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ANALYTICAL REPORT
In this report, a fashion organisation that offers fashion and lifestyle product lines, the
Cotton On Group, is examined, along with the possible strategies used to explore the
timeline, its geographical scope, its brands, products and the markets in which these
Next, an extensive analysis of the Cotton On Group is carried out. This consists of an
environmental scan, making use of the PESTEL analysis system, in order to identify
the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors that
may impact the group. Following on from this, a TOWS analysis was conducted to
isolate some external threats and opportunities that the group may face, as well as
some internal weaknesses and strengths. An industry analysis was then carried out,
attractiveness. The five forces used in this analysis are: the threat of entry, threat of
rivalry between competitors. Lastly, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix was
used to analyse the groups portfolio, and to determine which of the groups brands
developed, in order to assist the Cotton On Group to achieve its maximum potential.
2
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 5
1. ANALYSIS 7
1.1.1. POLITICAL
1.1.2. ECONOMIC
1.1.3. SOCIAL 8
1.1.4. TECHNOLOGICAL
1.1.5. ENVIRONMENTAL 9
1.1.6. LEGAL
1.2.1. THREATS
1.2.2. OPPORTUNITIES
1.2.3. WEAKNESSES 11
1.2.4. STRENGTHS
1.4.1. STARS
3
1.4.2. CASH COWS
1.4.4. DOGS
2. RECOMMENDATIONS 17
(CURRENT MARKETS)
MARKETS)
(CURRENT MARKETS)
MARKETS) 20
REFERENCES 21
4
INTRODUCTION
This report on the Strategies of a Fashion Organisation has been developed in order
particular fashion organisation that offers both fashion and lifestyle product lines, and
how this organisation fairs within the industry. The organisation selected for this
report is the Cotton On Group, and this document further details the groups market
The Cotton On Group consists of several brands: Cotton On, Cotton On Kids, Cotton
On Body, Factorie, Rubi Shoes, Typo and Supre. Founded in 1991 in Geelong,
Australia, by Nigel Austin, the Cotton On Group now has over 1300 stores in 17
as follows: 1991 first Cotton On store opened in Australia; 2007 first Cotton On
store opened overseas, Cotton On Body and Cotton On Kids established; 2008 Typo
sleepwear and activewear; Cotton On Kids infants and childrens apparel; Factorie
The Cotton On Group has many strengths and weaknesses that will be mentioned in
detail later on in the report. However, a key strength of the group is its ability to stay
5
up to date with the latest trends in all the markets it operates in, and provides such an
extensive product mix. A key weakness of the group is perhaps its lack of certain
The data presented in this report has been obtained through secondary sources such as
peer reviewed academic journals and other relevant online articles. These sources
assist in the analysis of this report as well as provide supporting evidence for the ideas
and information included in this document. However, there were some limitations in
carried it out. Therefore the expertise and knowledge of this report is limited to the
6
1. ANALYSIS
1.1.1. Political
As the Cotton On Group operates in a multitude of countries, the group must ensure
that their operations are in line with the government policies, foreign trade regulations
and taxation changes in these countries. They must fully analyse the political risks of
operating in these foreign markets and be aware of any changes in trade blocks, for
example, Brexit. Failure to do so may result in the group facing political issues on
an international scale, something that may be detrimental to the company and its
reputation.
1.1.2. Economic
The Cotton On group should take into account the roles of macro-economic factors
that may affect the success of their brands. These factors may include the personal
well as exchange rates. These elements will affect the sales and profits of the group.
they are less likely to spend their money on products that are not necessities in their
daily lives products that the Cotton On Group may offer. Thereby causing a drop in
sales.
