Friday 9 January 2015

Tesco's Fightback Plans – a Live version for the guys that count

Whilst we bated our breath and crossed our fingers in anticipation of Tesco’s announcement yesterday, and thankfully had our natural optimism endorsed via a subsequent 15% surge in the share price, Dave Lewis greatest challenge was convincing a room full of City Analysts that he meant business.

This live session is now available online:
Watch the webcast here

The Presentation:
The real benefit for NAMs lies in the fact that the 1.5hr session gives a real demonstration of how Tesco has been dealing with the crisis. In a 60 minute presentation via 42 slides, Dave Lewis explains in some detail the key moves now reported in the media. 

However, as salesmen, NAMs have a special advantage in watching the man in action, with body-language providing additional insight and supplying the pieces of the perception-jigsaw that enables suppliers to enhance anecdotal learnings picked up in face-to-face encounters with the buyer.

The Q&A session:
Whilst it could be said that the opening presentation was rehearsed and fluent, the Q&A session (at approx. 55 mins into the webcast) reflected some of the more obvious issues affecting the audience, and this session gave the analysts (and the viewer-NAMs) access to CFO Alan Stewart and caused Tesco to think on their feet, another learning opportunity for NAMs…

With up to three questions per analyst, and careful observation of the manner in which the answers were handled, the 40 minute session has to yield some individual nuggets for perceptive NAMs.

The questions were mainly financial, reflecting the priorities of Tesco’s current situation, but the over-riding impression for observant NAMs is that whilst Tesco sees its issues and opportunities in terms of meeting consumer need, the key lens they will use will be risk-reward and cost vs. value relationships.

In other words, the numbers will count, big-time!

I could give you chapter and verse re the entire session, but nothing beats the value of finding 1.5 hours over the weekend for those NAMs prepared to invest a little 'leisure-time' in seeing how your career will pan out over the next few years.

Yesterday’s webcast showed the new Tesco culture in action, and if successful, a pointer for the future of UK retail…

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