Industries

Fashion, Luxury Goods & Retail

Compared to other industries, Fashion makers keep being challenged by very short product lifecycles, volatile consumer taste, and a continually shifting competitive landscape. Current and near future consumer demand must be predicted well, or even directly shaped. Product design, production and supply chains have to deliver appropriate products to the POS very quickly, and be extremely responsive to short-term demand swings.

To achieve both the necessary speed and flexibility, the entire value chain from product concept to shopfloor needs to be built to highest standards, and tightly controlled by the Fashion house.

 

Luxury Goods makers face slightly less need for speed and flexibility – but usually quite aggressive competitors fighting hard for only a limited pool of discretionary consumer spending. Next to brand marketing and emotionally satisfying products, one major success factor is the manufacturer’s performance at the shop floor. POS performance equals outstanding consumer experience, resting on three pillars: Premium POS design, salesperson behavior – and a perfectly designed and well-controlled supply chain.

 

The overall Retail landscape for Fashion and Luxury Goods has seen accelerated change over recent years – and change is far from over. Specialty retail and department stores are retreating across the western world, and trying to reinvent themselves over most of Asia and in emerging markets. In the meantime two “non-traditional” channels expand massively: Mono-branded stores and Online Retail.

Fashion and Luxury Goods makers fuel the rise of mono-branded retail, building large global networks of wholly owned stores, aggressively pursuing franchise and strategic partnering opportunities at the same time. These moves are largely driven by the need for fuller control of the supply chain. However, moving “from wholesale to retail” creates a number of new challenges, not every manufacturer is fully equipped to master. Structural changes, expanded control over optimized processes, different systems are required – as well as a profound shift in behavior reflecting a new business model.

 

MSU has been supporting global leaders in the fashion and luxury goods industries for almost 20 years. Over a wide range of projects we contribute substantially to major growth and improvements with these clients. Support areas include:

• Process Optimization in Sales and Marketing
• (Retail) Supply Chain Management
• Overall Business Process Management
• Reorganizations in Sales and Marketing
• Change Management
• Retail Management Support
• E-Retail Setup, Organization, Optimization
• Coaching and Training for Retail and Sales

Understanding industry specifics and demands much more intimately than other consultancies, and being exceptionally results-focused and pragmatic, has enabled us not just to provide relevant expertise – but real long-term change and successful growth of our fashion and luxury goods clients.