Oct 9, 2026
What Is Retail Consulting? Store Management, Sales Growth, KPIs, Profitability and Retail Math
What is retail consulting? Learn how to grow store sales, retail KPIs, conversion, ATV, UPT, store profitability and retail transformation.
Retail
Retail
Store Management
Retail
Opening a store is an investment decision; growing it productively is a management discipline.®
Retail growth is not just about opening new stores
A retail company can grow with new stores; but if the conversion, product productivity and profitability of its existing stores are weak, it may replicate the same problem at a larger scale. Retail is a commercial system in which traffic, conversion, basket, inventory, people, experience and profitability are managed together. Opening a store is an investment decision; growing it productively is a management discipline.
What is retail consulting?
Retail consulting is a strategic and operational consulting service that aims to improve the commercial performance, customer experience, operational efficiency, inventory and profitability structure of physical stores, store chains and franchise organisations. The goal is not just to lift short-term campaign sales but to build a repeatable store management system.
The scope can include store performance analysis, sales math, product-category management, sales training, visual merchandising, location assessment, inventory planning, franchise standards, CRM, omnichannel and regional management.
How do you increase store sales?
Starting with discounts or advertising without measuring the sources of sales growth is an incomplete approach. A simple model:
Store sales ≈ Number of visitors × Conversion rate × Average transaction value (ATV).
If 10,000 people enter a store in a period, 20% buy and the average transaction is 800 TL, sales are about 1.6 million TL. If traffic and ATV stay the same while conversion rises to 22%, sales rise to 1.76 million TL; in this example a two-percentage-point increase in conversion means a 10% increase in revenue. The example is simplified and entirely hypothetical.
Key factors affecting store performance:
Traffic: Location, visibility, brand awareness, events and local marketing.
Conversion: Product availability, price, service, store layout, selling skills.
Basket: Add-on selling, product mix, promotion and perceived value.
Customer loyalty: CRM, repeat purchase, personalised communication.
Profitability: Gross margin, store costs, discounts, inventory and shrinkage.
Sales Math
Segmentation should produce action, not just reporting.®
Retail KPIs: Conversion, ATV, UPT, LFL
Conversion Rate (store conversion) = Number of transactions / Number of visitors × 100. Visitor counting and transaction scope must be consistent across the chain. Low conversion may stem from staff, price, stock, visitor quality or the store experience.
ATV (Average Transaction Value) = Net sales / Number of transactions. The real source of an ATV increase may be price, category, transaction size or promotion. It should not be interpreted on its own.
UPT (Units Per Transaction) = Net units sold / Number of transactions. It is useful for analysing add-on strategies in cosmetics, perfume and fashion retail. Pushy selling can damage the customer experience.
LFL (Like-for-Like / same-store) is the periodic sales development of comparable stores. It separates growth from new stores from the productivity of existing stores. Period and store inclusion rules must be defined consistently.
Sales per square metre = Net sales / Defined selling area. It should be assessed together with store format and segment.
GMROI shows gross profit generated relative to inventory cost; sell-through shows how much of a given stock pool has sold; stock turnover shows how fast inventory turns. Measuring a store manager on revenue alone can hide profitability and inventory problems.
How do you improve store profitability?
A high-selling store does not always create high profit. The contribution margin of discounts, rent, staff, energy, shrinkage, logistics and operating costs should be examined together. I structure the analysis in four dimensions: revenue productivity, gross profit quality, operating costs and inventory economics.
Revenue: Traffic, conversion, ATV, UPT and category mix.
Profit: Net sales, cost of goods sold, variable costs, cost allocations.
Operations: Rent-to-sales ratio, staff hour productivity, rotas.
Inventory: Availability, slow-moving products, shrinkage, stock turn, transfers.
Giving every store the same target is a mistake. A premium mall store, a tourist location, a high-street store, an outlet, a kiosk or a pop-up can be managed with different economic targets.
Store System
Marketing creates the brand’s promise; the store delivers it.®
Store segmentation: Not every store has the same customer
Chain stores should be segmented by location, customer profile, traffic, category performance, size, seasonality and profitability. This segmentation affects stock allocation, window plans, product mix, staff shifts and local campaigns. What central management should standardise is not the commercial identity of stores but the quality of management.
