Adrian Mitchell

Aside from a few exceptions, stores are among the most prominent commercial losers of 2020, with 25,000 new closures currently predicted in the US alone. Before this year, net commercial and retail square footage was still increasing in the US, despite the loss of business to digital channels and platforms. The pandemic has heightened the paradox of an industry that has grown by 4% to 5% annually over the past decade, and yet is losing retail companies to insolvency at an accelerating… Show more

Aside from a few exceptions, stores are among the most prominent commercial losers of 2020, with 25,000 new closures currently predicted in the US alone. Before this year, net commercial and retail square footage was still increasing in the US, despite the loss of business to digital channels and platforms. The pandemic has heightened the paradox of an industry that has grown by 4% to 5% annually over the past decade, and yet is losing retail companies to insolvency at an accelerating pace.

To stay relevant, retailers must act differently. They have already done a lot in the past five years, with efforts ranging from investments in technology, digital, and sustainability to close attention to purpose, differentiation, and operational efficiency. Yet most of them have not focused on their foundational asset: their real estate.

To win the future, retailers must get back to opening stores that create profitable growth—and that means rethinking their approach to their store portfolio and retail network. They need a strategic mindset, a fresh approach to the real estate function, and advanced analytics capabilities to support the vision. Retailers that deliver on this vision will be able to compete, innovate, win market share, and resume growth while their traditional competitors continue to struggle. Show less

In this series, Gabrielle Novacek interviews BCGers to understand how inclusion has influenced their career and what they’ve done to foster a culture where every voice is heard and respected. In this episode she speaks with Adrian Mitchell, a lateral-hire Managing Director and Partner in Chicago. Adrian discusses the importance of following your instinct, really getting to your colleagues, and being patient with messy conversations. To learn more about diversity and inclusion at BCG, visit… Show more

In this series, Gabrielle Novacek interviews BCGers to understand how inclusion has influenced their career and what they’ve done to foster a culture where every voice is heard and respected. In this episode she speaks with Adrian Mitchell, a lateral-hire Managing Director and Partner in Chicago. Adrian discusses the importance of following your instinct, really getting to your colleagues, and being patient with messy conversations. To learn more about diversity and inclusion at BCG, visit https://www.bcg.com/capabilities/diversity-inclusion/overview. Show less

In this moment in time, we see our nation at an inflection point. The crushing social and economic burden of the COVID-19 pandemic has fallen disproportionately on Black American communities. At the same time, the killing of George Floyd and the resulting civil unrest have heightened awareness, unleashed outrage, and mobilized a shared national imperative to address and eradicate racial disparity.

There’s long been a need for action. The time for that action is now. And we see financial… Show more

In this moment in time, we see our nation at an inflection point. The crushing social and economic burden of the COVID-19 pandemic has fallen disproportionately on Black American communities. At the same time, the killing of George Floyd and the resulting civil unrest have heightened awareness, unleashed outrage, and mobilized a shared national imperative to address and eradicate racial disparity.

There’s long been a need for action. The time for that action is now. And we see financial institutions as uniquely well positioned to act—and to catalyze further action in corporate America. Show less

Quoted in Harvard Business School case study, Target: Responding to the Recession (N9-510-016, March 2010) by authors Ranjay Gulati, Rajiv Lal, and Cathy Ross.

Proven techniques from manufacturing might be the recipe for improving productivity in restaurants.