Retailers and Consumer Goods companies operate in a highly dynamic business environment where important commercial and operational decisions are passed to majority of staff including managers, buyers, and associates. Coping with increasing customer expectations, globalisation and challenging economic times means having the right organizational structure in place, with the right individual targets and lines of responsibility.
Building these capacities is not an easy task, and represents a significant deviation from how a retailer has operated in the past.
We recognize that transforming an organization in this way is a major challenge in itself, and work closely with our clients to manage the changes involved and help them transform their business in a way that gives them a long-term competitive edge.
Over the past few years, sales growth at the top publicly listed European retailers has been a mere one or two percentage points above inflation; average EBIT margins have dropped to around 0.5 to 1.5 percent of sales. Changing consumer lifestyles and preferences, the Internet, and continued economic uncertainty are causing financial distress among many retailers.
Key issues affecting companies in the retail and consumer goods sectors include:
"Retail and Consumer Goods is a dynamic industry where the pace of change is becoming ever faster. The rise of hypermarket sector during the 90s and more recently the rapid growth of online retail pose a major threat for many established players. Non-food online retail sales in the UK now account for 17% of total retail sales and are growing at an annual rate of 12%. Consumers are progressively seeking personalisation and consumer reviews in their online experience."
