including skincare, haircare, makeup, and perfumes. Many brands, including Ameliorate, Christophe Robin, ESPA, Eyeko, Grow Gorgeous, Illamasqua, Mio, and Perricone MD, are owned by the Company (see Appendix 1) (THG, 2022). Each online shop offers country-specific content, pricing, promotions, marketing, influencers, customer service, couriers, and payment options. It offers two subscription services, Lookfantastic and Glossybox, to expose users to new THG products. Currently, the organization is committed to providing its consumers with high-quality goods and services replies to attract more customers (Zomerdijk and Vries, 2007). According to Martinez et al. (2010), this allows the corporation to evenly allocate its funds across service and product divisions, resulting in a wonderful customer experience. Within the firm, the objective of supplying excellent goods is inextricably tied to the goal of providing service.
There is variation in the demand for the products that the Company produces. For example, the female gender will have a higher demand for beauty products than the male gender. Most of the 3.5 million new customers attracted to The Hut Group’s online cosmetics and sports nutrition company were women, contributing to revenues above projections for the quarter of 2020 (Bourke, 2021). Furthermore, the firm collaborates with ethical sources and carefully selects third-party items depending on client demand (Wieland, 2021). THG will be able to become a white-label retailer as a result of this. These operational strategies make THG compete effectively with its global market rivals.
Performance Evaluation and Improvement
Currently, the Company has an efficient marketing and performance evaluation strategy. THG has substantial pricing power via its fully integrated D2C strategy due to its worldwide leading positions in high repetition, big volume beauty, and nutrition sectors (Bourne et al., 2002). The Group is well aware of the enormous effect of short-term cost inflation on global customers as well as supply networks. THG seeks to mitigate the effect of cost pressures on our customers by improving efficiency in our operating model, absorbing some of the pricing pressures, and increasing prices at a lower pace relative to underlying input costs (Bourne et al., 2002). Furthermore, performance is monitored across multiple divisions and platforms, allowing for varied business requirements to be met (Neely, 2005). Currently, THG assesses its overall success in monetary terms, while every website’s performance is assessed against the same website at a different time. THG also assesses customer satisfaction and online data performance using new assessment tools. Such strategies allow management to create specific goals, which improves employee happiness (Islam and Sarker, 2020). As a result, the organization employs classic and new performance evaluation methods.
Conclusion
THG is a significant internet retailer in the United Kingdom and Europe, with a presence in 190 countries. The organization focuses on innovation and sustainability as the primary driving factor behind its operation management. The Company’s operations are divided into production and customer service. They concentrate on innovation, logistics, and product manufacturing. The division has product development and production capabilities for its brands and third-party brands. The Hut Group’s ultimate product is the customer experience since the firm now primarily functions as a retail platform. The organization delivers a clear and comprehensive explanation of its strategy to the supply chain’s key players.
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Appendix
Appendix 1: Beauty Products Produced by The Hut Group
Appendix 2: Perricone MD Beauty Product
