APPAREL

MERCHANDISING
COMPARISION AND ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT
MARKETING STARTEGIES OF FOUR DIFFERERNT
BRANDS
ASSIGNMENT-1

COMPILED BY: IPSHITA MAHAPATRA (BFT/18/568) &

NEHA SHRIVASTAVA(BFT/18/639)
Brands we have taken for our research purpose:
1. GAP

2. VANHUESEN
3. ALLEN SOLLY
4. MARKS AND SPENCER

Purpose of the Study:

Every brand has its own marketing strategies and target market which plays a vital
range in its product range, pricing strategies and promotional policies. The type of
raw material used by a particular brand also plays an important role in its pricing.
Here, in our particular research we are going to discuss about the various factors of
these four brands and how this brands actually position themselves in today’s
competitive world.
 1.GAP

Brand at a glance:
 Gap is a popular clothing and accessories brand spread
globally. Gap Inc. is the largest specialty retailer in the
United States, and is 3rd in total international locations.
As of September 2008, the company has approximately
135,000 employees and operates 3,727 stores
worldwide, of which 2,406 are located in the U.S.
 Gap has 13 standalone stores in India which are located
in the National Capital Region, Mumbai, Kolkata,
Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai and Indore, apart from 15
shop-in-shop stores in multi-brand retailers.

GAP operates six divisions and they are:

GAP: Trendy shirts, t-shirts, denim apparels, sunglasses, etc., basically for summer and spring
seasons
Banana republic: This is slightly premium segment dealing in better craftsmanship and luxurious
materials. The products include clothes, sunglasses, accessories, footwear, bags, and perfumes
Old Navy: Widespread types of apparels, with target of ‘lower middle to middle income consumer
Athlete: sports apparel including yoga, tennis, skiing and seasonal sports.
Apart from this four two other sub brands are Intermix and Hill City. Thus, the wide range of
products by Gap Inc., with different brand names, help target the customers of both mass market and
premium segment.

Pricing:
In US markets, Gap is the market leader in its segment. Apparel industry is highly competitive and hence it
following a competitive pricing strategy in its marketing mix. Its major competitors are American eagle
outfitters, Urban Outfitters Inc. and Macy’s Inc. Gap protects its market share by optimizing cost for
offering reduced prices for quality products. The demand for products, offered by GAP is quite inelastic
(clothing being the basic need), although the market is quite price sensitive. People buy apparels that are
more affordable to them. With this in mind, Gap shifted its focus towards a wider target segment since 2014.
It optimized its operations for decreased cost and reduced prices. The supplier power in this industry is also
limited due to many options available. The new pricing strategy of Gap Inc. integrates the combination of
psychological and product line pricing techniques. It achieved this through localizing the inventory of its
retail stores. Thus, transportation cost was minimized.

Product Range:
 Old Navy- Old Navy is a global apparel and accessories brand. Its products mainly include current
American essentials accessible to everyone. The brand is known for its democratic style and trendy,
playfully optimistic, affordable and high-quality products. Customers can find everything for the
entire family from t-shirts and jeans to seasonal fashion favorites.
  Gap– It sells a large range of apparel including all things denim, tees, button-downs, and khakis,
along with must-have trends. Apart from apparel and accessories for grownups, the brand also sells
products under various brand names including GapKids, BabyGap, GapMaternity, GapBody, and
GapFit collections targeted at specific market segments.
 Banana Republic – Its product line includes clothing, eyewear, jewellery, shoes, handbags, and
fragrances, all made for people living fast moving lives and with the finest fabrics and materials.
Banana Republic products are available to customers globally in specialty stores.
 Athleta– Athleta is a brand for women and targets people with an athletic and active lifestyle. The
brand was designed for and by women athletes. It is a premium fitness and lifestyle brand. In 2016, it
launched Athleta girl which caters to the needs of the next generation. Customers can find athleta
products in USA inside the brand stores or globally online.
 Intermix– Intermix name is a suggestion of the style the brand has adopted. It mixes trending styles
in unexpected ways while also retaining the uniqueness of each style. The brand curates styles from
the most coveted established and emerging designers. Customers can buy its products in US and
Canada from stores and in other areas online.
 Hill City – Hill city was launched in 2018. It is a brand that offer high performance apparel for men.
It offers everyday fashion from workdays to the weekend.
 Janie and Jack – Janie and Jack is a leader in premium children’s fashion. Apart from its 100 stores
in US the brand also sells its products on ecommerce channels. Apart from its great quality, the
brand also offers innovative and creative styles.

