Esprit - a lifestyle brand aiming to become the European leader in the fashion industry

Master's Thesis from the year 2011 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1,3, University of applied sciences, Munich (Business Administration), course: MBA Studiengang - Strategic Corporate Management, language: English, abstract: Esprit a fashion and lifestyle brand founded in 1968 in San Francisco, California and its potential to become the leader in the European fashion industry is examined from an internal and external perpective, using a set of analytical and strategic tools. Beginning with general industry-related approaches and ending in adetailed competitor analysis where for example ZARA, H&M and s.Oliver are closely analyzed with a portfolio evaluation and a nine-cell matrix for example. The business process within this industrydifferentiates between retail and wholesale channels, selling various division lines mostly under heavy time and cost pressure. This is due to short fashion collection life cycles, high productvariety depending on fashion trends and styles that come and go. The high level of rivalry in the fashion market is characterizedthrough approximately 60 main competitors forming the strongest competition in the middle and premium price segment. Sustainability, POS experience worlds and celebrity collections do represent the most important commercial fashion trends, whereas from the sales channel perspective online shops are the dominating turnover contributor in the future followed by flagship and outletstores, both also having a strong growth potential.Within the Esprit corporate brand profile the three brand value competencies "newness and style", smart and international outfitter and customer focus are disclosed, which are inherited andproven within a broad range of operative measures to increase sales figures and brand awareness.However the competition is not always one step behind but often more than a step ahead, as the k