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Baby Formula
BabyformulaCo is a leading producer of baby formula with a 30% market share in the US that is looking for ways to increase their market share without significantly lowering profitability. Recently, a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for low-income women and their children was introduced, which provides vouchers to purchase baby formula.The client is interested in bidding for the tender contracts but needs help in determining the appropriate bidding price.
MBB - Climate Change Operations
A mid-sized manufacturing company is concerned about the potential impacts of climate change on its operations. The company has a number of factories located in coastal regions that are vulnerable to flooding and other weather-related events, and it is concerned about the potential financial and reputational risks associated with these events. The company's leadership team has asked your consulting firm to help them understand the risks they face and develop a plan to mitigate those risks.Clarifying Info:Our client’s objective is to maintain long-term profitabilityOur client’s factories are located throughout the US===================================================Note: Once you have solved this case, make sure to solve the 2nd version of this case: MBB - Climate Change Operations - Part 2 | PrepLounge.comThis case is designed to show you how a case can evolve/change based on new information. The first half of this case is the same, but diverges once data and #s are provided.To learn more about how to use case leadership to navigate dynamic cases, please read here: Candidate-Led Cases: What to Expect With Example Cases
Hara Coffee Co's innovative coffee subscription model
Our client, Hara Coffee Company, is a large coffee chain with over 200 locations in the United Kingdom. They import beans from numerous regions and batch-roast them in the UK, offering customers a vast selection of premium blends. In addition to serving delicious coffee, our client offers freshly made sandwiches, pastries, and salads of the highest quality. Hara Coffee Co. is also one of the most socially and environmentally responsible coffee brands in the United Kingdom, and their value proposition heavily relies on customers paying a premium for delicious products that do not compromise on sustainability metrics.The rising cost of living has significantly reduced the revenue of coffee chains throughout the United Kingdom over the past year. People are increasingly choosing to brew their own coffee at home, with beans delivered by subscription. The CEO of Hara Coffee Company is intrigued by the expansion of coffee subscription models in the UK. They requested that our team investigate whether their chain could also introduce a coffee subscription model, in which customers pay a fixed monthly fee and receive a certain number of coffees throughout the month.
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GlowMobile Goes Digital (McKinsey first-round)
GlowMobile is a leading telecom operator with a strong presence in Southeast Asia. They sell regular products and services that any telecom operator would offer in their retail stores: cell phones, SIM cards, subscriptions, etc.Even though the number of digital customers in the region has grown exponentially, currently GlowMobile does not have an online presence and customers must go in person to retail stores for every interaction with the operator. In the past years, they have been losing a lot of customers due to bad customer experience.GlowMobile has asked our team to improve customer satisfaction through digitization. Specifically, they want us to help improve and digitize their operations and prepare a proof of concept for a digital customer journey for customers.The CEO believes that opening their digital channel would minimize the loss of customers due to bad customer experience and solidify their position as market leader. Right now, a digital journey does not exist.
McKinsey 1st Round Case - Party Burger
Our client is Party Burger, a restaurant chain in the US serving premium burgers and salads for lunch. They rely on the quality of their products to attract customers, and they are usually fully booked. However, reviews have pointed out that the service offered could be improved. Our client is concerned this could impact their sustainability long term.
Kearney First Round Case - Top Chemicals
Our client is the US-based biotech company Top Chemicals. They have just developed a fertilizer that is waiting to get approval for commercialization. They hired us to identify the best price for it.
Bain/BCG - Hunger Warriors
Our client is Hunger Warriors, a non-profit with ambitions to solve world hunger. While approximately one tenth of the human population goes to bed hungry, Hunger Warriors aims to bring this number to zero. One of their primary initiatives is to reduce food waste, which represents $1.5 Trillion in lost value per year. They have tasked us with identifying the major sources of food waste and determining the best course of action to reduce this. Clarifying questions:You can think of them as similar to the WHO or the UN in their scope and reachAll options are on the table to reduce food wasteWe do not have a set budget = this is dependent on the donations and funding we are able to get
BoxxFitness Gyms
Our client is the CEO of BoxxFitness - a leading gym chain in the US with over 1,500 gyms. BoxxFitness is a premium gym concept with an annual membership fee that is 2-3x higher than most mainstream gyms. Each gym has a limited number of membership slots. Each member gets a dedicated locker, unlimited personal training, unlimited classes, and unlimited equipment usage. In the last 3 years, the chain has seen a decline in its profit margin.Can you identify the potential reasons for this decline?
Facilities in a restroom
A restaurant owner is currently setting up a new restaurant and making some basic decisions on how to fit it out. Today he’s deciding on facilities in restrooms for customers to dry their hands. He has 3 options: Paper towels, Roller towels, and Hot Air dryers. What should he consider in his decision-making process?
