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Consumer and retail consulting used to be one market. Now it's 4.

Each lane pulls a different lever – growth, margin, or talent. Firms that used to compete on "we do consumer and retail" are getting picked apart by specialists who can prove which lever they actually move.

In this episode of The Briefing, Japheth sits down with Namaan to break down the 4 lanes reshaping a $70B market, why AI stopped being enough on its own, and why private equity's longer hold periods are turning growth and profitability into the same conversation.

If you're a firm leader trying to protect market position, win the talent war, or defend margin, this one's for you.

Resources:

Go deeper on the data:

• Want to see which firms are already winning in each lane? Check out our 2026 Consumer & Retail ranking
• Want to hear it straight from firms already competing in these lanes? Watch our Consumer & Retail panel

Go act on it:

• If your firm doesn't have a 10-second answer to "what do we solve better than anyone else," grab time with Namaan – MC works with firms to shape how that answer gets told to candidates and PE sponsors
• If you're a candidate trying to figure out which lane to network into, Black Belt helps you match your profile and story to the right one, and you can see who's actually hiring on our job board

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