Featured publications
| Retailing 2015: New frontiers
This US retail industry sector practice publication highlights the accelerating pace of change expected fro the retail industry through 2015, and the prospects for the future retail market place.
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| Insights into the food, beverage and consumer products industry: GMA/FPA overview of industry financial performance and trends
The eleventh annual Grocery Manufacturers Association/Food Products Association (GMA/FPA) "financial performance report," conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) for the GMA/FPA, demonstrates that the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry saw median total shareholder return once again achieve historically strong levels. Divided into three focus areas, the report provides information, trends, issues and data that illustrate the financial performance across this sector and how companies can best address the emerging challenges they face in order to stay ahead of the competition.
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| Consumer Products Barometer™
The fourth quarter results show that more senior executives of consumer products businesses are now pessimistic about the US economy than optimistic. Own-company revenue growth projections dropped below the prior quarter’s and last year’s levels while concerns about oil/energy prices and three other potential barriers to growth—demand, monetary exchange rates and competition from foreign markets—increased notably. Gross margins remained tight for consumer products businesses in 4Q 2007, as costs and prices remained appreciably higher than a year ago. There are also some signs of reduced spending ahead, and fewer consumer products companies plan to hire or begin M&A activity.
On the positive side, international markets continued to hold up well. Quarterly performance showed the majority of those selling abroad increased sales while few decreased. Operational spending in 2008 is expected to be strong for several areas, most of all for new product or service introductions. Initiatives to expand to new markets abroad also continue to rise.
Consumer barometer archive
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The
QuickBrief! series offers timely news on technical accounting, tax and operational issues impacting the retail & consumer sector.
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QuickBrief! series.
Retail & consumer worlds is a quarterly international newsletter providing insights on current issues and trends impacting the retail & consumer industry.
Shopping the deal market
This PwC white paper offers an informative look at trends in the retail and consumer industry, examining how the changing landscape has impacted deal activity between 2006 and 2008 and highlighting key issues that companies need to consider in transactions going forward. Report highlights include a look to major M&A trends in the retail and consumer industry, an inside look at the private equity's interest in R&C, changing accounting standards' impact on deal activity, and looking ahead to what's next.
How retail and consumer companies can use strategic sourcing to achieve business objectives
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges retail and consumer companies face and how strategic sourcing using a portfolio approach can help retail and consumer companies meet such challenges as: Protecting and enhancing brand value; moving into new geographies and markets; managing consolidation; managing changing markets; and dealing with margin pressures.
How targeted collaborations between retailers and manufacturers promotes the success of new product launches
As the number of new product launches increases and the marketplace becomes even more competitive, retailers and manufacturers are finding they must engage to find common ground. This new guide prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for the
National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) addresses the issue of improving the chances of success and profit when bringing a new product to market.
Convergence monitor: The digital home
More and more communications and media companies are pushing forward with their triple- and quadruple-play strategies. For consumers, the possibilities are endless. For organisations providing content and distribution services, it is an increasingly complex marketplace. The Global InfoComm practice has recently launched this new publication about the digital home, the first of a series of global Convergence Monitor surveys. PricewaterhouseCoopers surveyed 8,000 of our employees in 17 countries. The report discusses some key findings, including what consumers are willing to pay for, how they access content, the importance of security and customer service.
A deeper dive: Protecting retail & consumer companies against fraud and misconduct at the business process level
The potential for corporate fraud and misconduct has garnered the attention of standards setters and regulators. This attention has led to improvements in corporate antifraud programs and a good roadmap for others to consider. While it may not be possible to eliminate the risk of fraud altogether, with proper planning, policies and procedures, and controls in place, retail & consumer companies can reduce the risk of serious fraud, and at least identify a fraud occurrence early and reduce its damage.
Investing in China's retail industry Mergers & acquisitions (M&A) is transforming China’s once closed retail sector. Deal activity has surged over the past two years as consolidation of the young modern retail trade has begun. The familiar global trend of rapid chain formation to achieve stronger buying power over suppliers has been established, and M&A is the tool by which retailers are rapidly linking once fragmented regional markets. This irreversible trend provides a multitude of investment opportunities for multinational and domestic corporate and private equity investors. In this report, we take a closer look at those retail categories where M&A activity is most active, and examine the opportunities for investors.
