Campbell Soup Company: Transforming for the 21st Century

Lynda M. Applegate; Jamie  Ladge

Case | HBS Case Collection | March 2003 (Revised October 2003)

Campbell Soup Company: Transforming for the 21st Century

Abstract

In July 2001, Campbell Soup's newly appointed CEO, Douglas R. Conant, addressed a group of Wall Street analysts and unveiled his plan to kick-start growth. His plan called for organizational renewal and revitalization, redesign of core customer-facing processes including supply chain, order fulfillment, and customer service of Campbell's U.S. soup business. Condensed soup sales, which represented nearly 50% of the company's total operating profit, had been in decline for several years and the company was slowly losing market share in this core product group as competition intensified. Pressure had mounted from major competitor General Mills, which had recently acquired Pillsbury Co., maker of Campbell's rival soup brand Progresso. .

Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Industry Structures; Production; Supply Chain Management; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States;

Format: Print

27 pages

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Citation:

Applegate, Lynda M., and Jamie Ladge. "Campbell Soup Company: Transforming for the 21st Century." Harvard Business School Case 803-119, March 2003. (Revised October 2003.)

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Campbell Soup Company: Transforming for the 21st Century

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