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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Risk Matrix
A risk matrix is a practical risk management tool used to assess and prioritise risks by considering two main factors: Likelihood Impact At its simplest, a risk matrix asks: How likely is this risk to happen,…
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Objectives and Key Results
Objectives and Key Results, usually shortened to OKRs, are a goal-setting framework used to define what an organisation, team or individual wants to achieve and how progress will be measured. At their simplest, OKRs ask: What…
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Lean Canvas
The Lean Canvas is a strategic planning tool used to describe, test and improve a business idea quickly. At its simplest, Lean Canvas asks: What problem are we solving, who are we solving it for, how…
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Value Proposition Canvas
The Value Proposition Canvas is a strategic planning tool used to understand what customers need, what problems they face, what outcomes they want, and how a product, service or organisation can create value for them. At…
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BCG Matrix
The BCG Matrix, also known as the Growth Share Matrix, is a strategic planning tool used to assess products, services, business units or activities based on two factors: Market growth Relative market share At its simplest,…
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VRIO Analysis
VRIO analysis is a strategic planning tool used to assess whether an organisation’s resources and capabilities can create a competitive advantage. The standard term is VRIO, although it is sometimes mistyped as VIRO. VRIO stands for:…
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Business Model Canvas
he Business Model Canvas is a strategic planning tool used to describe, test and improve how an organisation creates, delivers and captures value. At its simplest, the Business Model Canvas asks: Who do we serve, what…
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Blue Ocean Strategy
Blue Ocean Strategy: A Practical Guide to Creating New Market Space and Making Competition Less Relevant Blue Ocean Strategy is a strategic planning approach used to help organisations move away from crowded, highly competitive markets and…
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Resource-Based View
he Resource-Based View, often shortened to RBV, is a strategic management framework used to understand how an organisation’s internal resources and capabilities can create competitive advantage. At its simplest, the Resource-Based View asks: What do we…
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Value Chain Analysis
Value chain analysis is a strategic planning tool used to understand the activities through which an organisation creates, delivers and supports value for its customers, clients, service users or stakeholders. At its simplest, value chain analysis…
