ANZ Retailer Expansion Case Brief

A national ANZ beverage-retail brand has flat sales in core urban locations. Leadership wants a growth plan that lifts revenue without eroding margin.

Objective

Recommend a three-year growth strategy that:

• lifts revenue by at least 15 percent
• protects gross margin
• improves repeat purchase rate

First-principles diagnosis

Start by decomposing sales:

• Sales = traffic x conversion x average basket
• If sales are flat, one or more of these is weak
• Then test root causes: awareness, distribution, pricing, or product relevance

Data pack provided

• customer segments by age, location, and channel
• store-level and online conversion data
• pricing bands and competitor benchmarks
• high-level cost assumptions for rollout options

What strong teams deliver

• 2 to 3 options with explicit tradeoffs
• one clear recommendation with reasons
• a simple sensitivity check on key assumptions
• a practical rollout plan with owner, timeline, and risk controls

Suggested solution structure

• Problem framing from first principles
• Key insight from customer and channel analysis
• Option comparison (impact, feasibility, risk)
• Financial logic (base case and downside)
• 90-day execution plan

Judge scoring lens

Judges typically reward:

• clear logic over slide complexity
• realistic assumptions over aggressive forecasts
• execution clarity over vague strategy language

Edge prompt

If your recommendation fails in Year 1, what is your recovery plan in 30 days? Include this in your appendix and you will usually outperform the median team.