MARKET RESEARCH

INTRODUCTION

Charles Tyrwhitt (CT) is a high-end shirt retailer whose origin is based in making “a shirt better than anywhere else”. It isbased in Jermyn street in London, the leading street for high-end bespoke clothing, particularly for men. The companyhas evolved to include knitwear, shoes, suits, accessories, and even includes a women’s line.

CT uses a high-low sales model which allows it to price well on new products while quickly reducing prices on productswhich don’t sell as well. It has gained a strong British following as evidenced by its huge market share increase in thelast five years. This has allowed CT to expand to the foreign market to the point that the company is opening aroundsix stores per annum globally.

As a specific direction in retail, they have some serious competition so they place a lot of value in traditional methodsas well as a very high standard, reflected in their approach to providing six-month completely refundable guarantees.

Considering their current ideologies in combination with their expansion, we’ve decided to do a Swot and PESTELanalysis to further ascertain the viability of expansion while still seeing if the business is functioning well and where itcan improve.

SWOT - SUMMARY

• QUALITY AND VALUE CLOTHING

• COMPETITIVE PRICING

• EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE

• STRONG BRAND IMAGE

• GLOBAL PRESENCE TO FOREIGN MARKET HAS REDUCED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO MATURE UKMARKET

SWOT

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

THREATSOPPORTUNITY

WEAKNESS

• WEAK EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

• POOR FOREIGN COMPANY CULTURE

• LEGAL COMPLICATIONS

• PRIVATE COMPANY - DIFFICULTY ACQUIRING FUNDING

• OVER-RELIANCE ON THE UK MARKET

• ONLINE SHOPPING CONTINUES TO FLOURISH IN UK

• EXPANDING INTO MIDDLE EAST, STARTING WITH UAE AS A ECONOMIC STRONG COUNTRY

• STRONG BRAND EQUITY AND HIGH QUALITY PERCEPTION ALLOWS PRICING FLEXIBILITY

• COMPETITION FROM HIGH STREET LEADERS LIKE H&M AND ZARA GAINS FAST MARKET SHARE

• NO DIVERSITY IN ADVERTS

• DEPRESSION OF THE RETAIL ENVIRONMENT

• RISING LABOUR COSTS

SWOT - STRENGTHS

Charles Tyrwhitt is a company whose core business strategy focusses on quality, tradition, reliability, timeless style and conservativeshirts. As Nicholas Wheeler says, “Quality, value and service is the bedrock on which Charles Tyrwhitt was founded”. These items carry asix month guarantee regardless of the state of the item on its return. This bodes well for the company as it does not budge on theseaspects and allows for clientele who observe and expect this from the company.

The price-range for the shirt is in the moderate range and in spite of using a high-low pricing strategy, the high-end quality of theproduct makes it hugely appealing as a possibility for purchase. The company also boasts excellent customer service as attested byseveral polls online. This fits in well with the company’s concept of one customer at a time. Additionally, the company has overhauled itswebsite to cater for almost every country by including price-points in the local currency at appropriate prices.

Internally, there is clear communication throughout the UK part of the company and there is obviously input from everyone from thetop down throughout the product. Thus a confidence in the product is integrated into all employees. The expansion of the companyhas allowed for various other fashion items in its range and has also expanded to include a women’s collection, something itscompetitors don’t all necessarily boast. Due to online expansion the company has also successfully made use of The Specialist Works(TSW) to further handle and progress its media planning. In effect, the company has shown consistently improved sales per annum aswell as increased profit, especially on its home turf in England.

Furthermore, the brand image is regarded as excellent by more than 80% of people polled, while 95% of clients review the company’sproducts as good or better. This means that the company holds a strong influence on its appeal to clients and can further use that toexpand globally.

Lastly, one of their primary tenets is the “Made in Britain” slogan, by which they live. This could be seen as a strength as it continues toexpand.

SWOT - WEAKNESS

Charles Tyrwhitt underwent a legal dispute in Australia over a high-low pricing scandal. Additionally, the company has several otherlegal disputes which are freely accessible online. This means that online progress could easily be marred by potentially bad repute.Generally the information has been kept under wraps.

Company expansion, though a potentially positive exploration, has led to a reduction in control of company culture. Employees haveshown less interest and loyalty to the brand the further one moves away from the UK. The implication is that the rigor and unflinchingstance toward quality control and employee representation is either not agreed upon in other countries, or is not being implementedwell, this is hard to tell, but it could be either.

This extends well into HR where, in the UK human resources are managed well, while in the US less so. The final offshoot of this is shownby the quick turnaround of staff, especially on shop floors at foreign stores.

