Chip Shops' Batter Class Of Business Help
23 December 2010
(Left to right) University of Derby first year students Kelly Bembridge and Faye Lacy, both 19, who took part in a Marketing project for the George's Tradition fish and chip chain, tuck into some of its products at its Allestree shop.
We were thrilled to be asked to work with the University of Derby's first year Marketing students
”Managing Director, George's Tradition, Andrew Constantinou.
An award-winning fish and chip shop chain looking to expand has had some tasty ideas served up to it by University of Derby students.
The well known George's Tradition chain has become a local institution since it began serving in 1967. It now owns ten fish and chip shops, four restaurants and a pub across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire.
George's has been working with first-year students from Derby's BA (Hons) Marketing, and Marketing and Advertising, degree courses to give them a chance to apply marketing theory to a real life, practical business project.
Over a period of ten weeks around 60 students, in 12 teams, were set the task of researching and finding untapped markets or ways of expanding on existing ones.
Kuldeep Banwait, University Programme Leader for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Marketing Programmes, said: "We put the students onto this project because it is the kind of thing they could well be doing in their future careers. It helps develop the real life work skills you need in business such as teamwork, good market research and the ability to communicate your ideas.
"When I spoke to the company they were very interested in working with our students."
The four teams selected as having the best ideas then had to pitch them to a panel of University of Derby lecturers and George's Tradition senior staff, including company Managing Director Andrew Constantinou.
Ideas from the project as a whole included:
- finding ways to market fish and chips as a healthier form of takeaway compared with alternatives
- emphasising George's responsible environmental policy, such as reducing packaging waste and sourcing more of its fish from non-depleted fishing waters
- rebranding to make more of its long history with the community.
"One of the things most teams highlighted was that George's Tradition could do more to tap into the student market at the University's Kedleston Road site in Derby, ten minutes' walk from its shop at Park Farm in Allestree. Suggestions included discounts and promotional schemes to raise awareness of the shop there," added Kuldeep.
The company will now be looking at the University students' ideas in depth, to see which can be implemented as part of its future development plans.
Managing Director Andrew Constantinou said: "We were thrilled to be asked to work with the University of Derby's first year Marketing students.
"George's Tradition has been working with local charity organisations, schools, colleges and universities for years now; as we believe it is important to invest in local communities.
"We were very impressed with the ideas and presentations the students had developed for George's Tradition as part of their project. We will be looking at integrating some of the ideas that are relevant to the strategy we have in place for the next year."
For further information please contact Press and PR Officer Sean Kirby on 01332 591891 or 07876 476103, or email s.kirby@derby.ac.uk.
