Ginsters of Cornwall: Company Analysis

Ginsters of Cornwall: Company Analysis

Ginsters of Cornwall is the UK's leading manufacturer of frozen and/or refrigerated ready-made food items, or "savouries," with over thirty-five product lines and a total market share of over ten-percent (Ginsters 2010; Design Business Association 2010). The company's flagship product, the Ginsters Original Cornish Pasty, is the UK's top-selling chilled savouries product (The Manufacturer 2007). All of this paints a fairly rosy picture for the company's current standing and its future potential, and this type of anecdotal evidence is backed up by market analyses.

Boston Matrix Analysis

Since 1977, Ginsters has been wholly owned by Samworth Brothers Group, one of the UK's leading food manufacturers, though it continues to operate as an independent subsidiary (The Manufacturer 2007). Given the several decades of relatively easy profitability that Ginsters has brought its parent company, it is tempting to simply label them a "cash cow" and be done with it, but things have not been so simple and easy for Ginsters in the recent past. Growth had been sustained over the long-term for some time, but in the first decade of the twenty-first century the company's popularity began to fade, and sales were dropping (Design Business Association 2010). Significant amounts of money were invested in redesigning and redefining the company's packaging and brand proposition, as well as in making improvements to the company's operations; this has largely restored the company to its position as a market leader, but in an industry that itself is seeing little over-all growth (Design Business Association 2010; The Manufacturer 2007). The company thus appears to be at the tail-end of a transition from a Star to a Cash-Cow, after a brief though significant dip in sales that threatened a slip into Dog territory.

Marketing Mix Seven Ps

An analysis of Ginsters based on the Seven Ps presents largely the same picture. The products have remained largely unchanged since the company's inception, though there has definitely been a growth in the number of products offered, and they fill the ever-present need of nutrition on the go for many busy UK citizens (Ginsters 2010). Price is of relatively little importance in this industry; profit margins are low and Ginsters prices are kept as low as practicable through a variety of operational adjustments (The Manufacturer 2007). Place is essential for convenience products such as those produced by the company, and the distribution network it has in place fills the demand for its products efficiently and at a relatively low cost, and the promotion of the company's products has become much more successful in the past few years after redefining the brand and creating wholly new marketing campaigns in print and television ads (The Manufacturer 2007; Design Business Association 2010; Ginsters 2010). The people associated with the company continue to be one of its primary strengths, as it is still locally based in Cornwall and employs over 500 local citizens, which appeals to many consumers; process adaptations have increased the company's use of local producers, as well, both reducing costs and boosting the company's image (The Manufacturer 2007; Ginsters 2010). Finally, all of these elements enhance the physical evidence and environment in which the company operates, delivering quality products that remain a mainstay for many citizens and that carry a reputation for responsible business practices (The Manufacturer 2007).