The acquisition of funds is also a challenge as CT is a private company, and in spite of their positive financial trend, this could hitchallenges when pushed in a global community. This is further evidenced by their portfolio which clearly indicates that their UKbranches still carry the most weight compared to international branches.

SWOT - OPPORTUNITIES

The company builds on its strength of quality by focusing on the customer ‘one at a time’ as said by Nicholas Wheeler the currentchairman of Charles Tyrwhitt, to further build opportunities. Their main strength is by laying the foundation throughout the company of“what does the customer want?”

The consistency of the company’s shirts and quality allow for their own sizes and fits which cater for a particular client looking for high-end quality at a moderate price-point. This gives the company an appeal which easily molds into a global environment, especially in thecorporate world. It allows for further development in countries to design shirts specifically tailored to suit the culture and country,something it hasn’t quite tapped into yet. It can still keep the British flavor to it of stiffness and sleek, but perhaps attempt to alter itsdirection according to the place it finds itself, especially since it is opening up to six stores per year globally.

The company has an adherence to old-fashioned principles of service and can further continue to overhaul its systems to enable it tofurther preserve its core brand values. Their dedication to excellence means there are still many markets they can tap into, especially inEurope where the formal shirt is extremely valued in the workplace. A further strength that could be included, is to value the qualityinherent in a culture or country, and combine that with British excellence.

Their online presence has dramatically improved over the last two years, and with a complete overhaul of their site in 2014, they haveincreased shipping to most countries globally and also have a unique site that caters for most countries. This especially bodes well forthem considering the increased influx of British users shopping online.

This allows the online experience to thrive even though prior to 2014, a large portion of their sales came from in-store purchases. Theguarantee they offer of six months also ensures that people feel more confident about purchasing online and this can be then furtherprogressed by making more of this fact in marketing.

Lastly, an endeavour to expand to an economically strong country like the UAE could act as a strong pivot point to mete our furtherdevelopment. This could further reduce the fiscal responsibility on the UK.

SWOT - THREATS

The global impact of the company is taking its toll on communication within the company, already there is a disparity between thestructure and functioning of the stores in the UK versus the US. This is evidenced by far more employees indicating work dissatisfactionin the US rather than the UK. This means that core values and structures are hard to maintain the more the company expands. Thisplaces stress on the founding principles of the company and makes it hard to maintain quality globally.

The online community also makes it hard to keep up-to-date globally, and although CT copes well with the strain of varying opinionsand customer reviews, the challenge of comparative analysis against companies who are similar (T.M. Lewin, Hawes & Curtis, Thomas Pinketc.) Internally and externally.

Its primary competitors also have an edge in terms of heritage and history. This shirt brand is fairly new in terms of British tradition andoften has to fight against the traditional companies even if the product is potentially better. Here, the idea that new isn’t always betteris endemic to a large portion of traditional culture and a challenge for CT to work against.

Some competitors also have a much larger portion of the retail market and a more visible store presence, e.g. T.M. Lewin has over 100stores throughout the UK compared to 27 stores for CT. This makes the competitors a serious threat in terms of maintaining market-share, but potentially allows for a more exclusive promotional aspect to it.

CT’s current advertising campaign is somewhat similar throughout and this lacks interest for clients. This lack of diversity can easily betrumped by other companies who have far more aggressive and interesting ad campaigns.

Furthermore, the current retail environment is under huge threat and this means companies have less to fight over. This is a challengewhen there are many companies in the same bracket.

And lastly, the rising costs of labour in the retail industry in lieu of Brexit and various unions, makes profit margins harder to achieve inthe long term, especially in the current volatile environment.

PESTLE - SUMMARY

PPolitics

EEconomy

SSocial

TTechnology

EEnvironment

LLegal

• High stability• Focused on development• Strong international relationships

• High GPD per Capita• Low unemployment rate• Trade Free Zones• Strong Foreign trade

• Religion is very important• Classist culture• Most liberal country in Middle East

• Tech savvy population• High internet penetration• State of art technology

implementation

• Hot & dry climate• Low drinkable water• Ocean pollution due to desalination plants.

• Good consumer protection law• 0% Crime Rate • Setting up a business in UAE

would require UAE national.

PESTLE – POLITICAL FACTORS

The UAE is a very stable country with major political reforms. It consists of seven Emirates that have individualgovernmental organizations that allows for a great deal of flexibility when it comes to managing the country. The

governments together have been focusing on the overall development of its economy to become less dependent on

oil. The dynamic market-oriented policies have resulted in major economic reform that has boosted and propelled theUAE forward at a massive rate. The increased support of the hydrocarbon sector as well as the trade and retail sectorshas been the key mechanism that drove this economic growth.

