Chaitsi Ahuja, founder and CEO of Brown Living, was discussing the firm’s future with her teammates. Ahuja started Brown Living in 2019 with a vision for a zero-waste lifestyle and used a marketplace model to partner with other brands and artisans and offer sustainable products for consumers. It strove to maintain a 100 per cent green supply chain and was guided by its Brown Lens method to ensure accurate green assessments of every product. But it .....more

George Weston Limited (GWL), Canada’s largest retailer, decided in March 2023 to sell its bakery operations to focus on food, retail, and real estate development. The company distributed a package outlining the operational and financial performance of the bakery unit, Weston Foods, to likely bidders. Before bids were received, GWL needed to estimate the unit’s fair market value. GWL hoped to complete the sale before its December year-end, and had .....more

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (LVMH), formed in 1987 through the merger of Louis Vuitton and Moet Hennessy, established itself as a global leader in luxury goods. However, the proliferation of counterfeit products in both the primary and resale markets posed a significant threat to the brand’s integrity. These counterfeit goods undermined consumer trust and eroded the exclusivity that defined luxury brands. Blockchain technology, with its ability .....more

In December 2024, a proposed $24.6 billion merger between the Kroger Company (Kroger) and Albertsons Companies Inc. (Albertsons) faced a decisive regulatory block by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) due to antitrust concerns. This decision, supported by multiple state attorneys general, highlighted increasing scrutiny over corporate consolidation. Kroger’s chief executive officer was now facing critical strategic decisions amid a rapidly evolving .....more

Kyle Lesch, head of whisky and reserve at Diageo, pondered how to successfully revitalize and transform the Johnnie Walker (JW) brand and regain market share in South Africa. Despite JW’s global recognition, the brand faced marketing challenges in South Africa due to its outdated strategy of targeting affluent older men. While the global subsidiary had shifted to focus on younger consumers since 2000, the South African subsidiary lagged behind, reluctant .....more

In early 2024, Woolworths introduced a Coaching and Productivity Framework aimed at increasing efficiency at its distribution centres in Australia. Based on engineered standards, staff were expected to perform at 100 per cent during their shift with respect to a speed-related metric commonly referred to as a pick rate. A headset worn by warehouse employees told them where to go, what items to take from the shelves and pack, and how long this should .....more

In April 2025, Beth Benike, a US Army veteran and founder of Busy Baby LLC, was riding a wave of success. Her baby products company had crossed US$15 million in sales and earned shelf space in Walmart Inc. and Target Corporation stores, and she had just been named Minnesota Small Businessperson of the Year. But a sudden 145 per cent tariff on Chinese imports imposed by the Trump administration upended everything. With critical inventory stranded overseas .....more

Despite a goal to open more stores and become a meaningful brand in India by 2030, IKEA India Pvt. Ltd. (IKEA India) decided to shut down its first small-format store in Mumbai. CEO Susanne Pulverer and her team made this decision in February 2024, citing design and location challenges. As the team planned for future growth, they needed to consider selecting store locations that balanced accessibility, urban density, and real estate costs while maintaining .....more

Hatley ventured into the United States market, yet its vice president of operations confronted a perplexing dilemma without a clear solution in sight. The vice president grappled with the intricate challenge of harmonizing e-commerce and wholesale channels, particularly within the contrasting terrains of the US and Canadian markets. The United States mostly favoured a wholesale-driven model, whereas Canada preferred e-commerce. Additionally, Hatley .....more

This case explores the critical challenges faced by URBN SR LLC (Nuuly), a clothing rental company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in December 2024, when a customer publicly shared a mishap she experienced while wearing rented Nuuly jeans on the New York City subway. The resulting backlash highlighted the importance of effective crisis management, strategic communications, and customer trust recovery in the face of reputational risk. The case .....more