PRACTICE · TRANSFORM

Retail turnaround: stop the bleed, then fix the cause.

When an estate is underperforming, time is the scarcest asset. We move in days, not months — stabilising cash, margin and availability first, then rebuilding the disciplines that stop the decline recurring.

The issue.

Underperformance compounds. Falling sales trigger range cuts that worsen the shopper experience; cash pressure starves the stores that could recover; management attention scatters across everything and fixes nothing. The way out is sequence: a small number of decisive moves, in the right order, executed fast.

What we do.

• Two-week rapid diagnostic: store-level P&L truth, cash position, the real causes — not the reported ones
• Stabilisation moves: margin leaks, markdown discipline, labour-to-trade alignment, immediate procurement wins
• Estate review: invest, fix or exit verdict per store with the numbers to defend it
• Trading recovery plan: range, price, availability and standards by format
• 100-day plan with weekly milestones and a single accountable owner per move
• Lender, board and investor reporting that builds confidence through evidence

How we work.

• Diagnose — two weeks to the real causes.
• Decide — the few moves that stop the bleed, sequenced.
• Deliver — executed store by store with named owners.
• Embed — recovery disciplines become the growth platform.

What changes.

Cash and margin stabilise within the first quarter. The estate gets smaller or stronger — deliberately. And the operating disciplines installed during recovery become the platform for growth.

Common questions.

Do you work for the company or the investor?

Either — management-side recovery or investor-side review. We state which hat we wear, always.

How fast can you start?

Diagnostic mobilisation within two weeks, faster when trading demands it.

What if the answer is closures?

Then you will get it straight, store by store, with the exit economics. False comfort is the most expensive deliverable in consulting.

Related: Margin Improvement · Operating Model Design · Commercial Excellence