Poliglot Language App Needs Users
Let’s assume our client is Poliglot, a popular language app. Poliglot is five years old, originally from the US, but available worldwide. The app currently offers the possibility of learning over twenty languages for free, with extra benefits (e.g., no ads, additional exercises) available to premium members.Historically, the app has been very successful and has seen significant growth over the past few years. However, over the past year, the app noticed a stagnating usage and app adoption. Considering that the market is very competitive, the client expects a decline in the customer base unless the root causes are identified and addressed. As a consequence, the CEO of the company that owns the app asked us to support them in figuring out the reasons for the decline and laying out a plan for growth.
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Market entry: Disrupting the New York - Boston railway industry
Currently, there is only one train company operating the Boston – New York route: AMTRAK. The option of traveling by train between the two metropolis is gaining traffic, particularly in winter times, during which it´s the best way to avoid weather-related delays. Furthermore, it´s the most environmentally friendly of all available options. Your client is a powerful investor who is assessing business options in the US (with investment sizes averaging 100M$), and has approached you for advice on starting a new train operation company to compete against AMTRAK.In particular, she wants to start by opening a new service between New York and Boston. Should the investor go ahead and launch the business?
Bain 1st Round Case – BlissOttica
Our client is a BlissOttica, an Eyewear Manufacturer that is looking to reach a 10% increase in profits. How would you help our client?
Caribbean Island – MBB Final Round
A wealthy client has recently bought an island in the Caribbean. She has engaged us to identify possible uses for her new island.
Case with a twist: Chinese Alloy Wheels – US Market Entry
Our client is an alloy wheels manufacturer based in China. The client is contemplating entering the US market. At this point of time, the client sells the wheels in the China market. In order to make the wheels for the US market, he will have to expand its production capacity. As a result, whether to enter the US or not is a high-stake decision. He has hired BCG to advise him on this issue.
Changes in cookies market
Your client is a US-based manufacturer of branded cookies, Gumbread Inc. The client realized that their sales have declined in recent years. The client wants to know what they should do to do drive sales again.
Grain Co-operative – Brand Launch
MeGrain is a co-operative of 5000 farmers in the central part of India. As a co-operative, the farmers came together to sell the grains to retailers and wholesalers. They are the 3rd largest grain sellers in India and sell 10million quintals of grains annually. They have operations in 4 regions in India, and head office in Mumbai. MeGrain mainly deals in 3 types of grains. Viz. Rice, Wheat, and Maze. The grains are collected from the farmers attached to the co-operative. The grains are sorted, packed, and stored at storage facilities spread across towns in the region. MeGrain sales team brings orders by visiting retailers and wholesalers across the country and abroad. The grains are dispatched directly from the storage facilities to the customers. Customers make the payment to the MeGrain co-operative, which then is forwarded to the bank accounts of the individual farmers.MeGrain management has observed that the FMCG market, including foodgrains, is changing rapidly in India. Mom and pop stores have given ways to supermarkets. Consumers are adopting branded products rapidly. Although there is no branded grain product yet, the management believes that there is a huge scope for a branded product in the grain market as well. Management is contemplating about launching a MeGrain branded grains in the Indian market. They have called you to advise them whether they should launch their own brand in the Indian market.
Car rental market entry strategy
The client is CarRentalCo, a global car rental company present on the European and North American markets. In Europe, it is present in most EU countries but has not yet entered the Baltic countries. CarRentalCo has asked us to determine whether or not they should enter the Baltic (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania being here considered as one market) and, if so, what should their entry strategy be.
COVID-19 impact on Heathrow Airport
Your client is the CEO of Heathrow airport (London), the busiest airport in Europe in terms of commercial traffic.Due to COVID-19, the airport's operations and hence, revenue streams, have been severely affected.The CEO asks for your help with the preparation of the upcoming Steerco, focused on:“How to secure Heathrow's revenue streams during April-June 2020, mitigating the effects of COVID-19”.
Double trouble
Our client is RedBus, one of several operators of iconic double-decker public transport buses in London. Over the past three years RedBus have experienced declining profitability, as a result of reduced demand for buses due to growth in affordable taxi services, such as Uber.The client is looking to understand the root cause of the issue and discuss ways to improve profitability.
SuperMovil - Telco startup market expansion
Your client is the CEO of a Europe-based mobile Telco operator, SuperMovil. Their business model is very unique: they are a “virtual Telco”. They differ from traditional mobile operators (e.g. Vodafone, T-Mobile, Telefónica/O2, etc.) in that they do not own optic fiber, antennas and satellites, but instead partner with the cited traditional Telcos and rent capacity in order to offer their services. Hence, they differ from the classical Telco, since they don't make big CAPEX investments. Your client has expressed interest in expanding her company’s operations to a new country. Which are all the factors you would take into consideration to orchestrate this geographical expansion? *Note: The M&A department has shortlisted 10 countries as top candidates, but this info will be provided and worked on later on in the case.
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