Styles and Fits:

GAP is one of the most beloved retailers in the US and an emblematic part of American fashion
and style. With its laid-back classics and iconic denim, the company became the go to destination
to obtain the effortless jeans and the Tshirt look at an accessible price.
GAP is a brand which is known for its funky style and effortless look. Products are available in a
wide range of sizes and designs fitting into everyone’s wardrobe.
Banana Republic a subsidiary brand of GAP which provides a luxurious range of perfume, jewellery,
women and menswear, footwear and handbags.
This are the glimpse of the products offered by Banana Republic, in every product there is an essence of
luxury and grandeur.
It basically offers huge range of Womenswear and Menswear which are both formal and day to day wear.
Footwear collection by this brand basically focuses on comfort.

Old Navy is the most popular sub-brand of Gap Inc. and its products are generally cheap in comparison to
the other sub brand of Gap Inc. The brand is known for its democratic style and trendy, playfully optimistic,
affordable and high-quality products. It basically offers informal wears like T-shirts and Jeans and seasonal
favourites like sweaters, hoodies and jackets.
Athleta offers a huge range of active and sportswear just for women. From running and yoga to swimming
or hiking, outfits for any kind of sports is available under this brand. It provides a premium quality of
product in a very affordable price.

Janie and Jack: Janie and Jack offers a huge range of premium products for kids. Sizes vary from new born
to 16yrs for both boys and girls. Some of the products offered by this sub brand of Gap Inc. are rompers,
skirts, shirts, pants, cardigans, accessories and footwear.
Materials:
GAP Inc. being a premium brand only high quality raw materials are used for manufacturing the products.
High quality cotton, polyester, spandex etc… are used by the brand. Good quality trims like zip, lace,
buttons, chains and rivets are used.

Colours:
Different sub brand of GAP Inc. provides different range of colours to its customers. Parent Brand Gap
focuses on common informal colours like blue, white, black where as its sub brand Banana Republic
generally offers a range of light and pastel shades like beige, pastel pink, white to its customer.
Kid’sspeciality brand Janie and Jack offers all type of colours from pastel shades to funky shades.

Promotional Policies:
Gap Inc. offers various hard and e-gift card which can be used for buying across all sites and stores. Even
online gift cards, get delivered in around 3 days, with the option of personalized message. Presenting the
product in the best way, through mannequins display or boards and posters with trendy tag lines is one of the
main sales promotions techniques used by Gap Inc. Print and media advertising is very extensive form for
promotion. It is the main tool to deliver message to the target customers. Magazines are specially preferred
by Gap Inc. Gap has used viral marketing in controversial manner, many times like stationing support for
interracial family through its ads, which caused lots of discussion around the topic, gaining popularity for
the brand name. These stories attract a lot of attention. Some other tactics also include organizing
competitions and gifting GAP accessories and merchandise as gifts. Gap has also increasingly associated
itself with CSR activities, to be recognized as a responsible and concerned brand, as its target group, the
young generation are becoming more and more opinionated. Gap’s Athleta brand introduced its Girl’s
apparel line with commercial ads focused around women empowerment and focusing on ‘Power of She’ to
introduce equality at the most impressionable age of 6 to 14.

