A 12 page paper discussing Panera Bread, assessing its industry and its strategy. The paper provides a STEP (or PEST) analysis, SWOT analysis and Five Forces analysis. It concludes with the general recommendation for Panera is to continue operations as it has been, focusing on the community and the individual customer even as it continues to promote its handmade and homemade bread. Bibliography lists 10 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: CC6_KSstratPan.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
the nations "breadbasket," Panera has come to be a favorite gathering place for people from all walks of life. It offers wonderful artisan breads made onsite from scratch, as
well as fresh foods also made onsite. With prices that are only slightly higher than fast food choices, Paneras customers delight in their local stores relaxed atmosphere as they
enjoy a $5 lunch of broccoli soup in a (freshly baked onsite) bread bowl. Panera was ninth among the leading 100 top growth chains of all types in 2008,
with $2.1 billion in sales and a 15.98 percent rate of growth (2008 The Year in Review, 2008). Industry Conditions External Environment Paneras
external environment is dicey at best, given the state of the current economy. In spite of economic conditions and the general Wall Street meltdown, however, Paneras stock price has
remained largely unaffected. Though it has experienced decline, that decline has been from a high of $61 to a recent closing price of $55 (Key Statistics, 2009) so its
market capitalization has been much less negatively affected than has that of higher-end restaurants and certainly less than most other retail businesses. STEP Analysis Social Factors
There are myriad social forces affecting the industry, not all of which are directly related to putting product into customers hands. The international coffee industry is
convoluted, unpredictable and small growers in poor countries often are at the mercy of unscrupulous brokers and buyers. Unlike industry rival Starbucks, Paneras business does not focus on coffee.
Rather, its business is that of providing loaves of bread for customers to take home and variations of bread-centered dishes for customers to consume onsite. There is little