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Ben and Jerry's in Japan

In: Business and Management

Submitted By sungurds
Words 1010
Pages 5
Justin Sunwoong Choi
BUSM 431
Brother Huff
10/18/2012

Ben & Jerry’s - Japan

1. Overview of the case * Perry Odak had meeting with Masahiko Iida who is the president of Seven-Eleven Japan to resolve conundrum of whether to introduce Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to the Japan market and, if so, how. Ben & Jerry’s was established by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, who were school mates before, when they were in mid 20s. They were growing between 1982 and 1990 but they had suffered with their net income from 1993 to 1994 when their sales exceeded $150 million. Haagen-Dazs was the only major competitor in the super-premium ice cream market where Ben & Jerry’s was in. Ben & Jerry’s was very slow with embracing foreign market. The company only had foreign sales of $6 million, with total sales of $174 million. In the super-premium ice cream sales, Haagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s were still the leading brands, but Haagen-Dazs was above Ben & Jerry’s. Now Ben & Jerry’s is trying to focus on market opportunities in Japan where Haagen-Dazs already had managed to capture nearly half the super-premium market in. Ben & Jerry’s is facing some difficulties with requests or changing their strategies by getting into the market in Japan.

2. Identification and Analysis of the Key Issues of the Case. * The reason for the decision of Ben & Jerry’s getting into Japan’s market is because Japan is the second biggest ice cream market with a big possibility. With the fact, Ben & Jerry’s faced to several problems with a joint-venture company and competitors.
First, cooperating with the major supplier in Japan, Seven-Eleven, caused a problem. Seven-Eleven wanted Ben & Jerry’s to change their design of packages and label that have been known as critical thing with chunky and funky which brought them to be famous. Ben &

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