‘ Be confident in what you are’ this is the This is one of the poster from the
message that this creative promotional poster campaign for new apparel line Love by
from GAP promotes. Something which is GapBody aims to “encourage and
different from other brands always stand out as empower all women to be the woman they
a good idea in the retail marketing want to be as a friend, partner, wife,
mother and voice in today’s society”
 Janie and Jack launched an awareness campaign for national adopt a shelter dog
month to celebrate limited-edition family dog collection.
This kind of campaigns plays a huge role in marketing because this campaign
connected emotional with its customers, especially when the target market is
Kids.

Athleta launched a exclusive

collection that’s Athleta Girl
line, it deliberately follows on the
heels of “The Power of She,”
which emphasizes women and
girls working together to increase
female confidence and combat the
undermining of women.

2. VAN HEUSEN

Brand at a glance:
Van Huesen is basically an American clothing company whose all
rights are sold to Aditya Birla Group in 2013. It is India's largest
premium brand for Men, Women and the Youth. The brand clocked a
revenue of Rs 1300 Crores. Over the last 5 years the brand has grown
CAGR of 24%. The brand is available in close to 300 exclusive outlets
across 100 cities and 24 states in India. TRENDIN, an online initiative
by Madura fashion and Lifestyle is the official web store of Van
Huesen. Apart from them the brand is available in most of the
ecommerce sites like Myntra, Ajio, Amazon, and Jabong.
Pricing:
Below is the pricing strategy in Van Heusen marketing strategy: Van Heusen clothes are sophisticated and
cater to the upper-middle class and the upper class of the society. Therefore, the price associated with the
clothes of the brand communicate the value of the products to the target audience. This price is a mark of
high-quality, thus the pricing strategy in its marketing mix is a premium pricing one. The customers who can
afford this product don’t mind paying the premium as they get a top-quality product made from the latest of
technologies and fine fabric and other top-notch materials. Van Heusen price range of shirts is from Rs.1000
to Rs.5000. There are discounts which can be availed during sale and during purchases from ecommerce
sites. The men’s inners range from Rs.350 to Rs.700 which is again a premium price in that category. The
blazers range from Rs.7000 to Rs.12000. The trousers range from Rs.1500 to Rs.3000. The ties range from
Rs.500 to as high as Rs.4000. Tops for women come in the range of Rs.800 to Rs.2000. The pants for
women are in the similar range as that of men that is Rs.1500 to Rs.3000. The sweaters for both men and
women range from Rs.1500 to Rs.4000.

Product Range:
 Van Heusen specializes in clothing primarily as formals and corporates. They have a number of
collections for both men and women.
 The Van Heusen Air collection has shirts with temperature activated air cooling which gives comfort
even in warm weather. The materials used in these are stretchable
made by honey comb technology for greater comfort. Van Heusen
Flex is another type of collection where the collars are flexible
making them more comfortable.
 They have also come up with flex ties and flex pants with
shirt gripper for increasing the comfort level for better daily use. The
Van Heusen traveler is a collection for travelers who need their
clothes to be fresh and hence these come with wicking and anti-
wrinkle properties.
 Van Heusen also have ties which are pre-tied and just needed
to be tightened for people who don’t have the time to tie the knots.
There are shirts which come with magnetic buttons for reducing the
time to get dressed up. There are also casual shirts, polos, pants,
suits, blazers and sweaters for men. For women they also have tops,
stretch pants, jeans, soft shirts and quilted vests.
 The Van Heusen brand was introduced in the market in the
year 1990. Unlike other premium men's wear brands available at that time, Van Heusen was
positioned as premium office wear for young professionals. The brand was an instant success in the
Indian market and some high-end collections like 'World Wear' were introduced under the Van
Heusen brand. Madura Fashion and Lifestyle had perpetual rights to the Van Heusen brand in India
which led it to expand the brand to some niche segments. As the number of people below 25 was
growing rapidly in India, Van Heusen introduced a sub brand called VDot in 2006 to target them
effectively.
 In 2006, Van Heusen also introduced another sub brand called Van Heusen Woman to target the
increasing number of women entering the workforce in India. Van Heusen introduced a new range of
sporty looking casuals for young executives under a new sub brand called Van Heusen Sport in
2011. The expansion of the Van Heusen brand in India with the introduction of various sub brands
paid off and its sales reached Rs. 6.5 billion for the fiscal year ending March 2011. It planned to
increase the brands ‘revenues to Rs. 8.5 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012. To reach
 this goal, Madura FL wanted to increase the reach of the Van Heusen brand by expanding it into
smaller cities across India. It also had plans to expand the brand further by diversifying into other
product categories like footwear and men’s personal care products. Plans to sell its products online
and to expand the brand to some international markets were also on the cards.

