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Strategic Solutions and Turnaround Group

Redirecting challenges into opportunities

When facing uncertainty, decisive action counts

In times of disruption, we partner with businesses to obtain access to new sources of capital quickly to cope with business uncertainties, fund growth opportunities and support overall strategic repositioning and transformation.

Our Strategic Solutions and Turnaround Group (SSTG) works with teams across the Deals practice to support businesses with fundraising, operational restructuring and strategic repositioning to ensure clients can navigate complex business and financial situations.

A multidisciplinary approach

Bringing in different perspectives and skill sets to achieve sustainable transformation.

Structured funding solutions

Operational restructuring and turnaround

Optimised exits

Debt refinancing

Cost reduction

Stressed M&A

IBR

Cashflow analysis and liquidity assessment

Solvent wind down

Responding to unique challenges of our clients​

SSTG offers corporate, growth and optimisation solutions, providing a one-stop solution for companies experiencing stress.

Corporate stress
  • Fundraising
  • Debt restructuring
  • Operational restructuring and turnaround
  • Distressed M&A

Growth solutions
  • Structured debt and structured equity raises

Optimisation solutions
  • Strategic portfolio repositioning
  • Value creation and transformation
  • Optimised exit

Our success stories

Comprehensive​ value creation and fundraising for a meat retailer and distributor.

The client’s business had been unprofitable and client was looking for value creation initiatives to turnaround the profitability of the business which would set up for a pre-IPO fundraising exercise.​

​For the value creation plan, SSTG worked alongside Strategy& and MAO teams to come up with a comprehensive plan of scale-up strategy and working capital optimisation. This value creation plan was incorporated into the client's business plan for the investor to underpin the fundraise.​

​Despite the challenging pandemic situation, SSTG was able to raise financing from a highly reputable and strategically synergistic investor for the client to fund its growth plans and anchor its upcoming IPO​.

Raising long-term non-dilutive non-voting equity capital

Client is a growing platform of K-12 schools and is pursuing a buy and build strategy to scale up their platform. This led the client to actively seek capital solutions in the market to fund their growth strategy.​

​As this is a long-standing client that PwC has worked with for almost a decade, SSTG has a strong understanding of their strategic objectives. SSTG devised a funding strategy to optimise proceeds across multiple levels of financing within client’s group structure so as to fund their acquisitions and greenfield projects with flexibility.​

SSTG also worked alongside the accounting advisory team to ensure the client’s objective of raising equity capital on a non-dilutive basis was met, and brought in various financiers for an optimal solution​.

Optimised exit for a loss-making non-core asset​.

The asset had been loss making for the past 5 years, and the situation had not improved despite further investments from the client and repositioning. This led the client to consider various exit options.

​SSTG provided a high level assessment on possible exit options. Client subsequently decided to explore M&A than liquidation to maintain its reputation and relationship with customers. SSTG was then mandated to manage the sale process and after due diligence, the transaction was structured as an asset deal with intellectual properties and customers contracts being transferred.​

​SSTG provides integrated support across the deals cycle, and is able to identify key selling points and find the right buyer, bridging negotiation gaps to complete the deal​.

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On your agenda

We have identified the most pressing issues companies face during tough times and can support you with a wide spectrum of customised services.

Capital raising

Do you need access to funding urgently?

More often than not, businesses can be caught off guard by external events that are outside of their control, and would require urgent capital to help the business emerge from crises. To help you find the solution for your business, we have access to a wide variety of financiers that are able to move quickly in such situations and we will advise and guide you closely in the financing process.

Do you want to optimise your capital structure, fund growth opportunities (organic or acquisitions), or perform a recapitalisation to recycle/return capital?

We can help you achieve your business goals or address a range of critical business needs, where our team of specialists will work with you to co-create tailored solutions. With our access to a wide range of structured financing solutions ranging from senior debt, mezzanine, hybrid solutions, convertible instruments, debt with attached warrants, and equity, we are able to help you achieve a wide range of objectives, including but not limited to:

  • minimising equity dilution
  • reducing or minimising financing costs
  • retention of shareholder or board control
  • managing debt service
  • satisfying inter-creditor requirements with your existing financiers
  • bridging financing needs until another lower cost or a stable solution becomes available in a few years
  • sheltering shareholders or certain entities within your group of companies from recourse

Find out how we can help your business transform and move ahead.