For example, gift products may lead in a mall store, while different packaging and fast product explanation matter more in a tourism-focused store. Segmentation should produce action, not just reporting.
The role of marketing in retail
Marketing creates the brand’s promise; the store delivers it. The window, lighting, visual merchandising, product display, testers, packaging, price and the sales advisor’s communication all shape brand perception. That is why managing marketing and retail teams in separate worlds can create inefficiency in the long run.
Visual merchandising goes beyond arranging products nicely; it organises the customer’s decision journey. In premium fashion retail, space, service and product story matter; in perfume retail, sampling, category separation and gift suggestions. The premium brand and store work at Zeki Triko was a field of practice that showed how important it is for brand communication to match the physical experience.
Store staff training and sales culture
Making staff memorise products is not sales training. Needs analysis, asking the right questions, product storytelling, value-based selling, add-on suggestions, ethical objection handling and after-sales customer relationships should be addressed together. Training does not end in the classroom; it continues with the store manager’s observation and feedback on the floor.
A store manager is more than a shift supervisor; they run a small business. They balance sales targets, product, team, inventory, store standards and customer experience. Developing employees’ capabilities rather than managing them only through sales pressure can be a more sustainable approach.
If you would like to apply this framework to your own company, you can explore the consulting approach or get in touch directly.
Chain retail and regional management organisation
As the number of stores grows, an operations centre that depends on individuals becomes a risk. The responsibilities of retail operations, regional management, training, visual merchandising, store design, franchise partners, retail analytics and CRM roles should be defined. Reporting and audits should be set up not just to control stores but to help managers take the right action.
During the Loris Parfüm period, scale developments such as 135 new store openings and the number of countries of operation rising from 70 to 103 showed that commercial growth and organisational capability must develop at the same time. In that period, reported like-for-like store revenue growth was 65%, like-for-like unit growth 22% and total net revenue growth 107%. Each of these figures represents a different measurement dimension.
Store openings and franchise growth strategy
A new store decision should be made by analysing market size, target customer, footfall, location, competitors, rent, investment, opening stock, staff, revenue ramp-up, cash flow and expected payback together. Cautious, base and optimistic scenarios should be prepared; an investment decision should not be made on the highest sales target alone.
In the franchise model, brand standards and the investor’s economic sustainability must be protected together. Training, inventory, pricing, campaign participation, audits, reporting and service standards should be systematised. The profitability of existing franchisees matters as much as winning new ones.
Omnichannel retail and CRM
A customer can see a product on social media, research it on Google, try it in store and buy online. That is why managing physical retail and e-commerce with separate budgets and conflicting targets makes the customer journey harder.
In multi-channel retail, connecting customer identity with consent, stock visibility, product/price consistency, loyalty programmes, SMS and email communication, customer service, returns/exchanges and reporting are important. The financial return of every integration should be assessed.
Details on this topic: Omnichannel Retail Marketing.
Growth
A company that manages the retail system, not just the store, can scale growth more healthily.®
Lessons from Loris, Zeki Triko and Lelas
Loris Parfüm: A large store network, country expansion, sales and marketing coordination, retail training and operating processes showed that growth is not limited to new stores.
Zeki Triko: Premium brand work in markets such as Paris, Miami and Dubai was run together with store experience and international image management. Reported LFL revenue development in the period was around 135%.
Lelas: In a retail approach spanning 220 stores in 17 countries, systemic needs such as concept, sales channels and building e-commerce came to the fore.
These period results are examples that explain past management experience; they are not a guarantee of results for a future consulting project.
Retail consulting implementation plan
Stage 1 – Health check: Store, staff, inventory, traffic, conversion, ATV, UPT, LFL and profitability data are reviewed.
Stage 2 – Segmentation: Stores are classified by customer, location and performance.
Stage 3 – Standards and training: Sales processes, store management, training, product and visual merchandising model are designed.
Stage 4 – Growth: Existing store productivity, new locations, franchise and omnichannel opportunities are assessed.
Stage 5 – Management rhythm: Weekly store actions, monthly performance and quarterly investment decisions are tracked.
Conclusion
Frequently asked questions
What does a retail consultant do?
They jointly develop sales, profitability, product, stock, personnel, customer, and store operations.
What is the best way to increase store sales?
First, measure traffic, conversion, basket size, stock, and customer segments to resolve the biggest bottleneck; there is no single universal solution.
