The Partnering Group

What The Partnering Group does

The Partnering Group (TPG) is a privately-held, US-domiciled (Ohio) international strategy and general management consulting firm founded in 1993, operating with 101-250 employees across an 18-capability service portfolio organized around retailers, consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers, foodservice operators, private equity, and adjacent technology, healthcare, and consumer electronics clients. The firm's value proposition rests on a practitioner-led delivery model in which partners, drawn from former executive roles at enterprises such as Walmart, Tesco, Ahold Delhaize, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Johnson & Johnson, and Novartis, work directly with client leadership on engagements spanning category management, revenue growth management, digital commerce, supply chain, organization transformation, and innovation. Proprietary content includes the Category Leadership 360 (CL360) methodology and the Full Plate foodservice category management process, deployed alongside omnichannel analytics and AI capabilities delivered through technology alliances with Market6, InReality, Daisy Intelligence, and UpClear.

TPG generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements priced by scope, team composition, and duration, with no publicly disclosed rates or subscription/SaaS product. Go-to-market relies on enterprise field sales reinforced by partner-led thought leadership at industry associations and conferences (FMI, Shop.org, Category Management Association, PLMA, Shopper Marketing), supplemented by white papers, webinars, and case studies. Direct engagement with C-suite buyers and partner-led business development drive the pipeline. The firm claims penetration of 84% of top CPG suppliers and 56% of top retailers globally, with practitioner-partners operating across 45+ countries in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and EMEA. Operations are organized regionally with Managing Directors covering the Americas (Mike Holcomb) and EMEA/APAC (Ian Hogg), under CEO Frank Grossi.

Ownership is a partnership model typical of professional services firms, with no disclosed parent, external investor, or institutional capital. The firm has no public filings, no disclosed funding rounds, no completed M&A, and no announced exits; financial information is not made available. Documented outcomes include quantified engagement results such as 10-30% improvements in ecommerce fulfillment units picked per hour, 18% efficiency gains in reverse logistics, and $20M+ in operational expense savings from supply chain work.

Name

The Partnering Group

Legal name

The Partnering Group, Inc.

Website

https://thepartneringgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Partnering Group is a privately-held Ohio-based international management consulting firm founded in 1993 that delivers practitioner-led strategy and category management advisory to enterprise retailers, CPG manufacturers, foodservice operators, private equity firms, and select technology and healthcare clients across 45+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI)

Keywords

• Management consulting services
• Strategy consulting
• Category management consulting
• Retail consulting
• Consumer goods consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Strategy & Management Consulting: Global strategy and general management consulting engagements with top retailers, distributors, and consumer product companies worldwide. Engagements include organization transformation, sales optimization, category management, digital commerce, and supply chain advisory services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Partnering Group is a global strategy and general management growth consultancy that delivers practitioner-led advisory services across 18 capability areas including Strategy, Category Management, Digital Commerce, Revenue Growth Management, Supply Chain, Organization Transformation, and Sales. Engagements are sold directly to enterprise clients through partner-led consulting projects spanning organization transformation, sales optimization, category management, digital commerce, supply chain, and innovation advisory.

Product overview

The Partnering Group (TPG) is a global strategy and general management growth consultancy that offers a comprehensive portfolio of advisory services rather than a unified software product. The firm's consulting practices span 18 distinct capability areas including Organization Transformation, Sales, Learning & Development, Logistics, Revenue Growth Management, Digital Commerce, Category Management, Buying and Merchandising, Strategy, Brand Strategy & Execution, Marketing Performance, Innovation, Data/Tech/AI, Insights/Research/Influence, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Store Operations. These services are delivered through practitioner-led consulting engagements where former executive leaders work directly with clients to develop transformative strategies and operationalize solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy Consulting Corporate strategy, growth strategy, and business planning consulting services for retailers, CPG companies, and other enterprise clients.
• Category Management Consulting Retail category leadership consulting including assortment optimization, space planning, and shopper insights for retailers and CPG suppliers.
• Digital Commerce Consulting eCommerce strategy, omnichannel marketing, digital shelf optimization, and marketplace selling advisory services for enterprise retail and CPG clients.
• Revenue Growth Management Consulting Analytics-driven consulting for trade promotion management, pricing strategy, and revenue optimization, including RGM systems implementation and change management.
• Supply Chain Consulting End-to-end supply chain consulting including procurement, manufacturing, and operations strategy for retailers and CPG companies.
• Organization Transformation Consulting Consulting practice focused on organizational design, restructuring, and transformation programs to help companies evolve their structure and operations.
• Sales Consulting Advisory services for go-to-market strategy, sales organization design, and commercial capability development.
• Learning & Development Consulting Capability building programs including functional training, talent development, and leadership education services.
• Logistics Consulting Supply chain and logistics optimization consulting including transportation, distribution, and warehouse operations.
• Buying and Merchandising Consulting Retail merchandising strategy, private label development, and supplier collaboration services.
• Brand Strategy & Execution Consulting Brand development, marketing strategy, and brand activation consulting.
• Marketing Performance Consulting Marketing analytics, campaign optimization, and marketing ROI improvement programs.
• Innovation Consulting New product development, innovation strategy, and NPD (new product development) capability building.
• Data, Tech & AI Consulting Advanced analytics, AI-enabled insights, and technology integration consulting for data-driven decision making.
• Insights, Research & Influence Consulting Consumer and shopper research, market insights, and analytics services.
• Manufacturing Consulting Manufacturing excellence, operational efficiency, and production optimization consulting.
• Store Operations Consulting Retail store operations best practices, eCommerce fulfillment, and merchandising execution services.