Operational optimisation

Do you need to rapidly reduce costs and optimise profitability?

During times of uncertainty, companies are increasingly exposed to vulnerabilities. This is the time you should relook your operating model and adapt it, not only to survive but also to bounce back stronger in order to remain competitive and resilient.

During a downturn, companies often need to free up cash and rapidly reduce costs. Having a good grip on your working capital is crucial and we can help you do so. A rapid assessment of your operational cost reduction options can help you make quick decisions in times where you need to be agile and quick to respond.

Through scenario planning, we help customers develop cost reduction initiatives and operational improvements in:

  • supply chain
  • back office functions
  • geographical footprint
  • procurement
  • digitalisation
  • products and services

Find out how we can help transform your operating model to improve operational efficiency and optimise business performance.

Strategic repositioning

Do you know what strategic options are available for your business?

The future is constantly evolving. Similarly, business models need to be constantly adjusted for your company to leverage emerging customer trends and stay ahead of the competition.

In this evolving environment, a successful strategic growth plan may require you to pivot your business towards a new direction to stay relevant and bring clarity on what you should start doing versus what you should stop doing.

We have a team of business planning specialists who can walk alongside you as you re-evaluate your strategic options. Through a scenario and evidence-based approach, we can help you better understand the potential market opportunities and new revenue streams available. This could include:

  • Business planning and value creation options review
  • Portfolio review and strategic investment and divestment
  • New market entry strategy
  • Proactive mergers and acquisitions (M&A) / partnership pipeline
  • Digitisation strategy

Find out how we can help fulfill your potential, regardless of the changes that lie ahead.

How PwC can help

Meeting business needs

No two businesses are the same. With our team’s decades of knowledge and experience, we can customise strategic and effective solutions tailored to your business needs.

Work together to accelerate growth

During times of crisis and volatile economic conditions, companies may face difficulty in securing capital and reducing operational inefficiencies.

To enable success in your business transformation, our team of specialists can provide differentiated and holistic perspectives to equip your firm with the right skillset to stay ahead.

Tailored solutions and services to remain competitive

We deliver insightful solutions that are unique to your business needs. We deep dive into your industry and business to identify potential value pools and reposition your company for sustainable future growth.

As businesses strive to stay relevant in the retail industry, implementing strategic business decisions to minimise losses and stay afloat might be a difficult task.

For example, a retail client with a significant footprint across Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in particular) was making losses and accumulating debts due to heavy write-offs from high delinquency rates. Among the challenges faced, income was also reduced due to increased defaults of credit and low margin product line up.

They had asked themselves the following questions:

  • How to deal with the urgency to stop the losses and accumulating debts due to heavy write-offs on consumer credit loans?
  • What are the areas of operations to restructure for immediate impact (e.g. retail footprint) as part of a credible turnaround plan?
  • How to reposition the business and identify new revenue streams medium-term?
  • What is the outlook of the competition and consumer trends to calibrate the ambition and adjust the retail offering?

To help our clients through to recovery, we identified critical business elements that the business needed to focus on and formulated a plan to address the red flags that pose a risk to the recovery:

  • Reduce store footprint and outsource credit
  • Maintain profitable stores as well as stores in target segment locations
  • Reduce overheads by shifting the head office to a smaller and cheaper location
  • Reduce headcounts in line with the new footprint and set up
  • Reduce the number of stock-keeping unit (SKUs), and aligning the product line up to the target segment moving towards higher margin products

Through these cost reduction initiatives, it drove improvements to the business and provided opportunities for growth and additional funds for restructuring.

Achieve business agility and operational excellence

Businesses today are faced with urgent challenges with evolving market opportunities. Decision making needs to be swift and impactful to drive positive change. We can help you quickly identify value preservation and value creation opportunities, as well as discover new funding opportunities to unlock value.

One area where businesses face challenges is business plan risks and liquidity issues. A rapid assessment of the business plan will help businesses evaluate and determine the company’s cash position and identify immediate liquidity issues. It provides adequate understanding of the relevant risks and implications.

