SWOT MATRIX

M&S WATERLOO
Favourable Unfavourable
1. Busiest store of the company yielding 1. Abundance of Absenteeism/sicknesses
highest sales turnover@ 1.2 m/month causing operation/service disruptions
2. Highly trained and well-motivated staff of 2. High staff turnover; causing store resources
130 employees to recruit/train new staff
3. Ability to serve more than 200,000 3. No control over prices/offers; centralized
customers every month to the highest pricing mechanism
standards 4. Perception of high prices
4. Strong brand name of M&S ensuring unending 5. More expensive than other high street
Internal

customers brand loyalty

stores; limited market
5. Highest standards of quality
6. Suppliers use the most modern and efficient 6. Using only British suppliers causing high
production techniques costs of food items comparing to its
7. Highly efficient store manager who has competitors
transformed store culture to deliver maximum
productivity

Strengths Weaknesses

1 Britain’s busiest rail terminus dealing with 1.
88 million passengers a year based on the
ticket sales; enormous sales opportunities 2.
2 Prime location of store; Waterloo complex is
one of the busiest passenger terminals in 3.
Europe; second only to Gare Du Nord in Paris
3 New glass-fronted 220 metre long balcony;
External
New food legislations by Food Standards
Agency resulting in more tighter processes
Extreme weather conditions sometimes
affect business accordingly
RMT periodic strikes did/would affect
business adversely

proposed plan would accommodate more

passengers in 2012 thus creating more sales
potential
4. No major food competitor on the station
concourse; enjoying monopolistic competition
5. British economy recovering from recession;
resulting in increase of customers’ purchasing
power
6. As M&S looking for overseas suppliers; would
result in some cost advantage

Opportunities Threats

SWOT SUMMARY……
Waterloo station store enjoys being the busiest store with SSP franchise along with its prime location. Store is
performing to the highest level with the joint efforts of both management and staff. Staff is well-trained and well
motivated. However, absences have been causing some service disruptions along with high level of staff turnover
level. There are enormous sales growth opportunities considering the recovery of British economy from
recession and the proposed Ist floor balcony. Store is prone to tighter food legislation coupled with other external
factors