Furthermore, the UAE has pushed for constant progression over the last 20 years or so, and has emerged as apowerful and significant global player in both the political and economic area. The country has had its strongestgrowth spurts prior to 2008, just before the global oil price crash, mainly due to the steady demand for oil and thecountry’s shift into investing into non-oil sectors, especially retail. Post 2008 the growth has slowed down quite a lotdue to the oil prices as mentioned, which has in turn also slowed down the growth in retail. Today the economy isdriven by estate and tourism.

The UAE keeps good relations and active diplomatic ties with over more than 60 countries, primarily in Europe andAsia. There is slight friction with Iran due to the high oil and lithium availability within this country. The UAE is part ofthe gulf cooperation council (GCC), the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and additionally isconsidered globally to be the leading political force in the Middle East.

PESTLE – ECONOMIC FACTORS

The country has one of the most highly developed economies in Western Asia. The economy of UAE is the secondlargest in the Arabian world with the KSA currently leading. The country has an extremely high GDP per capita of 38,6kUSD and a total GDP of 370,3 (in billion) USD in 2015. The country also has a very low unemployment rate, howeverinflation is projected to drop. Tourism is the main sector that fuels the economy, but real-estate and construction areprogressively playing a larger part in economy.

There is also a consistent increase in investment going into the private sector, especially retail. A key reason for this isthe lucrative trade free zones and no barriers or exchange control policies. Foreign trade has grown by average of 11%for the last 25 years.

The growth of tourism and other industry sectors mentioned earlier has made the UAE less dependent on naturalresources as a source of revenue, but petroleum and natural gas still play a significant role in exports. The strongdemand in construction, manufacturing and thriving services sector has helped the UAE diversify its economy. As anexample, there is currently 350m USD worth of active construction projects within the UAE.

To further increase the robustness of the economy and continuously increase revenue and reduce their reliance onfluctuation petroleum prices, the UAE announced in February 2016 the introduction of a 5% value added tax (VAT)from January 2018 with the exception of selected food, healthcare and education goods. The revenue that would begenerated from the VAT is expected to be 3.3 Billion USD.

PESTLE – SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS

In the United Arab Emirates, Dubai is the biggest of the 7 Emirates with 36% of the total population of 9.9 millionpeople. The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is at 31%, meaning that over two-thirds of the population on over 26,000 squaremiles, which is 87% of the countries total area is from these two Emirates. This allows for easier logistics and deliveryfor e-commerce. In Dubai the average household size is 4.2 and 51.27% of the population is between the ages of 25-44.The crime rate in the UAE is basically 0%, and is voted as the second safest country in the world by The WorldEconomic Forum.

Religion is still very important to the country and directly affects the society, but unlike KSA the UAE has more liberalideals. A example is that women are seen as equal and have equal rights. Additionally, drinking alcohol is allowed,where is it strictly prohibited in KSA and other Gulf countries.

The demographics of the country consists largely of Asian expats, followed by local Emirates and lastly Westernexpats. Globlilization has resulted in a very diverse country with a good mix of cultures. Expats from Third-Worldcountries are solely in the UAE to acquire money to support their families in their home countries.

The high demand for construction workers in the UAE has resulted in a massive influx of a male-dominated blue-collarlabor force from India and Pakistan. This has created a somewhat gender imbalance in the country. Also, the domesticworkforce is mainly sourced from South-East Asian (Philippines women) and its not uncommon for an Emirate familyto have two or three nannies per household. This has resulted in a complex class-system within the UAE.

PESTLE – TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS

Due to the UAE’s strong economy and middle aged population, technology has become a key component of everyday life. The population is young and very tech-savvy which allows companies to leverage technology. The UAEconsumer-internet penetration is even higher than the USA. Additionally, the UAE has the fastest internet in the Gulfwith an average speed of 5.7 Mbps which has facilitated smartphone penetration in the region.

This allows for the perfect solid infrastructure for setting up e-commerce companies. Big players in the market havealready realized this as sites such as Noon.com acquired by Emaar, as well as Amazon.com acquiring Souq.com, thelargest online company in UAE.

The wealth of the country has allowed it to purchase state of the art technology and easily be one of the first toimplement technological development. The country is also heavily investing into infrastructure and the so called“Dubai smart City” where all governmental administration and processes will be online and accessible for users. RFID’sare placed all over the city and driverless Dubai Metros are all ahead of the times.

The UAE has also heavily invested in to improving education and research. Enterprises include CERT Research Centersand the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.

As revenue and profit earned increases through commerce and tourism grows, more investment into technology forthis sector has been made. A example of this is that Fly Dubai and Emirates have the world’s latest technologyequipped on aircrafts.