Are ATV and UPT the same thing?
No. ATV shows the monetary amount per transaction, while UPT indicates the number of items per transaction.
Why is LFL important?
It separates the growth of existing comparable stores from the impact of new store openings.
Can retail consulting be used for franchises?
Yes; it can be applied for brand standards, sales, business partner performance, training, and profitability.
Can small chains also benefit?
Yes; the system for 5 stores and 500 stores is designed with different levels of complexity.
Final word
Retailing is not just about sales targets, employees, and physical spaces. It is a disciplined commercial system where stock, customer, brand, team competency, and profitability are managed together. A company that manages the retail system, rather than just the store, can scale growth more healthily.
Author: Gökhan Akdağ, retail, brand, and commercial growth consultant with experience at Loris Parfüm, Zeki Triko, and Lelas.
Related links: Services · Case Studies · Consultancy · Contact
New articles on this topic
My Recent Posts
(Gökhan Akdağ)
©2026
What Is Marketing Consulting? How to Build a Marketing Strategy, Plan, Budget and Management Discipline
Oct 9, 2026
Marketing
What Is Commercial Growth Consulting? How to Manage Sales, Marketing, B2B, Export, Organisation and Profitable Growth
Oct 9, 2026
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Growing E-commerce Revenue by 500%
Oct 7, 2026
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FAQ
01
What does GA Consulting do?
02
What is your approach?
03
How do projects progress?
04
What is your focus?
05
Which areas do you work in?
06
What value does it create for companies?
07
Which companies is it right for?
08
How long until a project delivers results?
Oct 9, 2026
What Is Retail Consulting? Store Management, Sales Growth, KPIs, Profitability and Retail Math
What is retail consulting? Learn how to grow store sales, retail KPIs, conversion, ATV, UPT, store profitability and retail transformation.
Retail
Retail
Store Management
Retail
Opening a store is an investment decision; growing it productively is a management discipline.®
Retail growth is not just about opening new stores
A retail company can grow with new stores; but if the conversion, product productivity and profitability of its existing stores are weak, it may replicate the same problem at a larger scale. Retail is a commercial system in which traffic, conversion, basket, inventory, people, experience and profitability are managed together. Opening a store is an investment decision; growing it productively is a management discipline.
What is retail consulting?
Retail consulting is a strategic and operational consulting service that aims to improve the commercial performance, customer experience, operational efficiency, inventory and profitability structure of physical stores, store chains and franchise organisations. The goal is not just to lift short-term campaign sales but to build a repeatable store management system.
The scope can include store performance analysis, sales math, product-category management, sales training, visual merchandising, location assessment, inventory planning, franchise standards, CRM, omnichannel and regional management.
How do you increase store sales?
Starting with discounts or advertising without measuring the sources of sales growth is an incomplete approach. A simple model:
Store sales ≈ Number of visitors × Conversion rate × Average transaction value (ATV).
If 10,000 people enter a store in a period, 20% buy and the average transaction is 800 TL, sales are about 1.6 million TL. If traffic and ATV stay the same while conversion rises to 22%, sales rise to 1.76 million TL; in this example a two-percentage-point increase in conversion means a 10% increase in revenue. The example is simplified and entirely hypothetical.
Key factors affecting store performance:
Traffic: Location, visibility, brand awareness, events and local marketing.
Conversion: Product availability, price, service, store layout, selling skills.
Basket: Add-on selling, product mix, promotion and perceived value.
Customer loyalty: CRM, repeat purchase, personalised communication.
Profitability: Gross margin, store costs, discounts, inventory and shrinkage.
Sales Math
Segmentation should produce action, not just reporting.®
Retail KPIs: Conversion, ATV, UPT, LFL
Conversion Rate (store conversion) = Number of transactions / Number of visitors × 100. Visitor counting and transaction scope must be consistent across the chain. Low conversion may stem from staff, price, stock, visitor quality or the store experience.
ATV (Average Transaction Value) = Net sales / Number of transactions. The real source of an ATV increase may be price, category, transaction size or promotion. It should not be interpreted on its own.
UPT (Units Per Transaction) = Net units sold / Number of transactions. It is useful for analysing add-on strategies in cosmetics, perfume and fashion retail. Pushy selling can damage the customer experience.
