Competitors for LOFT

Competitor analysis for LOFT

H&M
The store stocks women’s wear, men’s wear and kids wear, whereas LOFT is only women’s wear.
The clothing that they stock is very similar to H&M because it is casual and suitable for wearing on a day to day basis. It also targets the same type of consumer that likes to be comfortable, however the prices for LOFT are more expensive than in H&M.
 The strengths of H&M are they advertise their product range through television adverts, magazine adverts an interactive online advertisements and these are often seen by consumers on multiple occasions throughout the day.
They are an accessible brand as the prices are kept low so many people can shop there.
The weaknesses are that the clothing isn’t the best quality and therefore people do not care about the tidiness of the store, so by the end of the day it isn’t always a pleasant experience to shop there.

GAP

The store sells women’s wear, men’s wear and kid’s wear. The clothing that they stock is very similar to LOFT as the majority of the clothing is casual and appeals to the same target market with is middle aged women who appreciate comfort more than style.
The prices in GAP are similar to LOFT so they are direct competitors in terms of this factor.
The strengths of GAP are they have a well-recognised brand image with a high customer base.
The weaknesses are that the clothing is expensive for what it is and it is not seen as a fashionable place to shop.

Matalan
The store does not just specialise in women’s wear like LOFT does it is home to a variety of different departments, however the clothing is very similar as it is casual and comfortable above style.
The pricing in Matalan is a lot more accessible and therefore people can afford to buy more items with the money they have.
The strengths of Matalan are that they do store promotions such as 20% off days and other promotions to entice customers into the store.
The weaknesses are that because the store has very reasonable prices, it doesn’t have the same atmosphere in store. People do not care about the way they treat the clothing in the store and therefore it doesn’t look pleasant. The visual merchandising in the store is also lacking.

Ann Taylor competitors

Competitors (Ann Taylor)

Marks and spencer
The store stock women’s wear and accessories, however they also sell men’s wear, kids wear, food and home furnishings and furniture, therefore it is less refined than Ann Taylor as they specialise in women’s wear.
The clothing M&S stock is very similar to Ann Taylors range, because they sell smart and casual clothing for the more middle aged woman.
The television adverts they have don’t have a main focus on the clothing, they promote the whole store together.
The clothing they sell is high quality and they offer good customer service including the service of ordering sizes in store if they don’t stock them.
There weaknesses are they do not have good visual merchandising or in store design, therefore the shopping experience could be improved.

Next
The stores stock women’s wear and accessories as one section of the store, they also have men’s, kids and home. There women’s wear range is similar to Ann Taylor as they have one section dedicated to ‘work wear’ and another to ‘essentials’ which are two main aspects of Ann Taylor.
The strengths Next have are that they offer many different ways to shop, they have an e-commerce site, the opportunity to order sizes in store and a catalogue which showcases all of the products for that season. This may be out of date now, however it suits the target consumer and fulfils their needs.
Next promote the women’s wear range in full they have television adverts, magazine adverts as well as promotions in store such as currently it is £10 off for every new online customer.
The weaknesses the brand has are they rely too heavily on keeping their competitors and therefore there is no difference in terms of product and price, which means it will be harder for them to attract customers.

Laura Ashley
The brand is not primarily clothing, however they do minor in women’s clothing. The clothing is very similar to Ann Taylor and they both attract a more middle ages women.
The strengths they have are the brand is known for its quality and this is reflected in the pricing, it is more expensive than its competitors and Ann Taylor.
The weaknesses are that they do not advertise in terms or television or magazine adverts and therefore the customers have to rely on the website to inform them of any promotions going on in store.

BHS
This is a department store but it has a large section dedicated to women’s clothing, the clothing is similar to that of Ann Taylor and appeals to the same target consumer.
The pricing is similar to the other competitors however is cheaper than Ann Taylor.
They have an e-commerce site as well as multiple stores throughout the UK.
The strengths of the brand are that they often have discount days to attract customers into the stores. It also poses convenience as it stock a lot of ranges and some stores have a café, this adds to the customer experience.
the weaknesses of the brand are that they do not focus on in store design and visual merchandising, therefore it is not as attractive to the customer as other stores may be.

Debenhams
This is a department store that not only stocks different ranges such as women’s, men’s and home it also stocks different brands, for example John Rocha and oasis. Some of the clothing they sell is similar to Ann Taylor and targets the same consumer.
The strengths of the brand are that it is convenient to browse different concessions in store rather than visiting each individual store if you don’t specifically know what you want to buy or where from.
They promote the store with television adverts, magazine adverts and discount days, which is good for getting customers through the door.
The weaknesses are that the prices vary quite dramatically depending on the concession and the label; therefore some customers can feel alienated from certain parts of the store.
They also do not focus on the visual aspects of the store and it can be hard to distinguish the different labels because it is not clear.