Styles and Fits:

A premium lifestyle brand, Van Heusen assiduously follows the

company mandate; fashion for the professional. The brand’s
target audience is successful, sophisticated, multi-faceted
professional who believes style is as important as substance.
And Van Heusen with its distinctive and fashionable range of
products helps the ambitious young professionals create their
best impact, as much for his style as for his substance.

For the Van Heusen customer, elegance and style are not just
fads, but a philosophy. The Van Heusen range is modern,
minimalistic and timeless. It is distinguished by its high quality,
and its relevance to the times, neither too edgy nor too
futuristic.

Through Sub-brand V Dot, Van Heusen also addressed the needs of a younger consumer and a
changing lifestyle – one who had disposable income and the attitude to go with it. V dot offers a
range of clothing that was edgy, not reckless, fashionable, not flippant, youthful, and not juvenile. It
adds bold sophistication to the brand’s design philosophy

Though it was launched as a men’s brand, it did not take long for Van Heusen to appreciate that
today’s woman is as much a stakeholder as her male counterpart in India’s growth story. The Van
Heusen Woman is dynamic, well-educated, ambitious and intelligent. She lives life on her own
terms, and is poised and feminine. The ‘Everyday Couture’ philosophy for womenswear recognises
that today’s woman straddles many worlds and many roles with ease. The line captures her many
facets, and offers her a classy, fashionable wardrobe that is truly unique.
 Van Heusen’s sport-inspired casual wear ‘Van Heusen Sport’ adds a dash of fashionable modernity
to the iconic 60s Ivy League ‘day chic’ look. The line is made up of soft shirts, fine-knits, laundered
chinos and easy-to-wear semi-lined jackets in exceptional washes designed to give you a drape quite
unlike anything. The range features fine sporting elements that elegantly round off the sporty look.
Impeccably crafted inside out, these garments are designed to look as good as new even after
repeated wearing and washes.

The brand’s target audience is successful, sophisticated,

multi-faceted professional who believes style is as
important as substance. And Van Heusen with its
distinctive and fashionable range of products helps these
ambitious professionals create their best impact at any
occasion – be it a boardroom meeting or the Saturday
brunch to seal the last minute deal or the office party to
celebrate the win.

Materials & Colours:

Van Heusen comprises of three main categories in each Product

category:
1-Classics
2- Contemporary
3-Fashion

Classics:They are t hose designs or styles, which are not changed

and are present in ever y season and are present in ever y season and
it requires least modification.
 Fabrics And Textures - Premium Giza cotton, Organic Cotton, 100% Cotton light fabrics (World
Wear), compact cotton, 2 ply fines cotton.
 Colours – light blue, plain white,beige, silver colours.
 Collars – medium cut away and regular.
 Cuffs – two button cuffs and French cuffs.
 Prints – plain , light stripes , pin stripes , dobby

