Easy Car

Case Overview This case describes easyCar’s entry into the European car rental market and is comprised of four parts and one supplementary handout: Part A This part of the case focuses on industry and competitor analysis and the relevance of easyGroup’s capabilities to the market. The car rental market is described for 19981999 (prior to the entry of easyCar) and easyGroup’s history is reviewed. Part B This part of the case focuses on the entry of easyCar into the market and it’s chosen business model. The case highlights the rapid expansion, apparent success, and leverage of the “easy” franchise. Part C This part of the case highlights the issues that arose from the initial business model and approach to expansion. Part D This part of the case highlights the modifications to the business model. Additional Handout: Enterprise Rent-a-Car This handout provides an overview of Enterprise Cars. Enterprise Cars is an example of a company in the US that identified a market segment that was not being served by the existing car rental companies. It can be used as a complement of the easyCar case, ideally before the easyCar case itself is discussed; it reinforces the learning and provides an additional, self-contained case.

© London Business School, October 2003. This teaching note was written by Prof. Michael G. Jacobides, with the input of Prof. Pascal Courty and Taman Powell. The cases and this teaching note are intended for teaching purposes only and are not meant to represent either adept or inept handling of an administrative situation.

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Teaching Objectives, Audience and Case Layout The case is appropriate for undergraduate, MBA and, especially, executive-level courses related to strategy, general management, industry analysis, value innovation, entrepreneurship, and international expansion. The case can be used in a number of ways; it is a canvas, which allows for most of the relevant strategic management issues and challenges to be brought to the fore. It...