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MK 4157 Taousanis
MK 4157 Taousanis
MK 4157 Taousanis
DELTA FOOD SA
George Taousanis
Summer I
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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................2
2.0 Company..........................................................................................................................................2
3.0 Target Country.................................................................................................................................2
4.0 Target Market..................................................................................................................................4
5.0 Key issues of concern and Country–Product fit...............................................................................6
6.0 Target market(s) and positioning (STP)...........................................................................................8
7.0 Marketing mix.................................................................................................................................8
Word Count: 4,153................................................................................................................................9
Sources Cited.......................................................................................................................................10
Appendix One......................................................................................................................................11
Appendix Two.....................................................................................................................................12
Appendix Three...................................................................................................................................13
Appendix Four.....................................................................................................................................14
Appendix Five.....................................................................................................................................15
Appendix Six.......................................................................................................................................16
Appendix Seven...................................................................................................................................17
1.0 Introduction
More and more businesses are looking into international expansion through various modes of
entry in order to develop competitive advantage, achieve sustained growth and expand. A
major component of international expansion is international marketing strategy. The
following report aims to develop a full scale international Marketing strategy for the Greek
Dairy Producer, Delta. What started out as a small family firm has becomes a Multinational
Cooperation (MNC) operating in 17 different countries worldwide. The next step the
company aims to take is to enter the Swedish Market. In order to create the marketing
campaign for this strategic advance, the following structure will be followed. Firstly, the
company will be briefly introduced in order to get a feel for its history, brand and product
range. Having established this a full scale market analysis will be conducted incorporating a
country profile, market conditions, competitor landscape and consumer profiling. This
section will be followed by a SWOT analysis that will help summarize the main findings of
this analysis and present the most important factors which will be considered in the marketing
strategy. Finally, based on all the proceeding information, the product Positioning in the
Swedish market will be identified and the Marketing mix including product, promotion, place
and price will be developed.
2.0 Company
Delta Foods SA is a Greek family company that was first started in 1952 with only 20
employees and 10 trucks distributing dairy products in Athens (Company Presentation,
2021). The high quality of the product quickly became popular and by 1990 the company was
listed on the Athens Stock Exchange having expanded majorly locally and opening its first
fully automated yoghurt factory shortly after (Company Presentation, 2021). The major
strategic move taken by Delta was in 2006 when they became the largest food manufacturer
in Greece through a merger of Delta, Chipitain International, Goodys and Geniki Trofimon
(Company Presentation, 2021). In 2014 Delta finally went international with its first Entry
being in the Italian Market (Company Presentation, 2021). Currently, the company operates
in 17 different countries including The USA, Germany and UAE and has over 1500
employees with four different production plants (Company Presentation, 2021).
The brand is built around the Authentic Greek Yoghurt Story and taste (Company
Presentation, 2021). Specifically, their production process uses a patented straining method
that strains the product twice, tries to keep the process as close to the traditional one as
possible, while all yoghurts are made with original, certified Greek cultures (Company
Presentation, 2021). The company has three main product ranges, the first being the Natural
Range which is the most authentic. The next two are the Fruit Flavor and Indulgent Flavor
range, both using the same authentic Greek yoghurt as a base and building on that by adding
fruit and flavors (Company Presentation, 2021).
Starting with political factors, Sweden is one of the few countries that operates using a
constitutional monarchy which means there is both an elected government but also a King
who performs representative role (Euromonitor International, 2021). The country has been an
EU member since 1995 however does not use the Euro currency but instead the Swedish
Krona (Euromonitor International, 2021). Currently the country is led by a coalition between
the social democrats and the Green party with the next election date being set for 2022
(Euromonitor International, 2021). The country’s politics puts a great emphasis on neutrality
and as a result they are very often mediators in International affairs and conflicts
(Euromonitor International, 2021). The country enjoys political stability overall with some
recent sources of tension being the coronavirus pandemic and refugees. The country did not
impose very strict pandemic regulations especially compared to most of its EU neighbors and
as a result have experienced a lesser impact on the economy (Euromonitor International,
2021). In regards to refugees, the country has accepted a large influx which has put strain on
the housing market and immigration services (Euromonitor International, 2021). In terms of
government finance, public debt is equivalent to 34.8% of GDP and the country has been
experiencing a decrease in surplus between 2018-2020, with a deficit developing in 2020 and
2021 due to pandemic emergency spending and financial crisis (Euromonitor International,
2021).
Moving on to the economy overall, Sweden was one of the countries that recovered relatively
quickly from the Eurozone crisis with a slow but continuous growth of the economy between
2014-2019 (Euromonitor International, 2021). 2020 saw a drop in GDP of 4.5% due to the
pandemic which is believed to rise back up into the year 2021 (Euromonitor International,
2021). A growth around 3.5% is expected in 2021 with the growth being led by private
consumption, weak inflation and the recovery from the pandemic (Euromonitor International,
2021). Looking into the future, it is speculated that due to a shrinking pool of labor, the small
size of Sweden and its open economy, increased protectionism is expected to favor local
businesses and potentially pose difficulties to foreign trade (Euromonitor International,
2021). Difficulties to foreign trade are further posed by the fact that Sweden continues is own
currency without adopting the Euro; this has been a complaint expressed particularly by
Large scale businesses and foreign enterprises already operating or looking to operate in
Sweden (Euromonitor International, 2021). On a more positive note, Total consumer
expenditure between the years 2021-2030 is expected to rise at an average rate of 2.0%
arising to a cumulative value of 19.6% (Euromonitor International, 2021).
