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Marshalls Men’s Gifts
Executive Summary
Hannah Dion
Spring 2015 Semester
Introduction
Marshalls Inc. is an American apparel and home goods company owned by TJX
Companies. They are the leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the U.S., and
offer an ever-changing assortment of fashionable, brand name family apparel and home fashions,
as well as other merchandise such as toys, luggage, and technology. Operating 942 stores,
Marshalls continues to have significant growth opportunities in markets across the U.S., as well
as continue to grow their customer base and broaden their demographic reach. Their mission is to
deliver a rapidly changing assortment of quality and brand name merchandise at prices that are
20-60% less than department and specialty stores.
Within the Men’s Gifts Department, their mission is to carry a wide selection of gifts in
order to appeal to the various interests and hobbies of men. The department consists of a variety
of items such as bar accessories, electronic accessories, golf and sporting accessories. This
department is primarily seen during certain times of the year, like Father’s Day and during the
holidays. The inventory for the department is 125 units per store, which is much smaller section
of units than the rest of the store’s sections.
Research
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Within primary research, we analyzed the Men’s Gift Department within local Marshalls
stores in order to recommend innovative merchandise trends and opportunities that would drive
sales for the business. We also analyzed Marshalls competitors, which consisted of Macy’s,
JCPenny, GAP, Sears, Kohl’s, Target, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Sports Authority, J. Crew,
Brookstone, and Walmart. Due to the increase of online merchandise businesses, we also
analyzed online competitors such as JackThreads, Rue La La, Gilt, Esty, Bonanza, and Shopify.
The purpose of examining Marshalls competitors was to see what kind of merchandise trends
and opportunities they offered and how the merchandise compared to what Marshalls offered
within their men’s gifts department.
Within secondary research, we utilized Mintel Trends, personal contact, retail websites,
social media, and customer feedbacks on the internet. Based on the information we collected and
analyzed, we were able to determine certain trends and opportunities that would play as a
competitive advantage for Marshalls.
Strengths
Marshalls is comprised of many strengths that secure their competitive advantage over
competitors. They have fashionable electronic accessories that include headphones from
Skullcandy, Urban Beatz, iHip, iWorld, Earpollution, and bluetooth speakers/docking stations
from iWorld. They retain a wide assortment of top designer cologne including Guess, Dolce &
Gabbana, Adidas, Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole, Nautica. They also have wallets and small travel
bags from top designers, such as Tommy Hilfiger, Guess, Nautica, Fossil, Columbia. Most
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important of all, Marshalls not only offers men’s gifts around the year, they also provide Holiday
gifts for men, including Christmas, Valentine’s day, and Father’s day!
Recommendations
Men’s Grooming:
From the primary and secondary research conducted, we were able to identify and
recommend new trends for the Men’s Gifts Department. New trends include men’s grooming
products, which is about self-confidence and the desire to feel more attractive, more successful,
and, increasingly, more youthful. The types of products under this trend include male-specific
toiletries (moisturizers, facial cleansers, eye serums, bronzers, concealers, anti-agers, mud
masks), exfoliating shaving creams and gels, depilatory creams or lotions, and high performance
shaving tools.
During our visit to Marshalls, we recognized that they had the general Wahl, Remington,
and Conair electric shavers, as well as moisturizers from Neutrogena and Nivea Men. When
looking on online media outlets, specifically Pinterest, Marshalls capitalized on this grooming
trend by providing The Art of the Perfect Shave: Classic Mach 3 Razor, Razor stand, and Badger
Shaving Brush . The Art of the Perfect Shave is an leading and innovating men’s grooming
company that delivers professional quality; which is exactly what this trend is all about. Other
competing retailers such as Macy’s and Target had a larger selection of men’s grooming
products than Marshalls, which is why we recommend Marshalls to expand their grooming
product line.
Our recommendation to Marshalls is to take a step further and provide a larger variety of
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professional quality brands and products that focus on producing the best results in facial care.
Top brands include Mangroomer, Oyster, Fellow Barber, Anthony Logistics, Jack Black,
Demalogica, Tom Ford, Baxter of California. These brands were seen at Marshalls top
competitor brick and mortar and e-commerce locations. Specific products from these brands
include; Mangroomer- Ultimate Pro Body Groomer and Trimmer with Power Burst, Oster-
Classic 76 Universal Motor Clipper, Fellow Barber- Texture Paste, Styling Cream, and Complete
Shampoo, Anthony Logistics for Men- Perfect Shave Kit, etc. (more recommendations on
slides). This collection of luxury brands and products will ultimately bring increased value to
Marshalls Men’s Gifts product line.
Men’s Fashionable Accessories:
This trend focuses on the additional high- statement fashion accessories that accentuate
the relaxed, yet business-casual look. Men are feeling more confident to experiment and
realizing that they do have more options in accessorizing, ultimately creating a unique and
fashionable style that is effortless. These accessories include statement glasses/sunglasses,
scarves, hats, and bracelets that accentuate a statement watch.
During our comparison shopping visits, we found that Marshalls had brand name
watches, ties, and cufflinks. Again, this is the perfect start to adding more of these trending
men’s accessory products to their product line. Stores such as GAP and J. Crew had scarves,
hats, and bracelets. Macy’s had designer sunglasses, scarves, hats, and high-end bracelets.
