H.E. William Candy Co is a “gem” within the South Norfolk neighborhood. Having celebrated its 100 year anniversary back in 2019, it is safe to say many of the older generations that reside in South Norfolk know and love the candy factory. Unfortunately, much of the younger generation is not aware of its location and existence. They do not have a website that I could find, but I found an article about them from the pilot. This article gives the history of the company and the family that runs it. It is important to mention south Norfolk is an extremely diverse community; ethnically, economically, and socially. Much of what is in this neighborhood is old, considering it is the “History District of South Norfolk.” You can find generations of families living within this community- many people stay here.
The goal of this assignment is to provide a SWOT analysis of the company, and propose that event that would allow for the company to create a better relationship with the public. I specifically want to identify a way to attract the younger generations who are unaware of the storefront.
Strengths
1. Their longevity, and permanence within the community. (They have been around for over 100 years.)
2. They have good quality artisan products, alongside a traditional cady store collection. (They make their candy by hand).
3. This business is run solely by a family, as far as I can tell, and have kept this business within the family for over 100 years.
Weaknesses
1. They seem to have no relation with the public, or a person in charge of PR.
2. As far as myself and my family could tell, they have no online media presence.
3. They do not have an active relationship with the community or strong community presence.
Opportunities
1. They are located in the middle of the community, neighboring normal homes- one block from a preschool.
2. They are known within the older generations, which would make a comeback easier.
3. They allow people to see the candy being made when they enter the factory. Using the right promotion this can be a phenomenal attention grabber.
4. The Neighborhood hosts festivals at Lakeside Park twice a year, where different businesses, vendors, and organizations set up booths to engage with the community.
Threats
1. The lack of media presence means less of the younger generation is aware they exist, and many are unlikely to feel drawn to the store with little information of them online.
2. Although they are within the community, being stationed in the middle of the neighborhood, they have no active connection or relationship with the people of their town.
3. There has never been a large run advertisement, fundraise including them, or promotion that linked any attention or publicity to the company. (since I’ve lived in this neighborhood, 12 years.)
South Norfolk hosts a national night out and a fourth of July event every year. During these events there are many booths with vendors, small businesses, the library, the police department, the high school, etc. In my time here in South Norfolk I have never seen them at these neighborhood events. This is an already scheduled event, so they wouldn’t be funding it themselves, and they would be able to obtain a table for themselves and talk directly to the community. The event mostly consists of families with children, because much of the entertainment is geared towards kids; although, there is always a band that plays throughout the festivals. If the company were to set up a table with either singular paged free samples, or to sell their homemade candy, they would quickly receive the attention of the children. If kids know there is a candy store directly in their neighborhood, they will go crazy. Being at one of the events to hand out business cards, or flyers, and talk to the community would allow them to build an active relationship with the newer families and generations. It would require very little effort, the park the festivals are held at is less than a mile away from their factory, and they would only need to show up and interact with the people there. Bringing some candy to sell or hand out to people would grab the attention of the kids, and handing out flyers to spread the name of the company to the adults would reignite a relationship with the people they are stationed so close to.
References
Metcalfe, Trevor. “H.E. Williams Candy Co., 100 Years: 2019 Milestone Anniversary.” pilotonline.com/inside-business. Inside Business, July 26, 2019. https://www.pilotonline.com/inside-business/special-reports/milestones/article_c919b460-9f69-11e9-85f1-935afd72c2b9.html.
Comments