Insights & Tools
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England and Wales population growth slows sharply as net migration falls
Population growth in England and Wales slowed to 0.4% in the year to mid-2025 as net international migration fell sharply. The figures point to an ageing population, weaker workforce growth and widening regional differences with significant…
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Tough Mudder and Spartan: From Obstacle-Race Rivals to a Global Endurance Platform
Tough Mudder and Spartan transformed obstacle racing into a global fitness industry before financial collapse, acquisition and the COVID-19 pandemic threatened their future. This extensive case study examines their origins, contrasting brand strategies, event economics, safety…
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The BBC: From Wireless Pioneer to Public-Service Media at a Crossroads
From its beginnings in wireless radio to its current struggle with streaming, declining licence numbers and global media competition, the BBC has shaped British culture for more than a century. This extensive strategic case study examines…
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LEGO: The Brick That Became a Global System of Play
From a small Danish carpenter’s workshop to the world’s most powerful toy brand, LEGO has built a global business around one brilliantly simple system of play. This detailed case study examines LEGO’s history, near-collapse, remarkable turnaround,…
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Gymshark: From Bedroom Brand to Global Fitness Challenger
Gymshark is one of the most important British consumer brand stories of the last twenty years. It began in 2012 with Ben Francis, then a 19-year-old student from the Midlands, selling fitness supplements online and making…
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Magnet Group: From Yorkshire Joinery to Kitchen Retail Turnaround
Magnet is one of the best-known names in the British kitchen market. For more than a century, it has been associated with joinery, fitted kitchens, showrooms, trade customers, design appointments, home renovation and the practical business…
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A.G. Barr and Irn-Bru: Scotland’s Soft Drink Champion in a Global Drinks Market
A.G. Barr is one of the most unusual companies in British food and drink. It is not the largest soft drinks company in the UK. It does not have the global firepower of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Keurig…
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Stakeholder Analysis
Stakeholder analysis is a strategic planning tool used to identify the people, groups and organisations that can affect, or be affected by, a project, organisation, policy, service or decision. At its simplest, stakeholder analysis asks: Who…
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Competitor Analysis
Competitor analysis is a strategic planning tool used to understand who an organisation competes with, how those competitors operate, where they are strong, where they are vulnerable, and how your own organisation should respond. It is…
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SOAR Analysis
A SOAR analysis is a strategic planning tool used to help an organisation focus on what it does well, identify future opportunities, define what it wants to become, and agree the results that will show progress.…
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Scenario Planning
Scenario planning is a strategic planning tool used to explore different possible futures and test how an organisation, project, policy or business model might perform under changing conditions. It is not about predicting the future. It…
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Risk Register
A risk register is a practical management tool used to record, assess, manage and monitor risks that could affect an organisation, project, service, programme or decision. At its simplest, a risk register answers five important questions:…
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Balanced Scorecard
The Balanced Scorecard is a strategic planning and performance management tool used to translate an organisation’s strategy into clear objectives, measures, targets and actions. It was developed to solve a common management problem: organisations often measure…
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Business Model Canvas
The Business Model Canvas is a strategic planning tool used to describe, test and improve the way an organisation creates, delivers and captures value. It is most often presented as a single-page visual framework made up…
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TOWS Analysis
A TOWS analysis is a strategic planning tool used to convert SWOT analysis into practical strategic options. Where SWOT identifies Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, TOWS goes a step further. It asks how those factors interact…
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Porter’s Five Forces
Porter’s Five Forces is one of the most important strategy tools in modern business thinking. It helps organisations understand the competitive pressures within an industry and how those pressures affect profitability, pricing power, risk and strategic…
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PESTLE analysis
A PESTLE analysis is a strategic planning tool used to examine the external factors that may affect an organisation, project, market, service or decision. It looks beyond the organisation itself and considers the wider environment in…