LFL (Like-for-Like / same-store) is the periodic sales development of comparable stores. It separates growth from new stores from the productivity of existing stores. Period and store inclusion rules must be defined consistently.
Sales per square metre = Net sales / Defined selling area. It should be assessed together with store format and segment.
GMROI shows gross profit generated relative to inventory cost; sell-through shows how much of a given stock pool has sold; stock turnover shows how fast inventory turns. Measuring a store manager on revenue alone can hide profitability and inventory problems.
How do you improve store profitability?
A high-selling store does not always create high profit. The contribution margin of discounts, rent, staff, energy, shrinkage, logistics and operating costs should be examined together. I structure the analysis in four dimensions: revenue productivity, gross profit quality, operating costs and inventory economics.
Revenue: Traffic, conversion, ATV, UPT and category mix.
Profit: Net sales, cost of goods sold, variable costs, cost allocations.
Operations: Rent-to-sales ratio, staff hour productivity, rotas.
Inventory: Availability, slow-moving products, shrinkage, stock turn, transfers.
Giving every store the same target is a mistake. A premium mall store, a tourist location, a high-street store, an outlet, a kiosk or a pop-up can be managed with different economic targets.
Store System
Marketing creates the brand’s promise; the store delivers it.®
Store segmentation: Not every store has the same customer
Chain stores should be segmented by location, customer profile, traffic, category performance, size, seasonality and profitability. This segmentation affects stock allocation, window plans, product mix, staff shifts and local campaigns. What central management should standardise is not the commercial identity of stores but the quality of management.
For example, gift products may lead in a mall store, while different packaging and fast product explanation matter more in a tourism-focused store. Segmentation should produce action, not just reporting.
The role of marketing in retail
Marketing creates the brand’s promise; the store delivers it. The window, lighting, visual merchandising, product display, testers, packaging, price and the sales advisor’s communication all shape brand perception. That is why managing marketing and retail teams in separate worlds can create inefficiency in the long run.
Visual merchandising goes beyond arranging products nicely; it organises the customer’s decision journey. In premium fashion retail, space, service and product story matter; in perfume retail, sampling, category separation and gift suggestions. The premium brand and store work at Zeki Triko was a field of practice that showed how important it is for brand communication to match the physical experience.
Store staff training and sales culture
Making staff memorise products is not sales training. Needs analysis, asking the right questions, product storytelling, value-based selling, add-on suggestions, ethical objection handling and after-sales customer relationships should be addressed together. Training does not end in the classroom; it continues with the store manager’s observation and feedback on the floor.
A store manager is more than a shift supervisor; they run a small business. They balance sales targets, product, team, inventory, store standards and customer experience. Developing employees’ capabilities rather than managing them only through sales pressure can be a more sustainable approach.
If you would like to apply this framework to your own company, you can explore the consulting approach or get in touch directly.
Chain retail and regional management organisation
As the number of stores grows, an operations centre that depends on individuals becomes a risk. The responsibilities of retail operations, regional management, training, visual merchandising, store design, franchise partners, retail analytics and CRM roles should be defined. Reporting and audits should be set up not just to control stores but to help managers take the right action.
During the Loris Parfüm period, scale developments such as 135 new store openings and the number of countries of operation rising from 70 to 103 showed that commercial growth and organisational capability must develop at the same time. In that period, reported like-for-like store revenue growth was 65%, like-for-like unit growth 22% and total net revenue growth 107%. Each of these figures represents a different measurement dimension.
Store openings and franchise growth strategy
A new store decision should be made by analysing market size, target customer, footfall, location, competitors, rent, investment, opening stock, staff, revenue ramp-up, cash flow and expected payback together. Cautious, base and optimistic scenarios should be prepared; an investment decision should not be made on the highest sales target alone.
In the franchise model, brand standards and the investor’s economic sustainability must be protected together. Training, inventory, pricing, campaign participation, audits, reporting and service standards should be systematised. The profitability of existing franchisees matters as much as winning new ones.
Omnichannel retail and CRM
A customer can see a product on social media, research it on Google, try it in store and buy online. That is why managing physical retail and e-commerce with separate budgets and conflicting targets makes the customer journey harder.
In multi-channel retail, connecting customer identity with consent, stock visibility, product/price consistency, loyalty programmes, SMS and email communication, customer service, returns/exchanges and reporting are important. The financial return of every integration should be assessed.
