What McMillanDoolittle does

McMillanDoolittle is a Chicago-based retail strategy consultancy founded in 1995 that advises retailers, consumer brands, and food industry clients on strategic planning, concept development, customer experience design, business performance improvement, digital transformation, and consumer insights. The firm serves 33 of the top 50 global retailers and operates in 24 countries, with multinational reach delivered primarily through its membership in the Ebeltoft Group international alliance. Core service lines include Strategic Planning, Concept and Customer Experience Development, Business Performance Improvement, Digital Transformation, and a recently formalized AI Transition Services practice covering GenAI Action Plan development, AI Readiness and Governance, and AI Immersion Workshops. The firm does not build proprietary technology products; instead, it monetizes the expertise of its roughly 9 named senior professionals — most of whom are former retail operators or Accenture alumni — through quote-based consulting engagements, supplemented by recurring revenue from annual research publications (Retail Innovations, Global Executive Research) and white papers.

The firm generates revenue through professional services consulting delivered directly to enterprise clients via partner-led engagements. Go-to-market is sales-led, driven by thought leadership content (the Retail Watch blog, white papers, two published books), industry conference presence (NRF, FMI, NGA, PLMA, World Retail Congress, Upper Bound AI), earned media commentary, and referrals from its network of retail executives. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by engagement scope, client size, and complexity. Customer segments are horizontal across global retailers, consumer brands, the food industry (with a dedicated Food Retail Practice), and a smaller Private Equity/Investor Services segment supporting diligence and value creation. Notable clients include Nike, Walmart, P&G, Samsung, McDonald's, Publix, Kroger, CVS, Ben & Jerry's, Casey's, Emart, and Marriott Bonvoy, alongside mid-market grocers such as Sprouts and The Fresh Market. The firm is privately held, woman-owned, and self-funded with no disclosed institutional investors.

Name

McMillanDoolittle

Legal name

McMillanDoolittle

Website

https://mcmillandoolittle.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

McMillanDoolittle is a Chicago-based retail strategy consultancy advising global retailers, consumer brands, and food industry clients on strategic planning, digital transformation, AI adoption, and consumer insights, serving 33 of the top 50 retailers across 24 countries via its Ebeltoft Group alliance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Strategy Advisory (BPAHADAA)

Keywords

• Retail consulting
• Retail strategy
• Digital transformation consulting
• Consumer market research
• Retail benchmarking

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Retail Consulting: Professional consulting services provided to retailers, brands, and consumer goods companies. Engagements include strategic planning, digital transformation, concept development, performance improvement, and consumer insights.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

McMillanDoolittle is a woman-owned retail strategy consulting firm that helps enterprise retailers, consumer brands, and private equity investors with strategic planning, digital and AI transformation, consumer insights research, retail benchmarking, and M&A diligence. Engagements are typically partner-led and delivered as retainer or fixed-scope consulting projects, often with embedded junior associate support under the firm's Leadership Associate Program model.

