International Growth Practice

Entering a new market can be a good way for a business to achieve revenue growth, especially when it is facing disruption and fierce domestic competition. However, identifying the right markets for growth (Market Assessment) and then developing a successful market entry strategy (e.g. customer targeting, proposition developing and partner selection) is not easy, especially when competing with other global and local players and addressing new stakeholder priorities such as ESG.

PwC’s International Growth Practice supports companies to identify the most suitable markets for growth and expansion across both developed and developing economies and works with them to create market entry strategies for long-term success. Using a structured approach and PwC’s established market entry framework, our team supports clients to understand the key business and strategic requirements for a successful market expansion.

Our services:

• Identification and prioritisation of best fit markets for entry, based on macro-economic and industry criteria
• Analysis of demand / supply drivers, consumer preferences, competition landscape and the regulatory environment
• Development of market entry strategies - consumer, proposition and channel engagement plans, and overall roadmap
• Benchmarking and analysis of leading practices across global companies
• Partner selection and target search (long-list)
• Credits and incentives analysis and in-country support

In response to several global disruptions (e.g. trade disputes, pandemic, shipping bottlenecks) corporates are looking to make their supply chains less dependent on a small set of countries, whilst becoming more resilient and ESG friendly. By reviewing their supplier portfolios, companies have the opportunity to identify new suppliers which are well located to support them in serving new consumer markets whilst also meeting the expectations of investors and new consumers on key topics such as ESG.

Leveraging our industry subject matter specialists and our colleagues based in several countries worldwide, we review existing supplier portfolios together with future growth plans to help our clients develop selection criteria, in order to identify the most suitable new supplier portfolio mix. Our recommendations aim to not only meet corporate needs, but also address investor and consumer priorities.

• Assessment of global supplier base, category spend analysis and benchmarking
• Analysis of sourcing locations / countries and prioritisation based on strategic criteria
• Design of future supplier portfolio design (by category) and target spend by geography
• Potential supplier screening and profiling
• Support in supplier selection / benchmarking and RFP process

Fundamental shifts in global trade (e.g. the continued rise of Asia-Pacific (APAC) as a market to source, manufacture and sell to) and a series of disruptive events, (e.g. trade wars and a global pandemic) have prompted companies of all sizes to re-evaluate where they manufacture goods to best address the needs of both existing and future consumers. This has become even more complicated as companies look to embrace new ESG strategies to attract and retain investors and consumers.

Working with our clients, our PwC professionals evaluate quantitative and qualitative criteria (e.g. political and economic stability, sustainable practices, infrastructure, talent availability, raw material access, tax and incentives and logistics) using both secondary and primary sources, to identify the most suitable locations for new manufacturing sites, research and development (R&D) facilities, service centres and other facilities. This also includes conducting on-site visits with clients and supporting clients with incentives negotiations with government agencies.

• Strategic framework design for location selection / prioritisation
• Manufacturing location analysis (country/region/province) and prioritisation based on a quantitative scoring model and qualitative criteria
• Development of location profiles with insights on relevant industrial parks
• Site screening / evaluation based on primary and secondary information
• Site visits and assessment, including discussions relevant authorities
• Credit and incentives support

As consumers become more dispersed globally and talent pools mature in new locations, companies need to review their talent strategy and operating model in order to be able to respond quickly to consumer demand whilst maintaining high standards and costs.

With our extensive global network and recruitment partners, we can help clients conduct global talent strategy using both quantitative and qualitative factors to evaluate potential locations. This includes talent availability, diversity of talent pools, depth of skills, salary ranges and non-talent factors such as a city’s global appeal, the education landscape, government policies and corporate talent development initiative

• Talent availability, ease of hiring and cost analysis, for target roles / skill-sets and seniority levels
• Evaluation of employee value propositions (by market) and benchmarking with competition
• Benchmarking of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) policies / practices and key trends
• Location assessment and selection based on talent and non-talent criteria
• Identification of global portfolio options and target operating model design
• Program management / support in recruitment planning and execution

In an increasingly disruptive and uncertain environment, it becomes critical for companies to engage in strategic dialogue with their customers and help them navigate change as well as support them in their journey towards resilient growth.

Leveraging our global expertise, we help our clients in developing forward-thinking perspectives and strategic points-of-view (PoVs) for their customers. Our PoVs are based on quantitative and qualitative analysis customised to the specific areas of focus for our clients (and their customers) and cover a variety of topics such as navigating disruption in a post-COVID era, new trade corridors and opportunities for cross-border growth, driving sustainability and ESG initiatives, digital transformation etc.

• Development of forward looking points-of-view on strategic focus areas, supported by info-graphics and qualitative insights
• Survey design, questionnaire development  and analysis
• Creation of supporting material, including webinar presentations and social media messages