Marketing Snowboarding Company

1.1 Statement of Need

Summit Rentals is a ski/snowboard and bicycle rental shop located in the growing tourist-oriented city of Kelowna, British Columbia. Located in the Okanagan valley, Kelowna is within a one hour drive of three popular ski destinations. Most notably being Silver Star Mountain which is located in nearby Vernon. The region is also home to exceptional mountain biking including the 455 KM Kettle Valley Rail trail. With such exceptional outdoor activities, tourism in this region is growing quickly. These tourists will be our target market for our business. With such rapid growth in the tourism sector, there is an opportunity in the recreational rental industry. Summit Rentals plans to exploit this opportunity by establishing a unique competitive advantage through innovative convenience and customer service.

Mission statement:

To enhance the mountain experience for renters through convenience, service and affordable fun.

1.2 Environmental SWOT Analysis

Strengths:

- Our business plan is the company’s biggest strength. Convenience and exceptional customer service will be a strength that gives Summit a competitive advantage in the rental industry.

- A strong, well researched marketing plan will help Summit’s message effectively reach customers.

- Competition in this industry, such as Lakefront Sports Centre, feature a huge selection of rentals from everything such as water sports, ATV’s as well as skis and bikes. Our strategy is to focus only on skis/snowboards and bikes which will differentiate us from the competition.

Weaknesses:

- Inexperience in the industry could prove to be an issue out of the gate.

- Larger competition such as Lakefront Sports Centre will have greater buying power with suppliers. Also, the size of firms such as this would likely prohibit us from having the lowest prices.

- Many customers choose to rent directly from the ski resort. Convincing customers to rent from Summit instead could prove to be a challenge....