The Consumer Sector

Those that adopt a multi-channel route to market will be most successful.

Gresham has a strong track record of investing in the consumer and retail sector. These have included successful investments in consumer brands, restaurant and food service and food manufacturing.

The current consumer economy will continue to be a challenging environment as disposable incomes become increasingly squeezed. However, there are still clear winners in many niche subsectors that have a differentiated proposition for the customer.

The most successful retail businesses now adopt a multi-channel route to market, allowing the customer the option of internet, mobile, mail order catalogue and physical stores to make purchases. Research has shown that consumers want to engage with retail brands in the channel that is most convenient to them at a particular point in time, and that they will freely switch between channels. Multi-channel consumers also have a higher average spend than a single channel consumer.

Another clear differentiator is the brand strength to rise above the challenging macro-environment. This may take the form of:

product design;
retail experience;
kudos associated with the brand

The most successful brands are those that can be quickly scaled and have the potential for internationalisation.

Gresham has a track record of successfully investing in the consumer and retail sector with these characteristics and we are actively looking to back ambitious management teams with a scalable business model fitting this criteria.

For further information please contact:
Mike O'Brien
Iain Wolstenholme

Click below for a selection of current and realised consumer services companies:

Hotter Shoes

A leading UK brand of quality, comfortable footwear for the grey market. Hotter’s design and assembly are focussed in the UK, distinguishing itself as one of the few British made footwear ranges.