The next factor is social. Sweden has a population of 10.2 million with the forecast by 2030
being 11.1 million (Euromonitor International, 2021). Similarly to many European countries,
Sweden faces the issue of an ageing population with the current median age being 40.6 years
old (Euromonitor International, 2021). From there relatively small population, 15% are
refugees and asylum seekers which have already contributed to the social construct of the
country as they are attributed for increasing the fertility rate from 1.6 in 2000 to 1.8 as well as
to slowing the ageing population (Euromonitor International, 2021).
Technological and environmental factors refer to the infrastructure. Sweden is located on the
southern section of the Scandinavian Peninsula giving the country naval access to the Baltic
from the North sea and allowing the country to have popular and efficient trade routes
(Euromonitor International, 2021). In terms of transportation, Sweden ranks very high
amongst its European neighbors scoring the 6th best quality of roads, 1st best quality of inland
water networks, 5th most timeliest shipments 4th best air transport services in Europe
(European Commission, 2021). These statistics indicate that the transportation and
distribution networks of Sweden are highly efficient and of very good quality. To add to this,
the country places a strong emphasis on renewable energy with a lot of its energy coming
from hydroelectrically energy and nuclear factories which allow the country to be self-
sufficient for about 50% of its annual energy consumption (Euromonitor International, 2021).
Finally, we come to legal factors. A good indication for understanding the legal structure of a
country is using the Ease of doing Business index. This can be seen in Appendix One. From
that it is evident that Sweden scores very high coming 10 th worldwide. Specifically, we can
see that the highest scores come from Trading across business 98/100, followed by getting
electricity 96/100, starting a business 93/100 and registering property 90/100 (World Bank,
2020). The countries lowest scores can be found in the category enforcing contracts 67/100
and getting credit 60/100 (World Bank, 2020).
B. Distribution.
Appendix 5 shows the distribution channels used for the yoghurt market in Sweden. The first
and most obvious fact is that 96.7% of all yoghurt sales are done through store based retailing
and only 3.3% of sales are done through e-commerce (Euromonitor International, 2020b).
Beyond this, we can see that 96.1% of purchases are made through grocery retailers and only
0.6% through mixed retailers (Euromonitor International, 2020b). Of the grocery retailers,
95% are modern grocery retailers and only 1% are traditional, independent grocery stores
(Euromonitor International, 2020b). Therefore, the most dominant distribution channel is
modern grocery retailers of which 53.1% are super market chains and 24% are hyper markets
(Euromonitor International, 2020b). Looking into the future, though e-commerce is still a
very small percentage of distribution, it is increasing in size and is forecasted to increase in
size as a channel (Euromonitor International, 2020b).
C. Competition.
In order to understand more the competitive landscape, we need to look at the major
companies and brands that dominate the Swedish yoghurt market. Appendix 3 and 4 contain
tables illustrating the company and brand shares of yoghurt and sour milk products in Sweden
for the year 2020 including whether these shares have gone up or down. This allows us to
better understand the competitive environment of the market Starting with company shares
we can see that the company leading the market has almost a 30% difference with the
company with the next biggest market share. Specifically, Arla Foods AB controls 39% of
the total company shares for yoghurt and sour milk products while the second is Valio
Sverige who controls 12.3% and Skanemejerier with 7.7% (Euromonitor International,
2020b). This indicates that the market has a very clear leader who is not in direct competition
with anyone as no one is as big as them, the rest of the companies all have much smaller
differences between their market shares which means that the rest are competing with each
other more that with the biggest company Arla. Unsurprisingly, the brand market shares of
Yoghurt and sour milk products in Sweden is very similar. Again, Arla is the leader with a
big difference (34.2%) compared to the next biggest brands that again are in line with
company shares being Valio 12.3% and Skanemejerier with 7.7% (Euromonitor International,
2020b).
Based on these company and brand shares it is evident that no other Greek Yoghurt company
hold a dominant position in the market, and there is no local brand that exclusively offers
Greek-style yoghurt either. Fage SA which is a major competitor of Delta both in Greece and
worldwide is present in the Swedish market but retains a rather small market share (Fage,
2021). What is interesting to note about the local market is that Sweden has a product similar
to Greek yoghurt in terms of functionality. This product is called “Kvarg” and it is very high
in Protein compared to other yoghurt types with a consistency similar to that of Greek
yoghurt (Euromonitor International, 2020c). Due to the rising health trend and focus on
functionality of products, it is particularly popular amongst Swedish people (Euromonitor
International, 2020c).