For example, a meat distributor that had undergone an operations turnaround had used this financing avenue to support the business’ growth needs. They had asked themselves the following questions:

  • How do I position myself to financiers, in particular with regards to our run rate profitability, given that I am currently in a turnaround phase and starting to see some initial success?
  • How can I use the cost-reduction and strategic initiatives to enhance my fundraising options?
  • How do I access cost-effective funding solutions in the middle of a pandemic?
  • What are the areas of my operations I need to optimise, and how do I mine and process the data to identify such areas?
  • What are the appropriate solutions I can adopt to continuously optimise my operations?
  • What are the considerations I need to take into account when expanding my retail footprint?

The funds raised along with strategic and operational value creation plans between the client and PwC has been critical in helping them to create a scalable platform built on the foundation of a highly efficient operational engine.

Work together to accelerate growth

During times of crisis and volatile economic conditions, companies may face difficulty in securing capital and reducing operational inefficiencies.

To enable success in your business transformation, our team of specialists can provide differentiated and holistic perspectives to equip your firm with the right skillset to stay ahead.

Tailored solutions and services to remain competitive

We deliver insightful solutions that are unique to your business needs. We deep dive into your industry and business to identify potential value pools and reposition your company for sustainable future growth.

As businesses strive to stay relevant in the retail industry, implementing strategic business decisions to minimise losses and stay afloat might be a difficult task.

For example, a retail client with a significant footprint across Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in particular) was making losses and accumulating debts due to heavy write-offs from high delinquency rates. Among the challenges faced, income was also reduced due to increased defaults of credit and low margin product line up.

They had asked themselves the following questions:

  • How to deal with the urgency to stop the losses and accumulating debts due to heavy write-offs on consumer credit loans?
  • What are the areas of operations to restructure for immediate impact (e.g. retail footprint) as part of a credible turnaround plan?
  • How to reposition the business and identify new revenue streams medium-term?
  • What is the outlook of the competition and consumer trends to calibrate the ambition and adjust the retail offering?

To help our clients through to recovery, we identified critical business elements that the business needed to focus on and formulated a plan to address the red flags that pose a risk to the recovery:

  • Reduce store footprint and outsource credit
  • Maintain profitable stores as well as stores in target segment locations
  • Reduce overheads by shifting the head office to a smaller and cheaper location
  • Reduce headcounts in line with the new footprint and set up
  • Reduce the number of stock-keeping unit (SKUs), and aligning the product line up to the target segment moving towards higher margin products

Through these cost reduction initiatives, it drove improvements to the business and provided opportunities for growth and additional funds for restructuring.

Achieve business agility and operational excellence

Businesses today are faced with urgent challenges with evolving market opportunities. Decision making needs to be swift and impactful to drive positive change. We can help you quickly identify value preservation and value creation opportunities, as well as discover new funding opportunities to unlock value.

One area where businesses face challenges is business plan risks and liquidity issues. A rapid assessment of the business plan will help businesses evaluate and determine the company’s cash position and identify immediate liquidity issues. It provides adequate understanding of the relevant risks and implications.

For example, a meat distributor that is currently undergoing an operations turnaround expects to use this financing avenue to support the business’ growth needs. They had asked themselves the following questions:

  • How do I position myself to financiers, in particular with regards to our run rate profitability, given that I am currently in a turnaround phase and starting to see some initial success?
  • How can I use the cost-reduction and strategic initiatives to enhance my fundraising options?
  • How do I access cost-effective funding solutions in the middle of a pandemic?
  • What are the areas of my operations I need to optimise, and how do I mine and process the data to identify such areas?
  • What are the appropriate solutions I can adopt to continuously optimise my operations?
  • What are the considerations I need to take into account when expanding my retail footprint?

The funds raised along with strategic and operational value creation plans between the client and PwC has been critical in helping them to create a scalable platform built on the foundation of a highly efficient operational engine.

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Contact us

Vishal V Thapliyal

Vishal V Thapliyal

Leader, Strategic Solutions and Turnaround Group, PwC Singapore

Tel: +65 9617 0042

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Lie Ay Wen

Lie Ay Wen

Partner, Strategic Solutions and Turnaround Group, PwC Singapore

Tel: +65 8182 5405

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Ling Tok Hong

Ling Tok Hong

Deals Leader, PwC Singapore

Tel: +65 9690 0802

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