Contemporary: They are those designs and styles that require little modification. They are mainly
present season trend (based on market research). These comprise the designs or styles that are trendier and
are in present demand
 Fabrics and textures – Egyptian cotton, premium Giza cotton,polyposiscotton, Irish linen.
 Colours – black,grey,blue,lilac, white.
 Collars – regular,Chinese, cut away, button down.
 Cuffs – basics and extra cuff links.
 Prints – madras checks , Bengal checks , plains , candy stripes
Fashion: They are the innovative designs or styles, which set an upcoming trend in the market. It provides
van edge over competition. Most of the designers work on the fashion categoryand tries to convert it into
contemporary product or design.
 Fabrics and textures – 100% cotton, 75%cotton +25%viscose, 97%cotton +xla , 35% Cotton+29%
Nylon +32% Rayon.
 Colours – black , blue , purple , maroon
 Collars - long, medium and small cut away, stiff collars.
 Cuffs – variable.
 Prints – window pane checks , candy stripes , dobby

Promotional Policies:
The promotional and advertising strategy in the Van Heusen marketing strategy is as follows:
Van Heusen is in a market having a tough competition and hence has to be ready with a strategy to promote
its brand aggressively. The price is a premium one as it competes in that segment with other players. The
brand is advertised through TV advertisements which are suave which communicate the message to the
target audience about the value associated with the brand. The brand has a very stylish website with top
quality user interface and images to attract greater traffic and for the ease of shopping. Van Heusen also
promotes itself in magazines like GQ, Men XP, and Cosmopolitan etc. which have a loyal customer base
and consists of the target audience of the brand. They have been associated with celebrities like Mick
Fanning and Nargis Fakhri who have been the brand ambassadors. The brand is also promoted during
fashion shows like Lakme Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week where top designers and other
celebrities are present. They also have a scheme for members where the members get points for every Van
Heusen purchase and can redeem those points to get other clothing or Van Heusen products. They also get
called for the exclusive member parties.
 Popular advertising campaigns
• Chino Cousins By Van Heusen
 Van Heusen X Lifestyle campaign
 VDOT Campaign with John Abraham
 Limited Edition Campaign – Van Heusen Woman
 Trench Campaign – Van Heusen Woman
 The brand has launched a comprehensive marketing campaign which will debut nationally across
multiple mediums – Television, Cinema, Print, Social media.
 The AIRPORT COLLECTION from MOVE LABS consists of pieces which enhance the
functionality of menswear.
 ‘Carry Your World’ featuring Jacqueline Fernandez
 3.ALLEN SOLLY

Brand at a glance:
 Allen Solly was founded in 1744 by William Hollin and Co Ltd. The brand was bought in the 90's
by Aditya Birla Group, under Madura Garments.
 In 2002, Allen Solly became the first Indian brand to introduce work fashion for women.
 Allen Solly launched office apparels in colored shirts and Khaki trousers which became a prompt hit.
 Allen Solly uses a smart combination of digital outdoor and social media that help to promote local
brands.
 There are over 205 stores in 98 cities across 25 states.
 Allen Solly not only aims to dress people better but also allows them to experiment with their looks.

Pricing:
Allen Solly brand is known for understanding the need of casual wearing of young working professionals.
Hence the pricing strategy in its marketing mix was designed considering youth and their purchasing
capacity. Ideas of ‘Friday dressing’ was specially introduced to target working people and their need of
looking cool on Fridays in the office. Hence the Allen Solly also focuses on its prices consider the
competition in the market. The rivals like Blackberry, Roadster, Moda Rapido and much more were also
competing in the same segment. Allen Solly got an advantage of supply chain network of the Aditya Birla
Group which is among strongest of its own. The group has expertise in operations which helped Allen Solly
to minimize its costs resulting in affordable prices in the market.
 Like any other contemporary, Allen Solly also aims to bring the best of dressing option for Indian
audience at affordable price.
 Be it the size, Small, Medium, Large or Extra-large Allen Solly has something for people of all
shapes and sizes.
 The price range is also very soothing, people can buy impressive T- shirts at an initial price of 500
INR and shirts for somewhere around 900-1200INR.
 Price of Jeans, cardigans, jackets and Bermudas varies on the basis of quality.