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
- High quality Product with High quality - Some consumers find the taste Bitter
- Plastic packaging, lack of sustainable/eco
Taste friendly claims
- Functional product – Offers high protein, - Production Plant in Greece & Bulgaria
low fat, low sugar, probiotics, natural
Ingredients
- Strong Brand Identity (99% Brand
awareness in Greece)
- Strong Storyline enhanced through Greek
culture/story/family Business
- Attractive Packaging
- Convenient product, easy and quick to
consume without cooking needed
- 69 Years experience
- Active in various markets Dairy & Non
Dairy)
- Strong International presence (17
countries)
- Multiple products & Product ranges /
sizes
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
- Consumer Expenditure expected to grow - Covid/Global Recession
by an average of 2% annually for the - Protectionist Government Strategy
next 10 years - Export barriers due to Currency
- Growing Refugee Population more likely - Rising plant-based and lactose free
to be open to foreign products product demands
- High quality distribution channels with - Fage (global competitor) first mover
global naval connections advantage in Swedish market
- Health & lifestyle Trend rising in - Kvarg (Local product with similar
Sweden, all consumer profiles actively product functions)
looking to better their health through
consumption
- Consumers chase added value through
innovative packaging and functional
products
- Undaunted Striver and Impulsive
Spender Consumer Categories (33% of
total market) Both willing to pay a
premium, trend followers, social media
enthusiasts and chase ‘experience’
- Lack of Major local competitor (Fage
present but small market share)
- Supermarket Distribution channel
From the above SWOT analysis, we can see the findings from our study in terms of internal
strengths and weaknesses, as well as the external environment opportunities and threats
(Helms, 2013). Based on these, the following sections will develop and suggest the
appropriate international marketing strategy for the entrance of Delta Greek Yoghurts into the
Swedish market.
6.0 Target market(s) and positioning (STP).
As already identified, our target market is made up of the following two prospective buyer
profiles; the Undaunted Striver and Impulsive Spender who together make up 33% of the market.
The next step is positioning the product in a way that best caters to the needs of these target
consumers (Johansson & Thorelli, 1985). One framework that can be sued to identify the position is
Porters generic strategies matrix that can be found in Appendix 6. The matrix is divided into two
sides, source of competitive advantage and the market (Dess & Davis, 1984). Source of competitive
advantage can either be product differentiation or cost, while the market can either be broad or a niche
(Dess & Davis, 1984). Taking into consideration the findings of our previous section we can
conclude that Delta Greek Yoghurt is positioned in a broad market with its source of competitive
advantage being differentiation. Therefore, the product positioning based on this Matrix is called
Differentiation leadership. This means the marketing strategy for Delta will need to try and be unique
within the industry whilst catering directly to the factors valued by the target consumers (Dess &
Davis, 1984). By uniquely positioning itself to meet these needs, the company will be able to price its
product at a premium (Dess & Davis, 1984). This will be better explored in the next section.
Having identified the objectives, we can now apply these objectives to the four elements of
our Marketing Mix.
Product
The product range which will be introduced to the Swedish Market will be the Delta
Authentic Greek Natural Yoghurt range in all three Fat Ranges. (See Appendix Seven). This
range is the best option for attracting our target consumers as it the authentic product with the
most health benefits, least flavor/sugar additives and strongest brand storyline and culture. In
order to further enhance these features and create added value which is necessary in order to
follow the differentiation strategy, it will be important to adopt some new Claims on the
packaging (Hooker et al., 2018). Besides functional claims about its high protein, low fat and
natural probiotics, it will be important to also emphasize the authenticity and Greek nature of
the product in order to make it stand out from its local competition (Qwark) and created
added consumer experience which both our target segments value. These claims can be
incorporated in the packaging through the addition of a Sticker which will also make the
claims stand out more than if they were simply printed on the packaging.
Promotion
Given that our target segments are heavily influenced by trends and are active social media
users, promotion efforts to a great extent should be with social media campaign. This will be
the main Above The Line (ATL) channel of promotion with the campaigns taking a localized
approach through cooperation with local social media influencers. Given the importance of
product experience for our target segments, it will be important to also have a strong below
the line (BTL) promotion strategy. In this case it will focus on Instore experience in
supermarkets. Since both segments are open to trying new products, an ideal approach will be
to offer systematic free samples for the first Year of its introduction as well as a strong brand
presence through branded shelving materials.
Price
As previously stated, the price point for the Delta Authentic Greek Natural Yoghurt range will be
slightly higher than other yoghurt alternatives and will therefore be at a premium (Gaul &
Lutz, 1994). The premium price however will be justified as the product and promotion will
help create added value for the consumers.
Place
The product will be made available in supermarket chains with the initial objective being to reach
50% of supermarket chains nationwide. IN order to achieve this, the best approach will be to find a
local distributer/agent who will work with Delta in order to make central deals and distribute the
product, instead of Delta going (as a foreigner) to the different super market chains and trying to make
deals with each one separately (Wind et al., 1973).