Could The Works benefit from the troubles at TGJones?

TGJones has revealed plans to shutter 150 stores as part of a rescue plan, with administration a possibility if creditors reject the proposal. One possible beneficiary may be The Works; Gavin Peck, the company’s chief executive, recently said that his business was benefiting from the decline of TGJones – serving as the “value alternative” to the brand. 

Data from YouGov BrandIndex UK shows that The Works outperforms TGJones in a raft of different areas when it comes to public perceptions. Firstly, Impression scores, which measure general likability, sit at 22.9; some 22.1 points ahead of TGJones’ score of 0.8. Perceptions of Value (a key metric for a budget-focused brand) paint a similar picture (23.9 vs. -0.9). The Works also outperforms TGJones when it comes to Recommend scores (19 vs. 1.3) and Consideration scores (23.0 vs. 6.9), which measure whether consumers would choose a particular brand the next time they are in the market. Index scores, which average several metrics to paint an overall picture of brand health, are at 15.6 for The Works compared to an average of 0.9 for TGJones. 

It’s clear that for these metrics at least, The Works is outperforming TGJones – ut that doesn’t necessarily mean the former will benefit at the latter’s expense. If we look at what TGJones customers think of The Works, though, our data shows that opinion is even more favourable than that of the UK overall. Impression scores are at 32.1 (more than twice that of the general public), Value scores are also higher (35.2), as are customer Satisfaction scores (33.5), Consideration scores (36.1), and Index scores (18.9). If TGJones does survive, it may continue to face considerable competition from The Works; if it does not, its customers may already know which high street retailer will be their next choice. 

This article originally appeared in City A.M.

Image: Getty