SUCCESS STORY
£64M savings forecast
Retail & Consumer:
COGS Reduction & Margin Improvement
Strategic sourcing transformation delivered multi-year savings and capability uplift
Outcomes
£64M Programme Savings
Forecast over three years
Team Capability Improved
New sourcing and negotiation approaches strengthened the incumbent team
Data-Led Decisions
Toolkit and dashboards enabled sustainable, evidence-based change
BACKGROUND
A leading British housewares company, well known across consumer retail, engaged 4C to improve margins through a full commercial transformation.
The partnership began with an eight-week diagnostic and quickly expanded into a comprehensive sourcing programme to unlock savings, enhance team performance, and embed sustainable practices.
the challenge
The client lacked visibility of commercial data, relied on limited supplier competition, and managed categories inconsistently. As a result, the procurement team was under-equipped to negotiate effectively and struggled to identify opportunities for structured savings.
SOLUTION
4C designed and delivered a structured sourcing transformation, phased across immediate, mid-term, and long-term actions.
- Developed category strategies to improve buying performance, product mix, and trading dynamics
- Applied P4’s procurement toolkit to identify and track full savings opportunities
- Set phased timelines aligned with the retail calendar and “Right Customer Choice” principles
- Installed baseline and savings tracking to measure COGS and margin improvements
- Embedded governance to ensure accountability and sustainability
“4C were a true partner in delivering margin improvement.
They got involved, got stakeholders on-side and backed up all their strategies and benefits with sound logic and data. We couldn’t have delivered without them.”
Former CEO