Details on this topic: Omnichannel Retail Marketing.
Growth
A company that manages the retail system, not just the store, can scale growth more healthily.®
Lessons from Loris, Zeki Triko and Lelas
Loris Parfüm: A large store network, country expansion, sales and marketing coordination, retail training and operating processes showed that growth is not limited to new stores.
Zeki Triko: Premium brand work in markets such as Paris, Miami and Dubai was run together with store experience and international image management. Reported LFL revenue development in the period was around 135%.
Lelas: In a retail approach spanning 220 stores in 17 countries, systemic needs such as concept, sales channels and building e-commerce came to the fore.
These period results are examples that explain past management experience; they are not a guarantee of results for a future consulting project.
Retail consulting implementation plan
Stage 1 – Health check: Store, staff, inventory, traffic, conversion, ATV, UPT, LFL and profitability data are reviewed.
Stage 2 – Segmentation: Stores are classified by customer, location and performance.
Stage 3 – Standards and training: Sales processes, store management, training, product and visual merchandising model are designed.
Stage 4 – Growth: Existing store productivity, new locations, franchise and omnichannel opportunities are assessed.
Stage 5 – Management rhythm: Weekly store actions, monthly performance and quarterly investment decisions are tracked.
Conclusion
Frequently asked questions
What does a retail consultant do?
They jointly develop sales, profitability, product, stock, personnel, customer, and store operations.
What is the best way to increase store sales?
First, measure traffic, conversion, basket size, stock, and customer segments to resolve the biggest bottleneck; there is no single universal solution.
Are ATV and UPT the same thing?
No. ATV shows the monetary amount per transaction, while UPT indicates the number of items per transaction.
Why is LFL important?
It separates the growth of existing comparable stores from the impact of new store openings.
Can retail consulting be used for franchises?
Yes; it can be applied for brand standards, sales, business partner performance, training, and profitability.
Can small chains also benefit?
Yes; the system for 5 stores and 500 stores is designed with different levels of complexity.
Final word
Retailing is not just about sales targets, employees, and physical spaces. It is a disciplined commercial system where stock, customer, brand, team competency, and profitability are managed together. A company that manages the retail system, rather than just the store, can scale growth more healthily.
Author: Gökhan Akdağ, retail, brand, and commercial growth consultant with experience at Loris Parfüm, Zeki Triko, and Lelas.
Related links: Services · Case Studies · Consultancy · Contact
New articles on this topic
My Recent Posts
(Gökhan Akdağ)
©2026
What Is Marketing Consulting? How to Build a Marketing Strategy, Plan, Budget and Management Discipline
Oct 9, 2026
Marketing
What Is Commercial Growth Consulting? How to Manage Sales, Marketing, B2B, Export, Organisation and Profitable Growth
Oct 9, 2026
Strategy
Growing E-commerce Revenue by 500%
Oct 7, 2026
E-commerce
FAQ
01
What does GA Consulting do?
02
What is your approach?
03
How do projects progress?
04
What is your focus?
05
Which areas do you work in?
06
What value does it create for companies?
07
Which companies is it right for?
08
How long until a project delivers results?
Oct 9, 2026
What Is Retail Consulting? Store Management, Sales Growth, KPIs, Profitability and Retail Math
What is retail consulting? Learn how to grow store sales, retail KPIs, conversion, ATV, UPT, store profitability and retail transformation.
Retail
Retail
Store Management
Retail
Opening a store is an investment decision; growing it productively is a management discipline.®
Retail growth is not just about opening new stores
A retail company can grow with new stores; but if the conversion, product productivity and profitability of its existing stores are weak, it may replicate the same problem at a larger scale. Retail is a commercial system in which traffic, conversion, basket, inventory, people, experience and profitability are managed together. Opening a store is an investment decision; growing it productively is a management discipline.
What is retail consulting?
Retail consulting is a strategic and operational consulting service that aims to improve the commercial performance, customer experience, operational efficiency, inventory and profitability structure of physical stores, store chains and franchise organisations. The goal is not just to lift short-term campaign sales but to build a repeatable store management system.
The scope can include store performance analysis, sales math, product-category management, sales training, visual merchandising, location assessment, inventory planning, franchise standards, CRM, omnichannel and regional management.
