Competition
Jim’s Bakery doesn’t stand alone as either the only retail bakery in town or as the only commercial bakery in the region. But while it doesn’t stand alone, Jim’s certainly stands out.
Jim’s is the longest operating retail bakery in town. During Jim’s thirty-five years of operation, two other bakeries have opened and failed while Jim’s has survived. The other retail bakery currently operating in town (Winnie’s Baked Goods) has been in operation for over a decade. Jim’s retail bakery is located directly in the village while Winnie’s Bakery is located on the outskirts of town. This gives Jim’s retail bakery a natural advantage in attracting passing customers and people visiting the “downtown” shopping and restaurant district. The growth in population in town provides a more than ample customer base to support both bakeries.
Competitive Matrix
As shown in the competitive matrix, the competitive strengths Jim’s Bakery has over its retail and commercial competitors is its ability to offer a full range of services.
There are three commercial bakeries operating in the region. Jim’s is the newest and the fastest growing. As shown in the matrix, the combination of a retail and commercial divisions has allowed Jim’s to offer a greater selection of products than the competition (according to the products and services listed on the competitions’ public websites). Due to the dependability of its service, which is an important discriminator for commercial customers, Jim’s Bread as a Service (BaaS) product line has been favorably received by commercial customers across the region and has accounted for our fast penetration of the commercial market.
Jim’s initial investment into the large commercial ovens both enabled Jim’s to offer this service and created a barrier to entry that has kept the competition from offering similar services.