LAURA ASHLEY

LIESEL GRASSMAN PE 2008-0020

NORMAN T. KRIEL PE 2007-0155
JOHN-LOUIS VAN RENSBURG
PE 2008-0023

GROUP 1

4 March 2010
 Laura Ashley
 Laura Ashley, a family-run niche retailer with a
good culture. For the first half of its existence,
Laura Ashley was the ultimate cottage industry
made good.
 From its humble beginning in 1953 Laura Ashley
rose to the position of the world's best-loved and
most successful fashion and furnishing companies
through the 70's and 80's only to collapse towards
the end of the millennium.
Question 1

 Map Laura Ashley’s stakeholders using a

power/interest matrix.
Power/interest matrix
 “it describes the context within which a strategy might
be pursued by classifying stakeholders in relation to
the power they hold and the extent o which they are
likely to show interest in supporting or opposing a
particular strategy.”
(Johnson.G, .p156)

 stakeholders indicated positions of power and interest

will be discussed

 the reasoning for their positions in the matrix.

Power/interest matrix for Laura
Ashley.
Levels of Interest
Low High
Low •Home furnishings
•Clothing customers
P •Clothing competitors
competitors
•Fashionnist’s
o
w •Finance director
e •Laura Ashley general
•Malayan United Industries
(MUI)
r share holders •Dr Khoo Kay Peng.
•Home furnishings customers
High
Question 2

 How would you characterise Laura Ashley’s

‘Core Values?
Laura Ashley has six Core Values:
 Inspirational

 Individual

 Heritage Based:

 Contemporary

 Of distinctive design

 Trustworthy
Question 3

 Recommend a new Mission Statement and/or

Vision Statement for Laura Ashley.
 Vision

 Our vision is to deal in products that are designed

to bring ethnicity with a vintage tinge of modernity.
We believe in dealing products as per the market
demand and customer's expectation.
 Mission
 Our mission statement at Laura Ashley is to provide female
customers with the vintage, in-style trendy fashion

 respect our customers

 offer value for money

 satisfy customers with the necessary home furnishings

across all age groups

 Commitment to ensure good relations with suppliers,

employees and the wider community.

  policy need to meet legislation as well as our own

voluntary actions of best practice.
Question 4

 To what extent was Laura Ashley’s strategy

development ‘emergent’ or ‘deliberate’?
Laura Ashley had a Deliberate
Strategy
 30 flagship stores

 Did not adapt to market

 Implemented a long-term strategy for the chain.

 When they moved this part of deliberate strategy

 Save money
 Make destination store
Conclusion
Reference List
 Johnson.G.,Scholes.K.,Whittington.R., Exploring
Corporate Strategy: Text & Cases. 8th Edition.
2008.p878

 www.lauraashley.com [Web Accessed: 3 March

2010]