Staples Swot

Strengths

Experienced management, target market вЂ" small businesses вЂ" has not been targeted before, strong brand name, smart inventory system (financed by vendors), advanced information system, marketing strategy (direct marketing, red “easy” button), low cost, delivery service (Staples Direct), outstanding customer service (Staples Easy Tech)

Weaknesses

Easy to imitate, needs a local partner for business ventures in European countries

Opportunities

As a low priced company вЂ" it does not have to fight so hard for market share; the start of developing its own products; Eastern Europe needs office supplies since there is a boom in small business nowadays.

Threats

Competitors (price wars); might be growing too fast; In 2008, Staples was caught out supplying Huntingdon Life Sciences(HLS), a large animal testing lab that has been exposed 6 times in undercover investigations for animal cruelty and falsifying research data. There has been a global campaign against HLS for years and Staples has now become one of the largest protest targets in the campaign. They have received dozens of protests at their stores in the United States by activists who are asking consumers to boycott Staples until they stop doing business with such a lab.

Recommendations

In 2005, Staples Inc. has invented the "easy" buttons. It started manufacturing them after customers started asking to buy them. Staples management thinks that it is exactly what people wanted in life - simplify and make things direct and easy, and they are very successful with it. Strong advertising campaign made Staples Inc. well-known throughout the U.S.A. and Canada, and next to conquer was the European market.