PESTLE – ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

UAE is has a very hot and dry climate which results in lower productivity. The UAE is between a few key coastal areas that allows for easier trade by sea than most countries with an international harbor to accommodate this.

The city is extremely clean, but most people in Dubai are not aware of the population and the environmental issues of the country.

UAE has a major issue in the availability of clean drinking water. Although an abundance of water is made available via desalination, in order to make water drinkable, people do not drink tap water, but only bottled water. The continuous oil drilling exploration activities in Dubai has also impacted the salinity content of water over the years.

Lastly, high carbon-dioxide is being created from the multiple desalination plants as well as the waste of these plants are dumped into the ocean. The government is trying to counter the carbon-dioxide impact by planting large scale manual forests where Ghantoot is a prime example of this.

PESTLE – LEGAL FACTORS

The UAE has laws to protect consumers. Consumers are protected under the Federal Law (24) of 2006 by theConsumer Protection Department of the Ministry of Economic Development and this is further supplemented by anexecutive regulation of 2007. The law states that goods must meet a level of quality and performance given itsspecifications and price.

It is important to know that a commercial or industry-type sole proprietorship can only be owned by a UAE national orGCC national. In a simple limited partnership, a UAE national must be a general partner. Entering this marketing couldbe a lot easier via eCommerce and global shipment as it reduces the legal complication.

As mentioned earlier, Dubai is considered to be one of the safest cities in the world with a 0% crime rate. Law breakersare severely punished and swiftly deported. Dressing in Western clothing is considered acceptable, but high visibility ofskin in public as well as public affection are strictly prohibited. You also require a license to buy alcohol for private usein Dubai. You are only allowed to buy alcohol from a licensed bar, restaurant, or the duty free section within the Dubaiairport.

Although Dubai focusses on tourism, taking random pictures of locals or government buildings could lead topunishment and permission to take photos needs to be acquired.

SWOT & PESTLE CONCLUSION

It is evident from the SWOT and PESTLE research that is necessary for the company to expand its digital and global presence.

UAE with its strong GDP and Economic growth would be an ideal target market. Together with the ability to uplift pricing by 15% in the market and the tax benefit of 20% will greatly strengthen margins. Expanding into the market via

e-commerce will reduce financial risk as setup costs will be low and will nullify the need to find a local Emirate to operate as a partner.

We recommend the company invest into a Chief Digital Officer to drive our global digital and ecommerce strategy as well as improve the conveyance of the company culture globally.

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB DESCRIPTIONJob Title : Chief Digital OfficerReports Into : Chief Executive OfficerDirect Reports : 5Department : eCommerce

JOB PURPOSECDO is responsible for the global e-commerce business planning and strategy of Charles Tyrwhitt. She/he leads a team of online trade managers, merchandisers to deliver the KPIS with a strong focus on customer experience

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Description: Performance Metric

BUSINESS PLAN

• Align and oversee processes are working across multiple stakeholders, teams and divisions within the company.

• Drive quick actions based on customer behavior which may require quick approvals to seize the opportunities

• Sales, Cash Margin, Margin%, Customer Satisfaction

JOB DESCRIPTION

Description: Performance Metric

PLANNING THE RANGE

Build an eCommerce range strategy with Head of Buying and Merchandising which will deliver the annual targets

• Maximize the range for each region with extended ranges, online exclusives

• Optimize the flow products and seasonal /fashion products to have a vital and attractive trading platform

• 100% availability of the allocated range on site

CUSTOMER JOURNEY & EXPERIENCE

• Review competitors to ensure best practices are maintained

• Build a structured communication and strong relations with store operations to promote a solid multichannel business

• Customer Feedback

• 100% accuracy of product content and assets.

• Products in stock versus not online

JOB DESCRIPTION

Description: Performance Metric

TRADE

• Coordinate trading of the e-store across multiple categories and drive the range daily /weekly/ seasonally

• Drive overall range launch alignment with stores based on stock drops in coordination with Merchandising. Build out overall trade planning to enable key launches in coordination with Merchandising, Design & Content and Marketing

• Ensure activations/promotions are executed in line with Trade and Marketing Plan

• Coordinate daily/weekly management of products going live ensuring 100% accuracy of product content and assets.

• Drive Stock

• Tactical Decision Making

• Stock Levels & Availability%

• Traffic, Conversion, AOV, IPO

• Customer Feedback

• Promotion %

JOB DESCRIPTION

Description: Performance Metric

ANALYSIS AND REPORTING

• Deliver a weekly, monthly, quarterly report to management and principal highlighting opportunities and risks.

