Accenture Acquires HRC Retail Advisory Consulting Firm -

Accenture is acquiring HRC Retail Advisory, a Northbrook, Illinois-based consultancy focused on helping retailers to "improve profitability in the rapidly evolving retail environment." Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This is technology M&A deal number 462 that ChannelE2E has covered so far in 2021.

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What Is Strategic Retail Consulting?

HRC Retail Advisory’s expertise involves:

demand planning, margin and inventory optimization;

indirect procurement consulting;

end-to-end supply chain transformation;

store and field operations;

retailer profit improvement diagnostic based on a rapid EBITDA assessment; and

profitable omni-channel operating model services.

The HRC Retail Advisory team -- spanning roughly 30 employees -- will tuck into Accenture’s Retail Strategy group.

Accenture Acquires HRC Retail Advisory: Executive Perspectives

In a prepared statement about the acquisition, Jill Standish, Accenture senior managing director and global retail industry group lead, said:

“With new consumer habits that formed in the last year enduring into the foreseeable future, retailers need to be able to think fast and make decisions with insight. The addition of HRC Retail Advisory will further strengthen our retail strategy and consulting services, which combine deep industry expertise, advanced analytics capabilities and human-centered approaches to enable 360° value creation for our clients.”

Added Antony Karabus and Farla Efros, CEO and president, HRC Retail Advisory, respectively:

“Joining Accenture will give our clients access to a global set of retail strategy and performance improvement solutions to help navigate ongoing disruption. We have a shared vision for helping retailers adapt their business models to meet expanding customer demands, strengthen balance sheets, modernize infrastructures and scale their digital capabilities effectively.”

Concluded Brooks Kitchel, Accenture Strategy senior managing director and global retail strategy lead:

“The retail landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace. With the right strategy, data and level of agility, every retailer has the opportunity to reset and refocus on growth. HRC Retail Advisory has a strong reputation for delivering transformative, measurable results based on clear, actionable strategies tailored to each client’s unique business, and we look forward to welcoming them to our team.”

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, Accenture noted.