7
1.1.3. Social
Social factors such as changing cultures and demographics will also affect the success
means that the groups target market may be changing and this also presents an
opportunity for the group to expand to a larger market. For example, in Australia,
there is an estimated one birth every 1 minute and 40 seconds, whereas there is only
one death every 3 minutes and 18 seconds. This suggests an ageing population, which
may mean that the Cotton On Group could potentially extend one of their brands to
1.1.4. Technological
production machinery is created. This may allow the Cotton On Group to carry out
their operations in a more efficient and sustainable manner, as well as better catering
to their customers needs. For example, the establishment of the Click and Collect
system now allows customers to place their orders online and pick up their purchases
from a convenient store location near them, without having to wait for the tedious
this technology in their operations, the Cotton On Group may need to follow suit in
order to keep up with its competitors and stay relevant in the industry, as well as
8
1.1.5. Environmental
The fashion and textiles industry is known to be the second largest polluter in the
world (EcoWatch 2015), just behind the oil industry. As many consumers these days
are demanding brands to be more environmentally and ethically conscious, the Cotton
On Group must consider the impact their operations are having on the environment,
and should address any issues relating to production waste disposal and recycling,
1.1.6. Legal
Lastly, when operation on such a large international scale, the Cotton On Group may
face legal issues that they must overcome in order to continue their business. Some
occupational health and safety, intellectual property and employment. In 2016, the
Cotton On Group was taken to court by a small artist who claimed that the Cotton On
brand had copied one of her designs and distributed them without her permission
(Mitchell 2016). This case is an example of when the group has to address the issue of
appropriation and intellectual property rights, which may have affected their
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1.2. TOWS ANALYSIS
1.2.1. THREATS
Due to its extension and acquisition of other brands, the Cotton On Group now faces a
Cotton On Kids, the group is now up against other players in the childrenswear
market such as Country Road Kids, Seed Kids, Target and Kmart. This is a threat as
some of these other companies may have already established themselves in this
market and have a better understanding of their customers, something that Cotton On
Kids may need to take more time to develop. Another external threat that the group
may face is that many larger international fashion retailers are entering the Australian
market. This puts the Cotton On Groups fashion brands at risk of losing their market
share to some of these international brands may have products at lower prices due to
their ability to achieve greater economies of scale. International brands may also have
1.2.2. OPPORTUNITIES
As previously stated in the introduction of this report, the Cotton On Group has stores
expansion, as there are many markets that the group is yet to enter. The group may
consider setting up stores not necessarily in other countries, but in locations they do
not currently have a physical store presence in. Another opportunity for the group is
the integration of new technologies for their online stores. For example, having a
Click and Collect option to give customers the option to pick up their online order at
10
a store near them, or Afterpay which allows customers to split their transactions into
1.2.3. WEAKNESSES
Possible weaknesses of the Cotton On Group may include their brands online
presence, branding and reputation, out-dated technology and lack of human resources.
which of these weaknesses the group is experiencing the most. However, any
corporation, including the Cotton On Group, should ensure at all times that these
1.2.4. STRENGTHS
Some strengths of the Cotton On Group are their store locations, with over 1300
customers, as well as continually changing their product mix, catering to a large target
market and keeping their customers interested. The Cotton On Group does this well
and this can be seen through the opening of its largest Cotton On flagship store in the
Mall of Africa, in Waterfall, South Africa. The store is 2623sqm, and houses Cotton
On, Cotton On Kids, Cotton On Body, Rubi Shoes and Free by Cotton On.
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1.3. INDUSTRY ANALYSIS FOR MARKET ATTRACTIVENESS
bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, and the extent of rivalry
between competitors.
The threat of entry of new competitors in a market is low when the barriers to entry
are high. Some examples of these barriers are large economies of scale, difficulty in
a large international corporation, the Cotton On Group has brands in several different
markets and therefore constantly faces the threat of new players entering these
markets. The group must ensure that their brands reputations are intact in order to set
themselves apart from these new competitors as an established brand and be prepared
Substitutes are products that offer similar benefits to an industrys product or services,
but are of a different nature. Substitute products are not competitors but customers
superior, or if there are benefits from innovations that improve the customers
satisfaction. The Cotton On Groups brands cover a large variety of products, from
Typos stationery offering, to Rubi Shoes footwear. This means that there is less of a
chance for the group to lose its customers to substitute products, as chances are that
12
one of the other brands within the group will offer that product. However, there are
still countless substitute products that consumers may choose to spend their money
on, therefore the Cotton On Group may consider creating a marketing strategy that
emphasises how desirable their products are, in order to keep customers interested and
Buyers are an organisations immediate customers, but not necessarily the ultimate
consumer. However, if buyers are powerful, they can demand lower prices or product