• Deliver a weekly/monthly competitor/market analysis highlighting opportunities and risks

• Observe customer satisfaction to ensure a positive experience

• Review and take action on operational reports (fraud, fulfilment etc.)

• Sales, Margin, average basket, conversion rate

• Opportunities/Risks

WEB DEVELOPMENT

• Continuously review process and business efficiency and ensure systems are optimized and manual intervention is minimized

• Raise issues and technical problems with relevant teams and follow up until resolved

• 360 Feedback (internal/external)

JOB DESCRIPTION

Description: Performance Metric

LEADING PEOPLE

• Engage team with relevant objectives, inclusion in the bigger picture, continued feedback and development

• Provide coaching for development and grow succession within the team working with HRBP on Talent Management.

• Engagement Score

• Quality PDR process

• Succession Plan

JOB CONTEXT

This is a strategic division for Charles Tyrwhitt. The role requires building collaborative relationships with the differentstakeholders to align the product content, availability and promotional activity. Due to nature of ecommerce the job requires flexibility to handle multiple tasks and take quick action to deal with possible hurdles as well seizing opportunities. The role will require innovative and strategic thinking and awareness of the developments globally. Job holder will need to review risks with regards to global expansion.

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, & SKILLS:

Minimum Qualifications and Knowledge:

• Commercial experience and having held P&L responsibility in a fashion retail• Highly operational, with an understanding of retail processes

JOB DESCRIPTION

• Budgeting and forecasting • Graduate or Graduate calibre • Good working knowledge of MS Office• Experienced user of an eCommerce content management system CMS , WCS would be preferable

Minimum Experience:• Minimum 10 years experience in fashion retail commercial • At least 7 years exposure to eCommerce at a management level

Job-Specific Skills:• Confident leader who is in touch with direct team, stakeholders and customers• Proven track record of growing a business and making change happen• Strong commercial skills (commercially astute)• Good planning, organizational and prioritization skills• Strong analytical and numerical skills • Strong eye for product and for trading• Strong attention to detail

JOB DESCRIPTION

Behavioural Competencies:• Delighting Our Customers • Collaboration • Managing Complexity • Influencing Others • Taking Initiative• Drive for Results• Engaging Leadership• Developing Talent

REFERENCE

Publisher, United Arab Emirates: Market Profile | HKTDC,

URL: http://emerging-markets-research.hktdc.com/business-news/article/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates-Market-Profile

Publisher, Market Research Reports® Inc.

URL http://www.marketresearchreports.com/countries/uae

Author, Thomas Bush, PESTLE Analysis: Everything You Need to Know,

URL: http://pestleanalysis.com/pestle-analysis-everything-you-need-know/

Author, Khalid Ameri, The economic class divide is no barrier to mutual respect | The National

URL: http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/the-economic-class-divide

Publisher, Gulf Business, Top 10 countries with the fastest internet speeds - Gulf Business

URL: http://gulfbusiness.com/top-10-countries-fastest-internet-connection/

Author, Keren Bobker, UAE laws in place to protect consumer rights | The National

URL: http://www.thenational.ae/business/personal-finance/uae-laws-in-place-to-protect-consumer-rights

Publisher, Charles Tyrwhitt, Working at Charles Tyrwhitt: Employee Reviews | Indeed.com

URL: https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Charles-Tyrwhitt/reviews

Publisher, Beta.companieshouse.gov.uk, CHARLES TYRWHITT LLP - Charges (free information from Companies House)

URL: https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/OC305896/charges

Author, Jonathan Wright, Charles Tyrwhitt: selling shirts to one customer at a time - InternetRetailing

http://internetretailing.net/2016/06/charles-tyrwhitt-selling-shirts-one-customer-time/

Publisher, Charles Tyrwhitt:

URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Tyrwhitt

Publisher, Ctshirts, Our history | Charles Tyrwhitt

URL: http://www.ctshirts.com/intl/our-history/

Publisher, Essential Retail, Interview: Charles Tyrwhitt maintains eye for tailor-made technology

URL: http://www.essentialretail.com/big-interviews/article/53eb47c149620-interview-charles-tyrwhitt-maintains-eye-for-tailor-made-technology

Publisher, K3 BTG | ERP Software Microsof, Charles Tyrwhitt collars global ambitions with International IT platform | K3 BTG | ERP Software Microsoft

URL: http://www.k3btg.com/charles-tyrwhitt-collars-global-ambitions-with-international-it-platform/

Publisher, Shirtdetective.com, Charles Tyrwhitt vs TM Lewin - a detailed review and comparison

URL: http://www.shirtdetective.com/charles-tyrwhitt-vs-tm-lewin/