Business Analysis of the Holiday Rejects

2. Table of Contents
1. Innovation
2. Founders
3. Starting the Business
a) Porter’s Five Forces
4. Why is it Innovative?
5. SWOT Analysis
6. The 5 P’s of Marketing
7. Marketing Strategy
8. Competition
9. Leadership
a) Adil’s Leadership Style
10. SLEPT Analysis
11. Prognosis for the Future
12. References

3. Innovation
• Holiday Rejects is Canada's first ever ugly Christmas
sweater store.
• Operates during the holiday season.
• Has 6 retail stores/kiosks across Canada.
• It sells both vintage and new sweaters.
• Sweaters come from far and wide from multiple
supplies.

4. Founders
Kyle FitzgeraldAdil Hooda Chris CheungJack Hsu

5. Starting the business
SKILLS
PERSONAL
ATTRIBUTES
CUSTOMERS
KNOWLEDGE
OF
COMPETITORS
MARKETING
RESOURCES

6. KnowledgeofCompetitors:Porter’sFiveForces
Barriers to Entry
Threat of Substitutions
Power of
Buyers
Power of
Suppliers
Competitive
Rivalry

7. Why is it Innovative?
“Innovation means breakaway
from established patterns.”
(Mintzberg, 1983)

8. SWOT Analysis
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
• First in Canada
• Specific Time for Demand
• Unique Product Purchased at Low Price
• Good Quality Products Found No Where Else
• Easy to Advertise
• Seasonal Business
• Market Is Very Specialized
• Prices Sometimes Drive Customers Away
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
• Vertical Integration
• Expansion Plans For More And Bigger Stores/Kiosks
• Ugly Sweater Parties Are Becoming Very Common
• Increase Promotions
• Possibly Affiliation With National Ugly Sweater Day
• Extend Idea To Other Holidays
• Licensing The Idea
• Being More Active On Social Media – Creating
Contests/Hashtags/Etc
• Market Might Die
• Easy For Potential Competition To Enter The Market

9. The 5 P’s of Marketing
Product
Varied. Vintage. Unique (tacky designs) Very high quality. Different Sizes.
Service is that you can try it on.
Price
Pricing technique: Price skimming. High priced because of niche market
and demand can only be met by them.
Place
Kiosks in high traffic malls - specially during holiday season when everyone
is out holiday shopping.
Promotion
No advertising. Word of mouth. They use the media and their “original”
idea to get promotion.
People
The owners are the employees so they really love the product and try to
sell it.

10. Marketing Strategy
NICHE PLAYER
OUTSTANDING
SUCCESS
MARKET TRADER
COMMODITY
SUPPLIER
BROAD MARKET
FOCUSED MARKET
LOW PRICE HIGH PRICE
LOW DIFFERENTATION HIGH DIFFERENTATION

11. Competition

12. Leadership
Despite the owners calling it a partnership and the friends doing equal work - Adil Hooda seems to
be “the plant” of the Holiday Rejects. He came up with the idea, put the group together and his
direct approach with the Dragons on Dragon’s Den speaks volumes about his confidence in
business and his ability as a leader.
Chris also exhibited leadership skills when he chose to step down from
the company and let Jack take his place at the Holiday Rejects. Chris,
who is a full time engineer, realized that the company could have more
growth if he allowed someone with more availability to take over.

13. SLEPT Analysis
Social
Social practices are what Holiday Rejects thrive off. The trend of ugly holiday
sweaters is making a comeback and they are catching the wave of new
customers with the innovative storefront/kiosk approach.
Legal Holiday Reject’s main legal focus is getting fully licensed as a brand.
Economical
Holiday sweaters could be considered a luxury item or an accessory. Thus
Holiday Rejects would have to watch for economic trends and manage their
funds accordingly. Since the business is still young, overspending in poor
economic conditions could spell disaster.
Political
Unless radical changes are made to business policy on a federal level,
politics will have little influence on Holiday Rejects
Technological
Technology will play an important role for Holiday Rejects as they strive to
gain media exposure and brand recognition across the nation. The Holiday
Rejects website could be upgraded for higher volumes of customers,
increased participation in social media, there are many possibilities when it
comes to the technological applications for Holiday Rejects.

14. Prognosis for the Future?
Introduction Growth Maturity Decline/Rebirth
Potential Outcome Desired Outcome

16. References
Edey, N. (2015). Holiday Rejects get thumbs up. Cochrane Times. Retrieved
18 March 2015, from
http://www.cochranetimes.com/2013/12/21/holiday-rejects-get-thumbs-
up
Hooda, A. (2015).
http://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden/pitches/holiday-rejects. (2015).
Nowthatsugly.com,. (2015). Cities across the Lower Mainland Proclaim
Ugly Christmas Sweater Day! | Now That's Ugly. Retrieved 18 March
2015, from http://nowthatsugly.com/cities-across-the-lower-mainland-
proclaim-ugly-christmas-sweater-day/
Tajouri, Z. (2015). Ho-ho-holy moley, is that sweater tacky, or what? | The
Press. Saitjournalism.ca. Retrieved 18 March 2015, from
http://saitjournalism.ca/thepress/2013/12/03/ho-ho-holy-moley-is-that-
sweater-tacky-or-what/
Ugly Christmas Sweaters | Holiday Rejects,. (2015). Ugly Christmas
Sweaters Canada | Find a Store Near You. Retrieved 18 March 2015, from
https://www.holidayrejects.ca/