Product Range:
Allen Solly extensively work over new designs with changes in
fashion trends. With the extensive dynamic market in the textile
industry, Allen Solly has maintained its brand image with
maintained quality and customer services. Allen Solly has Men,
women, junior, accessories, footwear, Friday living are different
categories of products in its marketing mix. Exclusive collection of
T-shirts, shirts, shorts, trousers and jackets of Allen Solly is from
casual product segments. Allen Solly has also focused over its
exclusive formals segment. Both in Men and female, the varieties
of formats are available. Business formals with the special
products line for young woman professional made Allen Solly
exclusive brands for working professionals. In accessories
category, Allen Solly has partnered with pumps and a stylish tote bag. Clutches, shrugs, wallets, winter wear
and now sports ware is part of Allen Solly Brand owns Allen Solly, Solly Sport, Solly Jeans Co as
subsidiary brands.
Styles and Fits & Material and Colours:

Men’s Wear:
The men’s section was full of semi formals and casual
merchandise. As Allen Solly doesn’t specialize in denims
there are very less of them. Trousers, Chinos, Cargos, Mixed
Cotton Shirts, Pure Cotton shirts, T-Shirts, Jackets and
Wind-cheaters, Sweaters, Shorts, and formal and casual
footwear are all that are on the racks.
Trousers
Allen Solly Trousers are pure cotton varieties which have flat or pleated prints. Fabrics are skin friendly.
The trousers features waist band with loops, firm zip closures, Patch pockets,slant pockets,scoop pockets,
and adjustable hems.
The types available are formal trousers and Chinos.
o Formal Trousers: These are the ones that are meant
for Office wear or party wear.
o Chinos: A market gimmick as such., literally means
toasted. Because the cloth itself was originally
manufactured in China, the name of the trousers has come
from the country of origin. These are trousers coming in a
variety of colors like khaki, green, light blue, brown,
burgundy, maroon

These trousers come in a number of Fit like regular fit, Slim

fit, Ultra Slim Fit, Comfort Fit, and are made from a variety
of pure and blended fabrics, like 100% Cotton, Cotton-Linen, Cotton Lycra blend.

T-Shirts
 T-shirts available in Allen Solly are of many types and varieties.Striped, basic printed striped,
graphic prints and solid colours are prevalent. Polo neck, round
neck, crew neck left side single pocket t-shirts are the shelve
scorers.
 Available in half and full sleeves and vibrantcolours like
orange, blue, red, pink, etc. Much like the trousers these are also
made of 100% cotton or cotton blends.Mostlly they are knitted
and have a hosiery material feel.
 Every T-shirt has the Stag logo embedded in it. The full
sleeve ones have the entire brand name embroidered in them.
They come in a variety of fit like Smart fit, Regular fit, trim fit
etc.

Shirts
Allen Solly manufactures many comfortable cotton and linen half and full sleeve shirts in solids and in
beautiful colour patterns like stripes and checks. they come in attractive colour combinations like white-
black, blue-maroon,green,pink,etc.They are peppy, vibrant and smart.
 There are 3types of Shirts available:
 Casuals: Meant for anyone and everyone and have a really
decent price mix.
 Carrier: Made for the Ambitious”, these shirts are made for
hard-core official or formal use and carry a sense of reserved
sophistication within them.
 Semi Formals: These are the formal shirts with a touch of
casualness targeted towards the people who like to
experiment with their looks even at the office.