improvements that may increase costs for the company. Buyer power is higher when
buyers are concentrated and buyers may have lower switching costs if they are able
supply their own inputs. Therefore, the higher the bargaining power of buyers, the
less attractive an industry is to other potential suppliers. From the perspective of the
Cotton On Group, there are so many other brands in the industry that offer the same
products that the groups brands do, thereby decreasing brand loyalty, which means
Suppliers are people or companies who supply a particular organisation with the
resources it needs in order to produce its goods or services. Supplier power is higher
when suppliers are not concentrated, or if the supplier provides a special/rare input for
the manufacturing process. Supplier power is also high if switching costs are greater
Cotton On Group, the company would have more power over their suppliers than vice
versa because it would be extremely detrimental for a supplier to lose a client as large
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as the Cotton On Group. Therefore the group would be able to exert more power over
more difficult. The degree of competitive rivalry increases when competitors are of
similar size and seek dominance, if the market is mature or declining, if there are high
fixed costs, if exit barriers are high, or if product differentiation is low. As previously
stated, the Cotton On Group carries many brands and therefore is in competition with
many other corporations. From the perspective of the Cotton On Group, its Cotton On
brand may face fierce competition from other international fashion retailers such as
H&M and Zara as there is such a high demand in the fashion retail industry for cheap,
fast fashion. As the fashion retailing market is still in the growth stage and there is
low product differentiation amongst these fast fashion brands, it is unlikely that
customers will stay loyal to the one brand as they generally are on the hunt for the
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1.4. PORTFOLIO ANALYSIS (BCG MATRIX)
COTTON ON
COTTON ON BODY
3.8%
RUBI
SHOES
GROWTH 10%
RATE
TYPO
4.9%
COTTTON ON
KIDS 4.0%
10 1 0.1
RELATIVE MARKET SHARE
1.4.1. STARS
has an annual growth rate of 4.0%. The brands under the Cotton On Group that fall
into this market are Cotton On, Factorie, Supre and Cotton On Body. These brands
make up for 3.8% of the industry, thereby suggesting that they are doing well in this
Another report states that the Australian infants and children clothing industry has
an annual growth rate of 3.1%. Cotton On Kids exists in this market and has a market
15
share of 4.0%. This suggests that this is a viable market for the foreseeable future and
that the brand is performing well in the industry, producing a high return on
It has been reported that the Australian footwear industry has an annual growth rate of
1.8%. This is a relatively slower growth rate compared to those of the fashion apparel
retailing and childrens clothing industries previously mentioned. Rubi Shoes market
share is not mentioned in this report, as it is not one of the major players in the field.
This suggests that it is unknown as to whether the brand will succeed in the future
because despite the industry continuing to grow, the brand itself might not be able to
keep up with its competitors in this market. Thereby rendering it a question mark.
1.4.4. DOGS
The last brand under the Cotton On Group is Typo, which has a market share of 4.9%
decline in annual growth of -1.7%. Despite Typos high market share in this industry,
the fact that the industry is in a state of decline means that it is possible that Typo may
no longer be a viable brand in the future as the industry is reducing in size. However,
as the Cotton On Group is a privately listed company, access to the brands annual
profits is unobtainable, and therefore unable to conclusively state if the brand is not
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2. RECOMMENDATIONS
From the TOWS analysis carried out earlier on in this report, some recommendations
have been developed. Firstly, as the Cotton On Group has many brands in many
losing customers to these other corporations. The group must ensure that all its brands
have a point of difference in order to set them above and beyond any potential
opponents. The group must also ensure that its brands have a product offering that
caters to the needs and wants of their target customers in order to satisfy them and
The Cotton On Group is yet to implement new technologies such as Click and
they should consider as many other online retailers already have this up and running
on their websites. These technologies give customers the option to simplify their
online purchases as well as providing them with a credit option (i.e. Afterpay),
which may increase the sense of satisfaction they gain from shopping with one of the
groups brands, thus delivering a superior shopping experience and increasing the
The Cotton On Group does not appear to have many internal weaknesses but should
resources within their offices, workspaces that allow employees to maximise their
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As stated previously, a strength of the Cotton On Group is its prominent store
locations. This enables the groups stores to maximise their potential sales and
these locations as possible. Lastly, another strength of the Cotton On Group is its
extensive product mix, therefore the group should continue to stay on top of trends
when it comes to developing its products on offer as this allows the groups brands to
cater for the needs and wants of as many customers as possible. This also ensures that
they maintain customers attention as they will not get bored of a brand if its product
The suggested strategy for the Cotton On Group to take on board would be the blue
ocean strategy. This has been selected as the group already has numerous brands in
major markets, and therefore should consider expanding to a niche market with fewer
competitors. Due to the groups large size, it will have the resources to start up
another company in one of these niche markets, and with the power of the group
behind the brand, have the potential to become one of the biggest players in these
smaller markets.
