Purpose of the plan The purpose of this marketing plan will be to evaluate the existing retail market strategy for Unilever Company and compare it to the rivals’ strategies. The marketing plan will also be designed after investigating the current trends and developments existing in the retail sector. Situational Analysis Target market (of current products) The company products prices are easily affordable to all classes of customers since the company uses a value pricing strategy across all the regions where its branches are found. In terms of the products offered, the company boasts of a multi-brand system where the brand names are known by their positive reputation of being high quality products and thus easier to reach a higher market pool than the rivals(Jones 2002). Distribution network The company has a well established distribution network in the more than a 100 countries where the company has invested in. This is very helpful since it helps the customers in accessing company products. Competition The completion Unilever company is facing shall be analyzed in the porters 5 keys of competition (Porter 1988) The Threat from New Entrants: (Low) The products offered by Unilever such as the food and personal care require high capital investment to penetrate the market in relation to the established distribution channels which enables to compete effectively. With the company having branches in more than 100 countries and its ability to design its products according to the customers’ needs, reduces any notable threat from new market entrants. Threat of Substitutes (High) With the emphasis on health eating being at its prime, consumers have been turning to other alternatives such as low carbohydrate and calorie diets as a result making the substitutes threat very high. Bargaining Power of Suppliers (Low) This has been low due to the fact that Unilever has a very big and well known business unit, which cannot be forced to change (or influenced in any way in their decision making) by other suppliers. Bargaining Powers of Suppliers (High) The customers, especially those who live in the European Union region, keep on demanding new products and improved features and also diversity in the product prices offered. As a result, the company has been forced to develop new products such as the slimming products. Competition (High) The company faces high competition from companies such as the Novartis, Nestle and DANONE (Neff 2010). As a result, this has forced the company to restructure its program which was aimed at cutting the old portfolio of 1600 brands down to the major 400 core brands. The above rivals are producing similar products to what Unilever and hence the high competition. Financial conditions The company enjoys vast investments almost in every corner of the world as a result currently the financial conditions for Unilever can be described as stable External forces Political The company operates literally everywhere in the world both in the developed and the less developed economies where political situations are stable and chances of market interference by governments of the countries are very minimal thus they cannot control how Unilever mark