Sleep and shower is a private limited, home textile retailing company which exhales in bed ware and bathing textile products ranging from small face towels to complete bed sets. The textile products are woven, fine good quality pure 100% cotton well suited to furnish the bathroom and the bedroom. The company’s product line includes various collections of bed ware and bath textiles which have distinguished styles and vibrant colour combinations to address different tastes and preferences. The company will be located in the city of Karachi, Pakistan and will open its doors to the posh and upper middle class crowd.

Vision Statement

To be able to define complete lifestyles and beautiful atmospheres and inspire home presentation creativity… We create expressions of luxurious comfort and design styles of relaxation.

Mission Statement

To build a reputation for quality, fine detailing and professionalism in home textiles principally in bed ware and bath products and to broadened our collection to serve the customers a wide range of elegant and glamorous designs to suit their preferences.

Purpose

Sleep n shower is created in the spirit of addressing some problems that are present in the market. These problems are as follows and this organization was established keeping in mind that it would provide solutions to these:

Firstly, there is lack of standardization meaning that it is one thing providing good and fine quality products but continuing to do so is another. It can be difficult to maintain and preserve the standard of home textile products due to hindrances that may be posed in manufacturing. Quality control is an important aspect of Sleep n Shower which will ensure that the company will continue to deliver and serve finest cotton products.

Another problem in the home textiles sector in Pakistan is that there is not much of variety available for the customers to choose from. There are limited stores which offer bedding and bathing textiles and hence there is an inadequate collection to suit the preferences of customers. Sleep n shower will provide a variety of endless and unique styles of bed ware and bath products so its customers have a diverse selection to suit their needs.

More people are becoming brand and style conscious. Along with beautiful and stylish designs in home textiles they also require excellence in quality and durability. Unfortunately there are not many good quality products available as they are exported and the secondary products are sold in the stores such as Bed and Bath and Chen One. Sleep n shower can be presented as the solution to this problem as the products will be sold locally hence presenting first choice cotton products to the customers.

Current Marketing Situation

Market Description

Sleep n Shower will be operating in the retail market. In recent years, the retail market has grown considerably. From large malls like Forum, Dolmen Mall and Park Towers to new local brands like Outfitters, Crossroads and Stylo. From clothes to shoes, towels to sanitary equipment, everything is branded. This expansion into the retail industry of Pakistan is not only restricted to local brands but also international brands like L’Oreal and Charles and Keith. If comparison is made of Pakistan’s urban population now and to that of a few years back, the current population has become more aware of brands. They now demand better service, higher quality and greater choice selection. People have become more brand conscious and flaunting of branded goods is now considered a status symbol. Despite a global recession currently underway, all major retail markets are flooded with middle and upper class consumers both on weekdays and weekends. Conversely, this has lead to increase demand for branded goods making the Pakistan’s retail market an attractive and dynamic one to operate in. This analysis is illustrated in Table 11.

Macro Environment

Political aspect

The political environment of the country is not favorable. Since its inception Pakistan is a country blighted by an uncertain political environment. Most governments have been unable to complete their terms. Moreover, martial law has also been imposed a few times. How does this affect the business world? New governments introduce different sets of ideas each time and bring about changes in businesses conducting to policy to make their mark and impose their ideology. This instability and unsteadiness in governance induces a volatile environment to conduct a business in. Despite the presence of unfavorable political forces in the macro environment businesses have thrived in this country.

Economic aspect

In the past few years, Pakistan which is a developing country has experienced steady GDP growth. People have become more educated and household incomes have increased consequently increasing the percentage size of upper and middle class. Even though inflation has been increasing continuously over the past few years but due to the availability of cheap semi-skilled labor and the fact that the country is rich in natural resources like cotton, sugar, coal allows cost effective production of goods and services. Thus it can be said that the economic situation in the country is a favorable one.

Social aspect

Westernization – Pakistan’s population has been adopting western ideas from quite some time now. In most urban cities we see a mix of local and western culture. People eat out in western fast food chains, wear western dresses and watch western movies. They have also adopted western habits. They look for the best quality along with the best service meaning just the basic product does not interest them; instead they want a complete package.

Brand Consciousness – Pakistan’s urban population is very brand and style conscious today. They believe that high quality product and excellent service is delivered by branded products only and these can also be used as style and status symbols. The hectic life of the urban working class also leads them to choose branded products and services due to their convenience in comparison to ordinary products.

Acceptance of new ideas – Pakistan’s urban population accepts new ideas and innovations easily when it comes to products and services. An example of this trend can be seen in the restaurant industry where people flock into openings of new innovative cuisines. In a sense the population can be described as one which likes to experiment, as long as the experiment does not involve religious beliefs.

Micro Environment

Retail Industry

The retail industry of Pakistan has been growing steadily for the past few years. Consumers in Pakistan today have more choice than consumers had ten years ago and the choices are increasing drastically every day. New ideas and innovative products are entering the market all the time. Those products that provide solutions to consumers’ problems and are marketed well generally tend to succeed. The growing industry can also be attributed to the demographics of the country. The high birth rate and rapid urbanization is opening doors to untapped markets and immensely increasing the local market size. Thus it comes to no surprise that the percentage share of the retail industry in the GDP is growing every year.

Textile Industry

The textile industry of Pakistan is central to all industrial activity in the country. The abundance of cotton in the country has allowed it to flourish over the years. In 2005, the textile industry accounted for 38 percent of all manufacturing and 8 percent of GDP2. This shows the strength of the industry as it employs about 40 percent of the industrial workforce and is very important for the country to meet its fiscal targets. The importance of textile industry has led the government to provide incentives and expertise to people operating in this sector so that they can complete globally in a competitive textile market.

Competition

Competition is rigorous in the textile industry. However, if the bed and bath sector is given a look, there is a big market gap. There are only few major competitors which are focused majorly on bed and bath products. Consumers are still looking for more choices in this particular sector. The main competitors are:

Ideas – Gul Ahmed’s Ideas is one of the biggest textile manufacturers in Pakistan which commenced its operations in 2003 now provides a wide collection of men and women apparel wear in addition to bed and bath products. It currently has three branches in Karachi at Clifton, Bahadurabad and Saddar. Even though Ideas produces and sells bed and bath products its primary focus is on fashion apparel. Ideas market itself through fashion shows and its own magazine.

ChenOne – ChenOne is owned and operated by the Chenab Group, one of the biggest textile players in Pakistan. It commenced operations in 1997 through its first outlet in Islamabad. Since then it has expanded and currently has stores in 12 cities of Pakistan. The catch phrase used by ChenOne, “changing lifestyles”, fits very well with its diverse product range. The idea behind ChenOne was a mega family store which would cater to the needs of home textiles, fashion garments, furniture and other accessories. Place holds a very important position in ChenOne’s marketing mix and the company has made sure that all its stores are located in areas where the residents have the corresponding buying power to purchase its high quality and slightly expensive branded products.

Bed & Bath – Bed & Bath is a venture by Afroze textile. The name is very similar to the international retail chain Bed, Bath and Beyond. Afroze textile is actually a supplier of BB&B and most of the products found at Bed & Bath are under license from BB&B. Bed & Bath concentrates solely on bed and bath products and has an extensive distribution network with many outlets in major cities. Their tag line “we dress homes” tells consumers how they lay great emphasis on style and attractiveness in their products. Bed & Bath solely concentrates on bed and bath products and thus is a direct competitor to our store.