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2.3. ANSOFF GROWTH STRATEGIES
In order to use existing products to penetrate a different market, the Cotton On Group
may choose to develop a new marketing strategy in order to promote their products to
The Cotton On Group could also introduce a loyalty program, as this will increase the
would be for the group to acquire another company that may have been a competitor,
as they have done in the past with Supre in order to harvest this competitors market
The aim of these strategies is to target new markets, or new areas of the markets the
Cotton On Group is already operating in. Essentially, the company is trying to sell
more of the same products to a different market. The group may choose to expand
Cotton On Group may also utilise different sales channels, such as through agents or
intermediaries as they currently only stock their products in their own stores.
The goal of this strategy is to sell different products to the same customer base. In
order to do this, the Cotton On Group might consider extending its product lines by
19
producing a greater variety of a particular style of product or even repackaging some
of their existing products. The group may also consider developing related products
This strategy aims to create completely new products that the business does not
already have and market these products to a completely new target market. This is a
high-risk strategy, as the company would be venturing into the unknown. It is not a
recommended strategy for the Cotton On Group as it may put the company at great
20
REFERENCES
Brookins, M, 2017, Examples of Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis, Small Business, viewed 5 April
2017 <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-weaknesses-swot-analysis-11963.html>
Magner, L, 2016, IBISWorld Industry Report OD5471 May 2016 Infants' and Children's Clothing
<http://clients1.ibisworld.com.au.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/reports/au/industry/majorcompanies.aspx?ent
id=5471>
Magner, L, 2017, IBISWorld Industry Report G4251 February 2017 Clothing Retailing in
<http://clients1.ibisworld.com.au.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/reports/au/industry/default.aspx?entid=407>
Magner, L, 2016, IBISWorld Industry Report G4252 December 2016 Footwear Retailing in
<http://clients1.ibisworld.com.au.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/reports/au/industry/default.aspx?entid=408>
Mitchell, S, 2016, Cotton On Group sued over 'knock off' claims, Australian Financial Review,
claims-20160517-gowu3y>
Phillips, C, 2013, Cotton On Acquires Supr to Strengthen Store Footprint and Online, Power Retail,
Richardson, A, 2016, IBISWorld Industry Report G4272 November 2016 Stationery Goods Retailing
<http://clients1.ibisworld.com.au.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/reports/au/industry/majorcompanies.aspx?ent
id=5029>
21
Smith, K, 2016, 4 Things You Should Know About Australian Retailer Cotton On (and Its Plan to
you-need-to-know-about-cotton-on/>
Unknown, 2017, Population Clock, Australian Bureau of Statistics, viewed 7 April 2017
<http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs%40.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/1647509ef7e25faa
ca2568a900154b63?OpenDocument>
Unknown, 2016, Cotton On opens biggest flagship store, Insider Retail, viewed 7 April 2017
<https://www.insideretail.com.au/blog/2016/05/13/cotton-on-opens-biggest-flagship-store/>
Unknown, 2016, The Ansoff Matrix, Mind Tools, viewed 7 April 2017
<https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_90.htm>
<http://cottonongroup.com.au/about_us/our-history>
<http://cottonongroup.com.au/about_us/us-in-numbers>
- TARUN PANWAR
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Assessment 1
ORIGINALITY REPORT
12 %
SIMILARIT Y INDEX
7%
INT ERNET SOURCES
1%
PUBLICAT IONS
11%
ST UDENT PAPERS
PRIMARY SOURCES
1
Submitted to RMIT University
St udent Paper 4%
2
www.ftms.edu.my
Int ernet Source 1%
3
Submitted to Coventry University
St udent Paper 1%
4
Submitted to Auckland University of
Technology
1%
St udent Paper
5
Submitted to Napier University
St udent Paper 1%
6
Submitted to University of Cumbria
St udent Paper 1%
7
Submitted to Kingston University
St udent Paper 1%
8
Submitted to University of Durham
St udent Paper <1%
9
Submitted to Australian International
Academy, Kellyville
<1%
St udent Paper
10
Submitted to eCollege London
St udent Paper <1%
11
Submitted to Harper Adams University
College
<1%
St udent Paper
12
Submitted to Herzing University
St udent Paper <1%
13
www.slideshare.net
Int ernet Source <1%
14
"Bionematicides Market for Cotton, Corn,
Soybean, Fruits & Vegetables, and Other
<1%
Crops - Global Indus", PR Newswire, Sept 2
2015 Issue
Publicat ion
15
Submitted to Anglia Ruskin University
St udent Paper <1%
16
www.vectorstudy.com
Int ernet Source <1%
17
www.academia.edu
Int ernet Source <1%
18
competitiveness.in
Int ernet Source <1%