Agora the brand name of Rahimafrooz Group is the first super shop chain in our country launched in 2000. The mission was to fulfill the everyday shopping needs of the urban peoples through fair price, right assortment, and best quality. The success was immediate as there was a demand for such business in the local market. And over time the number of outlets increased and currently there are nine outlets at Dhaka and one outlet in Chittagong. Many people thought that the name of the company is Agora. But actually, Agora is just the brand name.
Agora is a Greek word, which means a marketplace where the people would meet together and talk. Company thought theenvironmentat Agora should be nice and clean so that people will not only shop there but also want to stay and meet with other peoples there. And so they named the shops Agora. Their logo has a very interesting appeal and it contains the benefits being offered to the customers. The name is written in green color which is the color of freshness. A woman presumably a homemaker has happily finished all her shopping from under one roof is seen too. The statement says everyday quality shopping.
It is very well thought out and gives a summary of what Agora is all about. SWOT Analysis of Agora: A SWOT analysis of Rahimafrooz Superstores Limited will show the internal and external factors. Some of these factors affect positively while some of them effects negatively. Important decisions can be taken after SWOT analysis. Strengths: Established brand name. Pioneer in the industry. Concerned about quality factor than other super shop (Competitive advantage). It is the largest retailer, both by local sales and by domestic market share. Experienced top level management.
Wide product range. Quicker and accurate costing process. Effective and reliable supply chain. Successful implementation of SAP (Standard Application Software) ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) the modules are: Financial and Controlling, Material Management and Selling and Distribution. Effective training modules for employees, suppliers. Agora is committed to sustaining and growing as the most trusted, loved and frequented retail chain Agora believes in providing very good service to its consumers. The technological development is very frequent. Weaknesses:
High price of products. Poor financial position. Less number of shops. No or very less advertising. Lower amount of CSR (Corporate SocialResponsibility) activities. In the mid-2000 Agora faced many cost problems associated with not properly integrating it’s purchased chains of store. Still lack of competitive strength. Mainly in placement. Supply and distribution of foreign products are very poor and so people can’t get unique foreign products in Agora but can be found in other mega shops like Meena Bazar, Lavender etc. Customer Servicetechnologyis less attractive .
Market development in other cities is relatively poor as only Chittagong has Agora outlet. Poor reliability of data, and plan predictability. Counter management system relatively poorer than competitors. Sometimes they gave offer to capture the General Customer bt they cant do that for their Bad system or service. Struggles with preparing budget which was not very effective and management wants budget that would give better results. Opportunities: Providing sponsorship to emerging agricultural business. Ex: strawberry was grown in Panchagar and Agora took all the responsibility for sales and it made a profit. The largest retailer in Dhaka leaving behind PQS, Meena Bazar, Nandan Mega Shop, Pacific, Pick and Pay, Etc, Shop & Save, Lavender and others. They created a life style trends by offering various types of products to its customers while maintaining high quality. Big growth in developing market with nine outlets in Dhaka and one in Chittagong New USP (Unique Selling Process) is the care for the quality has given Agora a big competitive advantage. Agora conducts research and modifies their strategy according to the actions of competitors.
Agora provides product and service according to the seasonal, weather and fashion influences. For example, they provide chemical less fruits packages for summer season, provides instant made hygienic “ Pitha” in winter and also provides CP chicken inside Agora as it’s been a trend now a days. Recently bought PQS, one of its competitors to capture the customers those are interested to buy products from their nearest place. Agora now comes together with bKash with a state-of-the-art payment platform that allows transactions via mobile phones, such that customers will not need cash or credit cards for payment at Agora points of sales. Agora constantly launches attractive promotions like Bazimat, Value Week or Super Value Offer or Diamond Ring Offer. And a regular discount and points system attracts the customers to be more loyal. With the SAP software system, there would be the capacity to enter newer products in the system. This would enable Rahimafrooz Superstores to increase their product line, which they have wanted to do for a long time, because they were losing customers to their competitors and other big shops. Threats: Fierce and unhealthy competition. Threat of new competitors.
Surprisingly some popular local products and new products to arrive in the market, both foreign and local were not available. Political instability in the country (continuous hartals). In the recent years Agora had to be careful about delivering formalin free freshfoodfrom the suppliers. Many online stores are now entering the market. As agora is primarily concentrated on food, it can be easily effected by the seasons and weather within the country. Is faced with the need to increase the number of outlets throughout the country. Agora must integrate more products according to the needs of its increasing number of onsumers keeping in mind their changes of lifestyle and preferences. The competitors have responded to wide range of products and lower price. Counters are not sufficient in shops so huge line occurs in the pick hours. Some competitors are now in the market with more advanced Information Technology. Agora can’t fulfill the demand of foreign and unique vegetables for the customers. No home delivery system for loyal customers. Competitive Advantage: The relationship between a firm’s environmental opportunities and threats on the one hand, and its internal strengths and weaknesses on the other is the competitive advantage.
This traditional logic suggests that if Agora use their internal strengths in exploiting environmental opportunities and neutralizing environmental threats, while avoiding internal weaknesses, are more likely to gain competitive advantages than other kinds of firms. Agora super shop has one main competitive advantage. It is explained bellow: Agora was the first ever chain shop in the country which seceded in changing the people’s behavior towards the traditional shopping experience. Being the pioneer in its field, it has the trust andloyaltyof its early consumers. It also has more experience in the field than its competitors.
It has a strong brand image and therefore can charge higher price from the consumers in exchange of better quality products and better shopping environment. Agora on the other hand is constantly advocating about quality. The subtitle for Agora is “ Enriching Lives with Your Trust”. The reason for asking a little higher price from the customer is the quality factor, which they are so concerned about. We think this care for the quality has given Agora a big competitive advantage. This is somewhat a unique selling approach taken by Agora.
Bibliography:
- SAP AG: To manage business operations and customer relations.
