Challenge Faced by Thorntons PLC - Case Study Example

The paper "Challenge Faced by Thorntons PLC" is a perfect example of a case study on business. Thorntons PLC, a United Kingdom-based private company, categorized under chocolate and cocoa manufacturers, was introduced in the year of 1911 by Joseph William Thorntons. In recent times, Thorntons PLC has become one of the leading autonomous chocolate and confectionery companies with headquarters in Derbyshire (Bloomberg L.P., 2012). The total turnover of the company in 2010 was more than £218 million with 364 shops and cafes and around 227 franchises in the market of the UK (Thorntons PLC, 2010).

Thorntons PLC is engaged in the manufacturing, retailing and distribution of the confectionery and other sweet products in the UK, which include toffees, fudges, milk, hot chocolates, chocolate truffles, white and dark chocolates, diabetic chocolates, mint chocolates, champagne and wines along with various greeting and party cards, flowers, chocolate bars, iced tea, soups, snacks, mocha, Victoria sandwiches, wedding products and personalised gifts at reasonable prices (Thorntons, n.d.). Along with diverse products, Thorntons PLC also offers varied services such as personalized special message delivery services, home delivery and e-retail of its numerous brands (FBR, 2010).

Thorntons PLC is a vertically integrated producer, distributor, and dealer of the confectionery products. Thorntons PLC is the brand by which the organization markets its products. The prime strength of Thorntons PLC is that it comprises of wide ranges of product lines such as toffees, fudges, milk, hot chocolates, chocolate truffles, white and dark chocolates among others, which are quite elegant to satisfy the customer tastes and preferences. Apart from this, Thorntons PLC also offers a variety of services apart from products so as to enhances the market share among other competitors in the market.

Along with this, the prices offered by Thorntons PLC is also reasonable. For example, mint hot chocolate gift collection at £11.99, mint selection (250G) of £6.99 among others. Moreover, Thorntons PLC is one of the reputed and largest brands of chocolate in the UK. In addition, it also offers attractive online promotional advertisements also to facilitate in attracting new customers. Along with this, the introduction of a specific product line i.e. ‘diabetic Chocolates’ mainly for those suffering from health hazards has enhanced its products’ market demand and provided the organization profitability (Thorntons, n.d.).

Similarly, Thorntons PLC includes certain weaknesses as well. Thorntons PLC only operates in the markets of the UK and Ireland, which is one of the significant weaknesses. It also only depends on confectionery items, therefore the focus on this particular segment of a product can also be considered as a weakness in this competitive environment. Hence, in order to enhance the market share, Thorntons PLC should try to enter into new international markets (Thorntons, n.d.).Although Thorntons PLC is a reputed international brand of the UK, it comprises of certain challenges.

The poor availability of the variety of products in the retail counters acts as one of the demanding factors for Thorntons PLC, so it is essential to enhance the supply chains. Apart from this, the increase of competitors in the segment of chocolates in the market of the UK is also quite threating for Thorntons PLC. Hence, in order to maintain the brand identity and market share, Thorntons PLC should try to enter into other prospective international markets as well. Moreover, Thorntons PLC should also offer more attention to the quality of the products as the customers are now more health and diet conscious (Thorntons PLC, 2008).

Hence, it can be affirmed that in order to remain in the market in the long run, it is essential for Thorntons PLC to penetrate into new markets.