Women’s Wear
Allen Solly women create apparel that is contemporary on trend and retains
a basic classic appeal. Their Garments perfectly show the essence of the
brand that is Chic, sophisticated with a touch of fun. It has always broken
commercial rules, by developing garments in bold colors,unconventional
designs and fashion forward silhouettes.Shirts,Blouses,Jeans,Sweatersand
cardigans,Dresses,Tees,Tops,Shorts and Capris,Jackets ,overcoats
,trousers,leggings ,Skirts,Suits and Blazzers and footwear were the chief
merchandises.
Made up of a combination of fibres like cotton, polyester, viscose and even 100% single fibre (for e.g. 100%
cotton) each individual garment had some features that made them stand out, like due to their textures, or
patterns or prints or colors.All collections have a definite story attached to it like for example Aw’ Summer
bloom is a mainline story tag for Summer Clothes. Others like Byzantium, Marvel, and Aw’ Birds are also
present. The texture, pattern and design of the garments are such that each piece of clothing can be a
trademark of a new style sense. Meant for a variety of occasions like Business, Casual wear and even party
wear Allen Solly women’s merchandises are irresistibly attractive.

Women’s Tees and Tops

Tops and tees are available in different length with different prints and looks perfect for any casual occasion.
With its chic styling, classy cuts and contemporary design Allen Solly has a good name for itself in the
casual women’s wear market.
They are available in round necks, stylized necks, V-neck, cowlscoop, noodlestrap, gathered neck line, key
whole neck line, and in different fits like regular fit and casual fit.
 Promotional Policies:

Allen Solly has the extensive marketing

strategy to market its products. Corporate
collaboration is the main strategy to increase
its sales and visibility to targeted customers.
Pre-Friday launches, Online Promotions,
Telecommunication Promotion and print
media are also marketing strategies of Allen
Solly. The brand has strong digital marketing
profiles resulting in more target customer
reach. The social media profile of Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram helped Allen Solly to
be more customer interactive and satisfied
customers posts help mouth publicity of the brand. The apparels showcased in the malls and retail stores helped for
better visibility. New business analytics models helped Allen Solly to manage its targeted segment customers.
Innovative store designs and innovative website helped Allen Solly to maintain its brand value.

o Allen Solly accomplished a proximate fashionable position in a highly competitive readymade

market within a short span of time.
o Allen Solly comes into the market with the hit idea of “Friday Dressing”.
o Allen Solly launched office apparels in colored shirts and Khaki trousers which became a prompt hit.
A brand tagline “My World, My Way” was formed to show the brand’s new trend.
o In 2002, Allen Solly became the first Indian brand to introduce work fashion for women. In 2013,
the kid’s apparel was expanded into a complete smart young wardrobe, “Allen Solly Junior” for
boys and girls. Solly Jeans Company was launched in 2014 and Solly Sport was introduced as a
tennis-inspired lifestyle sports brand.
 4.MARKS AND SPENCER:

Brand at a glance:
Marks and Spencer Group is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in London, England,
that specializes in selling clothing, home products and accessories, mostly of its own label. Marks &
Spencer is an international brand which has got more than 1000 stores operating in more than 50 countries.
Marks & Spencer’s major business is in UK where the company has around 850 stores. It has got 50+ stores
in India where it began its operation in year 2001. Some of the other countries where it has got its presence
are Turkey, Spain, France, Ireland, Hungary, Finland etc. Marks & Spencer has got its own website from
where the customers can buy products and get home delivery. M&S also provides an option for international
delivery for limited products.

Pricing:
Marks & Spencer has its own in house brands for clothing for women, men and kids. Generally these in
house brands are priced between medium to higher category because of its premium quality. But M&S still
follows a competitive pricing strategy as the customers now have more options to choose from because of
the increased competition. Marks & Spencer also faces competition from online retailers and other big retail
players. The company also follows a dynamic pricing strategy as during seasonal time it offers more
discount on products to get more customers and generally the old stock is put for sale at a lesser price as
compared to newly arrived stock.