Quantifiable outcome

• +10-30% improvement in Units Picked Per Hour for ecommerce fulfillment
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• InRealitycoreTechnology or Integration · 23 August 2019Strategic retail analytics partnership combining TPG's proven strategy and business processes with InReality's cloud-based retail analytics. The alliance delivers new analytic applications mapped to industry best practice process and operational models, helping retailers and consumer goods companies improve performance and profitability.
• Daisy IntelligencecoreTechnology or Integration · 24 July 2019Strategic retail partnership with Daisy Intelligence to deliver AI-powered retail analytics solutions. The partnership leverages TPG's retail consulting expertise with Daisy's artificial intelligence capabilities to help clients make better merchandising and pricing decisions.
• Market6coreTechnology or Integration · 20 June 2013Strategic alliance with Market6 to deliver new analytic applications based on proven business processes. Combines TPG's proven strategy and business processes with Market6's cloud-based retail analytics platform to help retailers and CPG companies improve performance.
• International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2013Industry-wide initiative to establish best practices for category management in the foodservice industry. Partnership includes development of Full Plate, TPG's Foodservice Category Management Process of the future. The collaboration created the industry's first inclusive foodservice category management best practices initiative.
• comScoreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2012Joint study on social and mobile commerce impact on shopping research and purchase process. Second annual joint US consumer study focusing on impact of social media and mobile on shopping behavior.
• Shop.orgminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2012Joint study with comScore and TPG on social and mobile commerce impact on shopping research and purchase process. Second annual joint US consumer study on impact of social media and mobile on shopping behavior.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kearney: Global management consultancy with one of the strongest retail and consumer goods practices, historically competing with TPG for category management and supply chain engagements at large retailers and CPGs.
• Oliver Wyman: Global consulting firm with a dedicated Consumer & Retail practice addressing strategy, operations, and digital transformation for retailers, manufacturers, and distributors—directly overlapping TPG's core offering.
• McKinsey & Company: The largest global strategy consultancy with a Consumer practice serving retailers and CPGs on category, digital, and operations topics. Represents the upper end of competition for large transformation mandates.
• Bain & Company: Global strategy consultancy with a Consumer Products and Retail practice covering category management, growth strategy, and operations—closely mirroring TPG's core capabilities.
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG): Global strategy consultancy with a Consumer and Retail practice addressing growth, digital, and operational excellence for retailers and CPG manufacturers; a frequent competitor for enterprise engagements.
• Accenture Strategy: Large consulting and technology services firm with a Consumer Goods & Retail industry group that competes with TPG on digital commerce, supply chain, and category management mandates, often at greater scale.
• Deloitte Consulting: Big Four advisory firm with a Consumer & Industrial Products practice delivering strategy, operations, and technology consulting to retailers and CPGs—overlapping significantly with TPG's service portfolio.

Direct peers

• Slalom Consulting: Mid-sized consulting firm with strong retail and consumer goods practices and a local, practitioner-led delivery model that parallels TPG's boutique, partner-engaged approach.
• West Monroe Partners: Mid-sized management and technology consultancy with a Consumer & Industrial Products practice addressing digital commerce, supply chain, and operations—directly comparable in size and approach to TPG.

Others

• Information Resources Inc (Circana): Retail and CPG data, analytics, and advisory firm serving many of the same enterprise clients as TPG. While technology-enabled rather than pure-play consulting, it competes for analytical and category advisory budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1239683
• Xx.com/tpgconsulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 The Partnering Group