Tim Hortons Chain store was established in 1964 at Hamilton in Ontario. Tim Hortons restaurant was named after its founder: Tim Horton. In 1974, Tim Horton perished in a road accident. During his life, he was an admirable hockey player by his fans. This facet of his entertaining games made all his fans and others purchase his chain products.
On the establishment of Tim Hortons Chain store, its focus was on quality service and supply of fresh products. These services were particularly compelling and efficient to the customers. As a result of these quality services, Tim Hortons took the leadership role in the quick-service restaurant. The sales turn out in the market due to this leadership position contributed to rapid growth.
Tim Hortons Chain store features to be of Canadian heritage in its commercials. The culture appeals to all sets of age groups in the country. The provision of a variety of services helped it in attracting more customers into consuming its products. The Donut shop targets both middle and moderate-income earners, coffee appeals to old age customers, and Yoghurt to the youths. These varieties make the chain has an increased number of customers. Many people in Canada make out-of-home coffee part of their daily lives.
In the US, the chain Merged with Wendy’s International Inc., to increase its market share. This helped increase its store locations virtually by about 265 in ten states including; New York, Ohio, Michigan among others. This diversification makes the store has a wide range of customers both in the US and Canada. Some of the locations of Tim Hortons are; the shopping Malls, highway outlets, universities, and hospitals making it target a variety of people.
Consumers always have different tastes; Tim Hortons strives to achieve this in several ways by providing a variety of products. The products that it deals in are; Timbit (whole donut), which is available, in more than 35 varieties, cakes, muffins, pies, croissants, cookies, soups, among others. There are also cans of hot chocolate, English toffee, French vanilla cappuccinos that make guests and all the several customers enjoy such products at home.
Examples that illustrate each part of Tim Horton’s marketing mix (4P’s)
Marketing mix entails tools that a company uses to ascertain a competitive advantage over the competitors. Proper application of the marketing mix would make the customers satisfied making the company meet its objective in an efficient, effective, and reliable manner. The four P’s are; product, price, place (distribution), and promotion.
Product
This chain store is named after a legendary hockey player: Tim Horton. This makes it have a brand name; hence people would always wish to be associated with the Hockey legend. Many people wish to be associated with these Products of the company. Tim Hortons stores provide quality products, they package their products in portable containers i.e. the cans which are exceptionally convenient even to the guests. The services are exemplary to the consumers. The chain has a constant development and improvement of its products over time.
Place (Distribution)
This is about taking the goods, products of the company, and services next to the customers 🙁 places where their needs are). Tim Hortons chain has a different location of operations. The stores are located in places like; shopping Malls, highway outlets, universities, and hospitals. In the US, it has several locations either, virtually over 265 in ten states; Maine, Connecticut, West Virginia, Rhode Island, New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. This distribution makes the chain benefit from a wide variety of customers.
Discuss Tim Horton’s competitive advantage in Canada
Competitive advantage is the ability of an enterprise to perform best over others; this would make the company have more customers as compared to other players in the same field of operation. At Tim Hortons, there is an up-to-date response to the changing needs of the customers; we find the production of different product lines like cakes, timbit, croissants, and many others. There is the quality of service; doing of the Canadian culture in its commercials appeals to all age groups in the country attracts many customers to like their products. The Donut Shop in the chain targets both middle and low-income earners; this makes the company have a high competitive advantage. Being located at several locations also is a factor that contributes to its competitive advantage.
What has Tim Hortons done to differentiate their company from the other coffee-based chain restaurants?
Tim Horton’s first products were coffee and donuts, these donuts made the Chain is popular in the 60’s. This chain has coffee a blend, which is available in cans. There is the “double-double” coffee; this is a coffee with two creams and two sugars.
Tim Hortons train its people on several aspects of improving coffee. They have a technical training institution; this helps them to produce standard coffee. They are always in talks with the farmers, and advise farmers to deliver their coffee products in time, i.e. when still fresh. They Educate farmers on new techniques and reforestation projects, all these tasks ensure that the chain produces fresh, quality coffee which appeals to many customers.