How do you increase store sales?
Starting with discounts or advertising without measuring the sources of sales growth is an incomplete approach. A simple model:
Store sales ≈ Number of visitors × Conversion rate × Average transaction value (ATV).
If 10,000 people enter a store in a period, 20% buy and the average transaction is 800 TL, sales are about 1.6 million TL. If traffic and ATV stay the same while conversion rises to 22%, sales rise to 1.76 million TL; in this example a two-percentage-point increase in conversion means a 10% increase in revenue. The example is simplified and entirely hypothetical.
Key factors affecting store performance:
Traffic: Location, visibility, brand awareness, events and local marketing.
Conversion: Product availability, price, service, store layout, selling skills.
Basket: Add-on selling, product mix, promotion and perceived value.
Customer loyalty: CRM, repeat purchase, personalised communication.
Profitability: Gross margin, store costs, discounts, inventory and shrinkage.
Sales Math
Segmentation should produce action, not just reporting.®
Retail KPIs: Conversion, ATV, UPT, LFL
Conversion Rate (store conversion) = Number of transactions / Number of visitors × 100. Visitor counting and transaction scope must be consistent across the chain. Low conversion may stem from staff, price, stock, visitor quality or the store experience.
ATV (Average Transaction Value) = Net sales / Number of transactions. The real source of an ATV increase may be price, category, transaction size or promotion. It should not be interpreted on its own.
UPT (Units Per Transaction) = Net units sold / Number of transactions. It is useful for analysing add-on strategies in cosmetics, perfume and fashion retail. Pushy selling can damage the customer experience.
LFL (Like-for-Like / same-store) is the periodic sales development of comparable stores. It separates growth from new stores from the productivity of existing stores. Period and store inclusion rules must be defined consistently.
Sales per square metre = Net sales / Defined selling area. It should be assessed together with store format and segment.
GMROI shows gross profit generated relative to inventory cost; sell-through shows how much of a given stock pool has sold; stock turnover shows how fast inventory turns. Measuring a store manager on revenue alone can hide profitability and inventory problems.
How do you improve store profitability?
A high-selling store does not always create high profit. The contribution margin of discounts, rent, staff, energy, shrinkage, logistics and operating costs should be examined together. I structure the analysis in four dimensions: revenue productivity, gross profit quality, operating costs and inventory economics.
Revenue: Traffic, conversion, ATV, UPT and category mix.
Profit: Net sales, cost of goods sold, variable costs, cost allocations.
Operations: Rent-to-sales ratio, staff hour productivity, rotas.
Inventory: Availability, slow-moving products, shrinkage, stock turn, transfers.
Giving every store the same target is a mistake. A premium mall store, a tourist location, a high-street store, an outlet, a kiosk or a pop-up can be managed with different economic targets.
Store System
Marketing creates the brand’s promise; the store delivers it.®
Store segmentation: Not every store has the same customer
Chain stores should be segmented by location, customer profile, traffic, category performance, size, seasonality and profitability. This segmentation affects stock allocation, window plans, product mix, staff shifts and local campaigns. What central management should standardise is not the commercial identity of stores but the quality of management.
For example, gift products may lead in a mall store, while different packaging and fast product explanation matter more in a tourism-focused store. Segmentation should produce action, not just reporting.
The role of marketing in retail
Marketing creates the brand’s promise; the store delivers it. The window, lighting, visual merchandising, product display, testers, packaging, price and the sales advisor’s communication all shape brand perception. That is why managing marketing and retail teams in separate worlds can create inefficiency in the long run.
Visual merchandising goes beyond arranging products nicely; it organises the customer’s decision journey. In premium fashion retail, space, service and product story matter; in perfume retail, sampling, category separation and gift suggestions. The premium brand and store work at Zeki Triko was a field of practice that showed how important it is for brand communication to match the physical experience.
Store staff training and sales culture
Making staff memorise products is not sales training. Needs analysis, asking the right questions, product storytelling, value-based selling, add-on suggestions, ethical objection handling and after-sales customer relationships should be addressed together. Training does not end in the classroom; it continues with the store manager’s observation and feedback on the floor.
A store manager is more than a shift supervisor; they run a small business. They balance sales targets, product, team, inventory, store standards and customer experience. Developing employees’ capabilities rather than managing them only through sales pressure can be a more sustainable approach.
