Studio Brief 2 - Who is the competition?

Colours May Vary
Although for our Life's a Pitch we are doing a travelling arts van and Colours May Vary is an established shop with a set location I think that what they do is similar to what I would like our arts van to do - sell art-related products and host workshops etc.

Political factors
The shop is really on top of the politics behind buying stock to be sold

Economic factors
Since we are supposedly coming out of a recession, Colours May Vary is probably more likely to see more business these days then it might have been several years ago

Social factors
Illustration and graphic art are pretty trendy right now so their stock could probably be considered quite "cool"

Technological factors
The readily available nature of printing today makes illustrators able to provide stock - social media allows Colours May Vary to promote itself.

Product
-Prints
-Art books/magazines
-Potentially art supplies?
-Printing workshops
-Art-related talks from professionals and ourselves
-Printed apparel

Price
-Cost of van upkeep
-Cost of stock to sell
-Cost to buy stock
-Hiring people to give talks
-Cost of materials to run workshops

Promotion
-Social media - facebook, instagram, etc.
-Schools/colleges/universities
-Flyers
-Posters
-mailing lists

Place
-City centres
-Online presence - blogs/social media/online shop
-Anywhere our van can travel to - festivals, towns, villages - but preferably a place that is connected in terms of transport and network

What are their Strengths?
Strong branding behind themselves that makes them an attractive place to shop at/visit. Achieved through a tidy website that is consistent with shop interior and beliefs of owners

What are their Weaknesses?
Location - they are at the bottom of town in Leeds behind the bus station. Though the rent for a shop in that location is cheap, it's not the ideal place to be discovered.

What Opportunities have they taken?
With the growing trendiness of illustration these days, they've been able to capitalise on this growing market and set up a shop in the years in which we are also recovering from a recession. They've taken advantage of the cheapness of their location while promoting themselves through various social media outlets.

What Threats do they face?
Art-related stores that are more central in-town (though I don't think there are that many), the possibility of another recession which will mean no one will want to spend hard-earned money or frivolous pieces of art.