Our recommendation to Marshalls is to add designer statement glasses/ sunglasses with
clear lenses, brand name knitted and “bucket” hats, designer bracelets, and scarves. The trend
within glasses and sunglasses are the larger, wayfarer style frame that is sophisticated and
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fashion-forward. Knitted hats are extremely popular during the fall and winter seasons, whereas
the “bucket” hats are worn during the spring and summer seasons, mostly during warm days on
college campuses and at the beach. Top brands for our recommendation includes Icon Brand,
ASOS, Dolce & Gabanna, Gucci, Cole Haan, Patagonia, and Vans. Specific products from these
brands include Icon Brand Anchor Rope Bracelet, ASOS Leather Bracelet Pack, Trashness Stone
Ivory Bracelet, Dolce & Gabanna Aviator Sunglasses, Gucci Wayfarer Style Glasses, Cole Haan
Wayfarer Glasses, Patagonia Printed Wavefarer Bucket Hat, and Vans Undertone Mesh Bucket
Hat.
“Man Cave” Sports Memorabilia:
From the primary and secondary research conducted, we were able to identify and
recommend new opportunities for the Men’s Gifts Department. We labeled them as opportunities
instead of trends because these types of products have a significantly larger time period of being
sold within the market. This opportunity focuses on men being more active when it comes to
home improvement projects, such as “man caves.” These “man caves” include a humorous
mantra to men who want to transform a room into their own personal space. They show
examples of different rooms that fit customarily male interests like cars, video games, and sports.
Comparison shopping at Dicks Sporting Goods and Sports Authority showed a heavy
interest in sports decorations and room accessories, whereas Marshalls current selection included
small party decorations and football mason jars that was on their Pinterest page. What we
recommend to Marshalls is to add the ultimate “man cave” memorabilia, such as pictures,
posters, banners, flags, rugs with sport team logos, jerseys from top players and teams from the
NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB , signed memorabilia, and barware. Depending on where the Marshalls
department store is located, certain teams will be sold in the geographical area in which they are
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celebrated in. For example, Marshalls stores located in Massachusetts will have teams such as
the New England Patriots, Celtics, Boston Bruins, and the Boston Red Sox.
Our recommendation for top brands include Sully’s, WinCraft, FatHead, Budweiser,
Major League Sports (NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB) and Top Shelf. Specific products within these
brands include Sully’s Sport flags, Sully’s New England Patriots Theme Neon Sign
FatHead Tom Brady Lifesize Wall Graphic, FatHead Patriots Logo Wall Graphic, FatHead
Boston Red Sox Power Pack, Budweiser “Preferred Everywhere” Nostalgic Metal Sign, NBA
Lebron James Official Jersey, NFL Boston Bruins Blanket, and Top Shelf Whiskey Decanter.
Digital Devices:
This opportunity focuses on rapid gains that are apparent in digital media streaming sets.
Consumers are more about personalization, where streaming sets are convenient because you can
start a show on your own schedule and be able to search different shows and movies that are
within your own preferences. More people are buying these streaming sets and dropping their
cable packages because it is a lot cheaper. They are also a one-time purchase, where everything
you need comes in one package that takes less than 15 minutes of setup time. These digital
streaming devices enhance the digital media experience for men along with the friends and
family they spend time with. These devices are perfect for the traveling businessman to the
everyday family man.
During our comparison shopping visits, we recognized that Marshalls competitors such as
Target, Sears, and Kohl’s offered these streaming sets. Currently Marshalls does not offer these
digital streaming sets, so we are recommending them to add these products to their versatile mix.
Specific brands and products include the Roku Streaming Stick, Google Chromecast, Amazon
Fire TV, Apple TV, and TiVo Stream. These products are priced at $100 or less, which makes up
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the perfect men’s gift within the department.
Outdoor Activities:
This opportunity focuses on the outdoor entertainment, sports, and camping gear that
make up the perfect men’s gift. Summer is fast approaching and with that comes cookouts,
family vacations, and tailgates. We want to maximize the experience for our male consumer. We
recommend lawn games, grills, grill accessories, tents, camping accessories, and fishing
accessories. These are huge trends heading into the summer months and will greatly benefit
Marshalls stores.
We researched competitors including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Target, and Sports
Authority. Our recommendations include lawn games made by COOP, KanJam, and Kelsyus.
While the top brand name is not as important for these products because it more about the
experience we chose these brands because of their colorful and engaging packaging. We also
recommend top brand, Coleman, tents and grills. These products are perfect for the man who
loves the outdoors to the man who lives for football Sunday tailgates. We recommend Shimano
fishing accessories for every level of fisherman. Marshalls already carries kayaks in select stores
and we think these products should be displayed along with the kayaks to even more emphasize
the outdoors trend.
Conclusion
As Marshalls continues to be the leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions
in the U.S., there are still recommendations to take away in order to have the ultimate
competitive advantage over their competitors. Our recommendations are based upon quality
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research on the trends and opportunities to be made within the Men’s Gifts department. Thank
you for taking the time to asses our recommendations.
PowerpointSlides
