UPP to USP

During our Business Studies course this year we have studied,  through the help of case studies, a wide range of businesses and how they work. However, when we went on a trip to the Ultimate Picture Palace - located on Jeune Street (alongside the Cowley road) in Oxford - we got a front seat view into the world of the cinema business.

The Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford

The Ultimate Picture Palace's USP (unique Selling Proposition) is that the audience can enjoy classic films (and occasionally a big box office movie) with a beverage of their choice ranging from warming cups of coffee to relaxing glasses of wine and beer. Becky Hallsmith, the owner of the cinema, who has been running the business for almost a year spoke to us about the marketing strategies  she uses to entice people in (e.g. free glass of mulled wine with your first ticket) and to stay competitive with other cinemas (e.g. the price is significantly lower than the Odeon or the Vue). Becky confessed that most people don't appreciate how much work is involved in running a local cinema like hers, but despite the effort she enjoys it very much. Overall, our afternoon trip to the cinema helped the AS class develop a more realistic feel for what it's like to run a business and, obviously, helped us all to visualise it better as well.

Nathalie Rimensberger Lower Sixth