MKTG 102: Suppose You are the Marketing Director of Toffee Coffee & Toast in Columbo: Prin of Marketing Assignment, TJU,

CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
Coffee is a favorite beverage for people around the world. Columbo consumers prefer to drink coffee as a staple beverage for many years. Coffee is drunk at home or at a café (also known as a tea shop in Columbo.) Sipping coffee or tea and chatting with friends at tea & coffee shops is a habit for many Sri Lankan people, young and old.

Traditional tea shops that sell both tea and coffee are present everywhere in Columbo. These days, as the country has opened its door and a lot of foreigners are visiting Columbo, modern cafés are also established in prime locations. In parallel with the increasing number of modern cafes, a coffee plantation in Columbo has been increased and different sorts of coffee are being offered in retail outlets, besides the famous Sri Lankan flavors of Tea. Coffees in outlets are both gourmet coffee and instant coffee like 3-in-1.

One of the tea/coffee cafés in Columbo planned to expand and opened its first overseas store in Singapore. With the name “Toffee, Coffee & Toast TCT”), it became a giant Singaporean chain for the mass-market, selling toast products, soft-boiled eggs, and variants of tea and coffee. Founded in 2009, TCT remained a small family-run stall for years but expanded rapidly since the owner’s youngest son headed the business in 2016. By the end of 2018, they reached 22 outlets, mostly franchised, across four countries (Sri Lanka, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia) and are a Singaporean cultural icon, known for their traditional brand identity and people-centric corporate culture.

TCT had opened its first coffee outlet in Columbo near the popular shoppers market in 2009. And recently, 961 outlets were opened in Columbo Plaza. The foods and drinks offered in TCT are in Singaporean, Indonesian, and Sri Lankan style, with high hygiene standards, but with affordable and reasonable prices. The shops are expected to be popular in overseas markets and are gaining increasingly brand awareness and high scores of customer satisfaction. With its 9th outlet opening in Columbo, TCT has also started selling its own brand packaging at the superstores in the market and through online platforms, to tea and coffee lovers.

Suppose you are the marketing director of Toffee Coffee & Toast in Columbo, Sri Lanka.

Q1- Discuss what will be your market growth strategies to be pursued if you plan to open TCT in India and UAE (Present the rationale behind the strategy).

Q2- Discuss what is your approach to develop customer-driven strategies (State the market segments, the target market, and the positioning strategy) for India and UAE?

Q3- How would you promote the TCT in your selected segments?