Firing on all engines: how Unilever’s ‘crown jewel’ is preparing for India’s $5tn economy

AI maturity in consumer goods: lessons from the most successful firms

June 10, 2025 • by Tomoko Yokoi, Michael R. Wade in Retail & Consumer Goods • 8 min read

Leading consumer goods companies are strategically embracing AI across their entire value chains, creating unprecedented business capabilities and market differentiation. IMD’s AI Maturity Index reveals the strategies that separate AI innovators from...

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Training the retailers of tomorrow

May 30, 2025 in Retail & Consumer Goods • 5 min read

Natalia Wallenberg of Ahold Delhaize describes how one of the largest retailers in Europe is tackling the upskilling dilemma....

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Future ready: why thoughtful restraint beats dash for growth

February 13, 2025 • by Howard H. Yu, Jialu Shan, Lawrence Tempel, Alexandre Sonderegger in Retail & Consumer Goods • 7 min read

Why is Hermès outpacing Nike, and what’s driving the success of Roche and NVIDIA? Their cautious and steady approach is making them the best-equipped to face an uncertain 2025....

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Nike dominates Chinese apparel market for now, but ‘Guochao’ is changing the game

February 7, 2024 • by Mark J. Greeven in Retail & Consumer Goods • 6 min read

IMD research places world leader Nike ahead of local rivals, but its podium position is under threat as local sentiment and quality products build a growing loyalty for national apparel brands....

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China’s automotive odyssey: From joint ventures to global EV dominance  

January 26, 2024 • by Yueyuan Selina Xue, Wei Wei, Mark J. Greeven in Retail & Consumer Goods • 9 min read

How has China’s automotive sector made the journey to where it is today? What has driven this focus and dynamic growth and what are its prospects?...

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How one Ukrainian business leader took a risk that paid off

April 20, 2023 in Retail & Consumer Goods • 6 min read

When Russia invaded Ukraine in late February 2022, Taras Panasenko (IMD EMBA 2023), CEO and co-founder of dollar store chain Avrora, was plunged into crisis mode. Then he decided to expand his...

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Rakuten's CEO has repeatedly proven doubters wrong – and he's at it again

February 22, 2023 in Retail & Consumer Goods • 9 min read • Podcast available

Mickey Mikitani tells IMD President Jean-François Manzoni how he has grown Rakuten from an e-commerce startup into an ecosystem spanning internet services, fintech, and mobile....

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To shape your future, own your history

February 20, 2023 • by Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff in Retail & Consumer Goods • 11 min read

After the controversy surrounding rap star Ye’s anti-Semitic comments, the sportswear giant adidas found itself under the spotlight for historical links to the Nazi regime. Lindsay Krasnoff explains how a legacy company...

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Four things you can learn about retail from China

January 25, 2022 • by Winter Nie, Mark J. Greeven, Yunfei Feng in Retail & Consumer Goods • 2 min read

If you are in the business of selling to consumers, you would do well to look at China to get a glimpse of the future. There are four major changes on the...

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How China’s retail revolution puts consumers’ needs at the center

January 24, 2022 • by Winter Nie, Mark J. Greeven, Philip Rosenzweig in Retail & Consumer Goods • 4 min read

China’s retail revolution draws on convenience and technology to fulfil customer needs in innovative ways....

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