[ Industry advisory · Retail ]

Strategic advisory for specialty food and beverage retailers.

Delis, butchers, providores and bottle shops live on gross margin, shrinkage and stock turn. The operators who watch those three numbers weekly are the ones whose annual P&L still surprises them on the upside. We help specialty retailers run the shop on the numbers that actually move it — and structure the business properly for a second site, a sale, or the next generation.

[ What we hear, again and again ]

The pressures inside specialty food & beverage retail.

None of these are signs of a poorly-run business. They're signs that the financial relationship around the business hasn't kept up.

  • 01Gross margin drifting category by category without anyone noticing
  • 02Shrinkage — wastage, theft, miscount — quietly eating profit
  • 03Stock turn slowing as the range expands faster than the customer base
  • 04Supplier terms and rebates negotiated informally rather than tracked
  • 05Liquor licensing, compliance and structure (for bottle shops) handled reactively

[ How we work ]

What strategic support actually looks like.

  1. 01

    Gross margin tracked weekly by category, not just at year-end

  2. 02

    Shrinkage measured properly — stocktake variance against expected margin

  3. 03

    Stock turn and slow-moving lines reviewed against shelf space and cash

  4. 04

    Supplier terms, rebates and buying decisions reviewed quarterly

  5. 05

    Structure designed for licensing, multi-site and eventual sale or succession

[ The numbers that matter ]

What good operators in this industry actually watch.

Not a long list — the handful of numbers that, watched consistently, change how the business is run.

  • 01

    Gross margin % by category

    Where margin actually sits across the store

  • 02

    Shrinkage %

    Wastage, theft and miscount as a real number

  • 03

    Stock turn

    Times the inventory rolls each year, by category

  • 04

    Sales per square metre

    How hard the floor is actually working

  • 05

    Average basket and conversion

    What walks in vs what walks out

[ Across the year ]

A real cadence — not a tax-time call.

See the full 12-month cadence →

[ The honest line ]

Specialty retailers who track margin, shrinkage and turn weekly run calmer, more profitable shops — and are in a much stronger position when the second site, the sale or the next generation comes up.

[ The next conversation ]

Run the shop on the numbers that move it.

Bring the messy stuff. The numbers, the pressures, the decisions you've been putting off. The first conversation is structured, candid and obligation-free.

Book an introductory call →See the Command Centre