Reference no: EM133342874

Eat, Drink and Shop

Travel to 107 Harbour Street and you'll find the Jamaican flagship Swiss Stores. The high-end jewelry store has in fact been there since 1958. It is, however, no longer just in the business of selling luxury watches, necklaces, rings, and bracelets. Neatly tucked inside the jewelry store is a hidden gem - a Swiss restaurant, called, ' Down Town 107'. The restaurant opened its doors a little over a year ago and has already garnered much popularity among the business class of downtown Kingston. Mayor of Kingston Desmond Mckenzie, Executive Chairman of GraceKennedy Douglas Orane, and former Minister of Tourism, Aloun N'Dombet- Assamba are but a few who have pulled up a chair to dine (and become regulars) at the eatery. Terriann Forbes, manager of the restaurant told the interviewer, "Down Town 107' is downtown with a difference". She was also quoted as saying, "We conducted a survey and from it realized that people in the area wanted something different. As such we sought to provide a menu that had not existed in downtown Kingston before now." This is clearly seen in the menu, which is mainly documented with European dishes. The menu includes freshly filtered coffee and expresso, Alfredo Pasta, Pesto Pasta, PromoJerk (with Jerk Sausage), a variety of sandwiches made with French bread and Gruyere cheese, salads, and soups (chicken, pepper pot, pumpkin, tomato). The restaurant also provides a fully stocked bar with wines and spirits for those who might want a sip a cocktail with their lunch. "Switzerland, being bordered by Germany, Italy, France, Austria and Liechtenstein, adopts a little of each and this is reflected in the European dishes," Ueli Bangerter, owner of the Swiss Stores, said. Bangerter, who partnered with Swiss Stores chairman Daniel Eugster, to launch the Down Town 107 venture, explained to Thursday Food that "one of the reasons that prompted this bold move was that I couldn't find a place downtown where I could eat and enjoy the food that I am accustomed to. So I thought, why not build it?" Bangerter lamented that downtown Page 3 of 5 Kingston is limited where restaurant are concerned, and needed more to facilitate the business and working class. The budding restaurateur also acknowledged lower sales in the jewellery biz, with the higher cost of gold being the main factor, but outlined that he now has a vested interest in returning downtown Kingston to its former glory, when it was a social meeting point. With Down Town 107, customers can eat, drink, shop and lyme in a comfortable environment all at the same time. Bangerter, who was trained in hotel management at the Belvoir Park Hotel Management School in Zurich, Switzerland, not only discovered a way to improve business for the Swiss company, but also found it as an avenue to pursue what he had always loved to do. The restaurant provides free Wi-Fi for its customers as well as a meeting room, which may be utilized for business meetings at no additional cost. Adapted and Modified from the Jamaica Observer Published: August 18, 2011

Question 1. Describe the market segmentation and position strategies that the owners of the restaurant have implemented?

Question 2. a) Forward-thinking companies in general place a lot of emphasis on securing market and consumer insights. Explain and why they do this?

b) The restaurant manager is quoted as saying, "we conducted a survey". Like all other companies which need to secure market data and information, Down Town 107 must have considered the standard three approaches open to them. Discuss why in your estimation they opted for marketing research.

Question 3. Explore the two most impactful consumer buyer behavior characteristics influencing the market when consumers contemplate dining at Down Town 107 for the first time. Explain and justify your choice being sure to discuss the pertinent points on all the characteristics.

Question 4. Down Town 107 is a relatively new effort and being 'neatly tucked away' inside a jewellery store of all places, must need to promote itself so as to build awareness and patronage. Identify all the promotional mix elements available to them.