If you would like to apply this framework to your own company, you can explore the consulting approach or get in touch directly.
Chain retail and regional management organisation
As the number of stores grows, an operations centre that depends on individuals becomes a risk. The responsibilities of retail operations, regional management, training, visual merchandising, store design, franchise partners, retail analytics and CRM roles should be defined. Reporting and audits should be set up not just to control stores but to help managers take the right action.
During the Loris Parfüm period, scale developments such as 135 new store openings and the number of countries of operation rising from 70 to 103 showed that commercial growth and organisational capability must develop at the same time. In that period, reported like-for-like store revenue growth was 65%, like-for-like unit growth 22% and total net revenue growth 107%. Each of these figures represents a different measurement dimension.
Store openings and franchise growth strategy
A new store decision should be made by analysing market size, target customer, footfall, location, competitors, rent, investment, opening stock, staff, revenue ramp-up, cash flow and expected payback together. Cautious, base and optimistic scenarios should be prepared; an investment decision should not be made on the highest sales target alone.
In the franchise model, brand standards and the investor’s economic sustainability must be protected together. Training, inventory, pricing, campaign participation, audits, reporting and service standards should be systematised. The profitability of existing franchisees matters as much as winning new ones.
Omnichannel retail and CRM
A customer can see a product on social media, research it on Google, try it in store and buy online. That is why managing physical retail and e-commerce with separate budgets and conflicting targets makes the customer journey harder.
In multi-channel retail, connecting customer identity with consent, stock visibility, product/price consistency, loyalty programmes, SMS and email communication, customer service, returns/exchanges and reporting are important. The financial return of every integration should be assessed.
Details on this topic: Omnichannel Retail Marketing.
Growth
A company that manages the retail system, not just the store, can scale growth more healthily.®
Lessons from Loris, Zeki Triko and Lelas
Loris Parfüm: A large store network, country expansion, sales and marketing coordination, retail training and operating processes showed that growth is not limited to new stores.
Zeki Triko: Premium brand work in markets such as Paris, Miami and Dubai was run together with store experience and international image management. Reported LFL revenue development in the period was around 135%.
Lelas: In a retail approach spanning 220 stores in 17 countries, systemic needs such as concept, sales channels and building e-commerce came to the fore.
These period results are examples that explain past management experience; they are not a guarantee of results for a future consulting project.
Retail consulting implementation plan
Stage 1 – Health check: Store, staff, inventory, traffic, conversion, ATV, UPT, LFL and profitability data are reviewed.
Stage 2 – Segmentation: Stores are classified by customer, location and performance.
Stage 3 – Standards and training: Sales processes, store management, training, product and visual merchandising model are designed.
Stage 4 – Growth: Existing store productivity, new locations, franchise and omnichannel opportunities are assessed.
Stage 5 – Management rhythm: Weekly store actions, monthly performance and quarterly investment decisions are tracked.
Conclusion
Frequently asked questions
What does a retail consultant do?
They jointly develop sales, profitability, product, stock, personnel, customer, and store operations.
What is the best way to increase store sales?
First, measure traffic, conversion, basket size, stock, and customer segments to resolve the biggest bottleneck; there is no single universal solution.
Are ATV and UPT the same thing?
No. ATV shows the monetary amount per transaction, while UPT indicates the number of items per transaction.
Why is LFL important?
It separates the growth of existing comparable stores from the impact of new store openings.
Can retail consulting be used for franchises?
Yes; it can be applied for brand standards, sales, business partner performance, training, and profitability.
Can small chains also benefit?
Yes; the system for 5 stores and 500 stores is designed with different levels of complexity.
Final word
Retailing is not just about sales targets, employees, and physical spaces. It is a disciplined commercial system where stock, customer, brand, team competency, and profitability are managed together. A company that manages the retail system, rather than just the store, can scale growth more healthily.
Author: Gökhan Akdağ, retail, brand, and commercial growth consultant with experience at Loris Parfüm, Zeki Triko, and Lelas.
Related links: Services · Case Studies · Consultancy · Contact
New articles on this topic
My Recent Posts
©2026
What Is Marketing Consulting? How to Build a Marketing Strategy, Plan, Budget and Management Discipline
Oct 9, 2026
Marketing
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