個案總覽

The Pop Shoppe was once a leading player in the Canadian soft drinks market, but changing market conditions and corporate mismanagement drove the company into bankruptcy in the early 1980s. In 2003, an entrepreneur purchased the rights to the brand, and was considering reintroducing it in the market. The entrepreneur suspected that many Canadians would be as fond of the Pop Shoppe as he was. However, he had little experience in the beverage industry and consumer habits had changed in the many years since the brand died. Looking at the market, the entrepreneur wondered if there was an attractive space for Pop Shoppe. His instincts told him that older consumers would embrace the reintroduction of the old brand, but it was difficult to know if they were a sustainable market segment. Would older consumers be able to turn their children onto the brand? With little experience and limited funds, he knew that if he proceeded with the idea, he could not afford to make many mistakes. If he chose to reintroduce the Pop Shoppe, he questioned how true he should stay to the original concept. Could a new Pop Shoppe compete in the current market? Despite the entrepreneur’s love for the old brand, he wondered how he could raise enough consumer and retailer interest to make the brand succeed.

This case, a supplement to Pop Shoppe (A), deals with the entrepreneur’s decision point in 2010 on whether to enter the U.S. carbonated soft drinks market.

At one time, the Pop Shoppe was a leading player in the Canadian soda pop market, however, changing market conditions and corporate mismanagement drove the company into bankruptcy in the early 1980s. In 2003, an entrepreneur purchased the rights to the brand, and was considering reintroducing it into the market. The entrepreneur had a hunch that many Canadians would be as fond of the Pop Shoppe as he was, and excited to see it back on the market, however, he had little experience in the beverage industry and consumer habits had changed in the many years since the brand had died. Looking at the market, the entrepreneur wondered if there was an attractive space for Pop Shoppe. His gut instincts told him that older consumers would embrace the reintroduction of the old brand, but it was difficult to know if they were a sustainable market segment. Would older consumers be able to turn their children onto the brand? With little experience and limited funds, he knew that if he proceeded with the idea, he could not afford to make many mistakes. If he chose to reintroduce the Pop Shoppe, he questioned how true he should stay to the original concept. Could a new Pop Shoppe compete in the current market? Despite the entrepreneur's love for the old brand, he wondered how he could raise enough consumer and retailer interest to make the brand succeed.

By 2010, the entrepreneur's revived Pop Shoppe brand was holding second place in the premium carbonated soft drink market. This level of market penetration was a bit unexpected, and the entrepreneur began contemplating his next move. The entrepreneur wanted to grow the brand larger, in hopes of selling out and moving on to other business ventures that had captured his interest. He had watched as other small drink brands had been bought up by larger firms, and thought that the Pop Shoppe should be attractive to another company looking to expand its portfolio. Concerned that he might have taken the brand as far as it could go in its home market, the entrepreneur considered other avenues for growth. With a solid footing in the Canadian market, he began to wonder if the Pop Shoppe could find a similar level of success in the United States. His drive to grow the brand in hopes of acquisition made the larger U.S. market seem like an appealing option, however, it had many potential risks as well. Although the Pop Shoppe had made successful re-entry into the Canadian market, the U.S. market was far more competitive. He wanted to grow the company large enough to attract a potential buyer and move on, but he did not want to jeopardize his Canadian success by investing too much into a U.S. gamble.