Product overview

McMillanDoolittle is a retail consulting firm offering a comprehensive suite of advisory services organized around strategic planning, digital transformation, and operational improvement. The core portfolio includes Strategic Planning, Concept Development, and Business Performance Improvement services, complemented by specialized AI services (GenAI Action Plan Development, AI Readiness and Governance, AI Immersion Workshops) that represent an emerging capability layer. The firm also produces proprietary research including the annual Retail Innovations publication, Global Executive Research with the World Retail Congress, and white papers on topics like Direct-to-Consumer and Digital Marketplaces. Publishing activities extend to two books: Winning at Retail and Greentailing. The offering is delivered as professional consulting engagements rather than a software product, with services spanning strategy through implementation support for retailers, brands, and technology partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Planning and Growth Strategy Consulting Partner-led consulting engagements that help retailers, consumer brands, and PE-owned portfolio companies define multi-year growth strategy, market entry, and competitive positioning.
• Digital and AI Transformation Consulting Strategy and advisory engagements for retailers on digital roadmap, AI readiness, and generative AI use-case evaluation, anchored by a structured AI readiness assessment framework.
• Consumer Insights Research (ConsumerConnect) Proprietary primary consumer research program and syndicated insights deliverable, designed to give retailers and brands first-party data on shopper behavior and attitudes.
• Retail Benchmarking Research Original multi-retailer benchmarking research and reports comparing retailer performance across channels, formats, and consumer metrics for use by retail executives.
• Retail Rebalanced / Driving Forces Reports Named proprietary research publications (Retail Rebalanced, Driving Forces) produced by the firm on the state of the retail industry, used as ongoing client and market references.
• Private Equity Diligence and Value Creation Services Commercial due diligence and value-creation strategy engagements for private equity investors in retail and consumer products, including pre-deal diligence and post-close operating support.
• Leadership Associate Program A consulting delivery model that pairs McMillanDoolittle partners with embedded junior consultants (associates) to provide clients deeper partner-level bandwidth on long-running engagements.
• Ebeltoft Group International Consulting Partnership International retail-consulting partnership that allows the firm to deliver cross-border retail consulting engagements through partner firms in other countries without standing up permanent offices.
• Retailmusings Content Platform Long-running retail industry blog and thought-leadership platform by McMillanDoolittle partners, providing original commentary on retail strategy, digital, and consumer trends.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving 33 of the top 50 retailers worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ebeltoft GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcMillanDoolittle is an active member of the Ebeltoft Group, an international consortium of retail consulting firms. The partnership enables global reach across 24 countries and provides access to cross-border retail expertise. Neil Stern served as Chairman of the Ebeltoft Group from 2015-2018, and Mara Devitt serves on the Board of Directors. The firms co-publish annual Retail Innovations reports and collaborate on global retail research including the Global Executive Research study.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company (Consumer & Retail practice): Premier global consultancy with one of the most recognized Consumer & Retail practices offering strategy, organization, and digital transformation; direct competitor for top-tier retail engagements.
• Kantar Consulting: Insights-driven consultancy offering retail strategy, shopper marketing, and consumer research; comparable through its consumer insights and innovation methodology and overlap with McMillanDoolittle's Consumer Insights practice.
• AlixPartners (Retail practice): Performance improvement and turnaround consultancy with a notable retail practice serving retailers, restaurants, and consumer products companies; comparable in performance-improvement and operational advisory.
• Accenture (Retail Consumer Goods practice): Global consulting leader whose Retail & Consumer Goods practice delivers strategy, digital transformation, and technology implementation; former employer of multiple McMillanDoolittle senior partners and direct competitor for enterprise retail mandates.
• Deloitte (Consumer Industry practice): Global professional services firm with a Consumer Industry practice covering strategy, analytics, and technology implementation; competitor for retail transformation mandates, particularly for clients seeking integrated consulting plus technology delivery.
• Kearney (Consumer & Retail practice): Global management consultancy with a dedicated Consumer & Retail practice spanning strategy, operations, and procurement; competes with McMillanDoolittle for senior retail executive mandates.
• Bain & Company (Retail practice): Top-tier global strategy consultancy with a dedicated Retail practice advising on customer experience, digital, and operations; competes directly for large enterprise retail strategy engagements.

Direct peers

• Customer Growth Partners: Retail-focused consultancy delivering consumer insights, marketing strategy, and category management to CPG and retail clients; comparable boutique specialization in retail strategy.
• Willard Bishop: Retail consultancy specializing in retail strategy, format innovation, and shopper insights, with a strong grocery and convenience-store practice; closely matches McMillanDoolittle's retail specialization and mid-market positioning.
• The Partnering Group: Boutique retail consulting firm providing strategy, operations, and shopper marketing advisory to retailers and consumer goods manufacturers; directly comparable in size, specialization, and customer base to McMillanDoolittle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/mcmillandoolittleretail
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/154351

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about McMillanDoolittle