The meal product line in General Mills can be identified with the dog. In the BCG Matrix, dogs are also known as the products that “break-even” and generate only enough cash to cover the market share. For a complete 8-year trend of cereals net sales, refer to Appendix D, which also shows a stable trend with very few fluctuations. The market share of the cereal product line has remained in the 20% area mark, give or take 2% depending on the year. The cereal product line is extremely stable and has been this way since General Mills was created. It is not foreseeable for the cereal product line to become a dog or a star. Cereals such as Cheerios, Chex, Lucky Charms, are the company’s well-known staple products, and they will always sell and make a profit. This can be coupled with the Fiscal 2014 Net Sales by Platform, indicating that cereals have a market share of about 20% (refer to Appendix B) to support the fact that cereals are indeed the cash cow. for the past year, cereals have the greatest share of sales with 22% (refer to Appendix A). Based on the company’s 2014 Annual Report, it shows that out of their five global categories, cereals have the lowest expected growth of about 5% (refer to Appendix C), and based on their net sales in the U.S. In order to be classified as a cash cow, it has low growth and a high market share. For example, the cereal product line includes: Cheerios, Chex, Lucky Charms, etc… Using the Boston Consulting Group’s Growth-Share Matrix to analyze General Mills’ products, one product line from those listed above will be identified with one of the four quadrants of the BCG Matrix.įor General Mills, the cereal product line is the cash cow. Each individual type in the product mix is known as a product line.

Taken right from General Mills Canada website and how they organize their brands for consumer friendliness, their product mix includes: baking products, cereals, dough/pastries, fruit, ice cream, meals, organic/natural, pasta, pizza, snacks, soup, vegetables, and yogurt. When these brands are organized into different categories, General Mills’ product mix is the result.

Their primary brands include Cheerios, Nature Valley, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Hamburger Helper, Betty Crocker and Yoplait (General Mills Canada). General Mills is a company that has many brands in the food industry, however, they are more famously known for their individual brands.

General mills bcg matrix