Product Range:
The product range that is offered by Marks & Spencer is wide covering items for all age group be it men,
women and kids. Marks & Spencer offers products for women that include clothing like Blazers, Cardigans,
Cashmere, Jeans, Linen, shirt, skirt and many more. Footwear section for women includes boots, sandals,
loafers, pumps, heels etc. Bags and accessories for women include handbags, beach bags, jewellery,
sunglasses etc. The famous brands for women are Autograph, Classic, Indigo, Per Una, Twiggy and Foot
Glove. Marks & Spencer offers products for women that include clothing like Blazers, Jackets, shirts,
Jumper, Suits and many more. Footwear section for women includes boots, sandals, casual shoes etc.
Underwear and Pyjama section include Pyjama, socks, Gown etc. M&S also offers Home and Furniture
section that includes home accessories, furniture for Bedroom, living room, dining room, lighting etc. M&S
also offer Food and Wine section which sells all lunches and dinner, main courses, wine, starters etc. Marks
& Spencer also sells Flowers and other gift items. M&S mainly sells its in house brand rather than other
international brands.

Styles and Fits & Material and Colours:

Marks & Spencer is brand which believes in high quality,
sustainable value and in its every collection there is an essence of
British authenticity and heritage. Every Marks & Spencer store is
the complete destination for a family, from food items to clothing,
accessories and home décor everything is available under a same
roof. Its every products suits the tagline “Quality worth every
penny”.
A glance of Marks & Spencer’s exclusive Spring-Summer collection 2021, which focus mainly on
floral prints and the material is linen and organic cotton.

Marks & Spencer being a British brand it focuses more in classic styles rather than chic
fashion and it is visible in their every product weather it can be beauty, accessories,
clothing or footwear.
Mainly standard colours clothing are available for both women and menswear.
Mostly sustainable and high quality fabrics and other raw material are used for
manufacturing its products.
 Collections from Marks & Spencer.
It is visible that most of the collection are
based on floral prints and standard
collection.
High quality of fabric is used, which leads in
high price but quality deserves the pricing.
Promotional Policies:

Marks & Spencer chooses its marketing strategy very carefully so as to align its advertisement campaign
with digital marketing and in store strategy. M&S emphasizes to provide a common message on all medium
of communications. Marks & Spencer uses print media, TV ads, mobile ads and other social media
campaign. The company uses its own website to promote its brand, clothes for women, men and kids.
Customers can find blogs and fashion tips on its website. Marks & Spencer also promotes its season sale to
its loyal customers by giving them special discounts. M&S also runs a special loyalty program ‘Sparks’
which adds points to the customer’s account on the basis of amount spent on shopping. This reward points
can then be spent on future purchases from Marks & Spencer stores.
CONCLUDING WITH A CONPARISION CHART :

Criteria GAP VAN ALLEN SOLLY MARKS &

HEUSEN SPENCER
USA, Indian UK, Indian franchise
Origin USA franchise with Madura UK
with Madura Garments
Garments
Pricing USA based brand with Price depends Price depends on the UK based
an affordable pricing on the collection and based brand, due to
collection and on the launch date. high quality
based on the Low price to High the pricing is
launch date. price generally
Low price to high.
High price Classified as
luxury brand
Styles Informal look products, Most styles Gives a new look to Authentic
generally funky styles are formals, the old formal look British styles,
with a with its exclusive with standard
exclusive stylish formal wear colours and
collection of floral prints
ceremonial
wear
Silhouett Generally loose fits Tight Fitted Tight Fitted Tight Fitted
es Sizes available Sizes Sizes available Sizes
according to the available according to the available
product according to product according to
the product the product
Products Womenswear, Womenswear Womenswear, Womenswear
Kidswear, Menswear, , Menswear, Kidswear, Menswear, , Kidswear,
Accessories,Footwear, Footwear, Accessories,Footwear Menswear,
Sportswear Accessories , Accessories,
Footwear,
Beauty
Material Cotton, Linen, Cotton, Cotton, Linen, Organic
Polyester, Rayon, Linen, Polyester, Rayon, Coton, Linen
Denim Polyester, Denim
Rayon,
Denim
Colours Various Colours Various Various Colours Various
available according to Colours available according to Colours
the style available the style available
according to according to
the style the style