Growth Series

Navigating Effective Complexity: New Insight into Portfolio Management

The latest in portfolio management thinking, asserting the importance of managing complexity.

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Our Perspectives

Is Poppi acquisition another example of the inability of large CPG companies to develop transformative innovation?

PepsiCo’s recent acquisition of Poppi for approximately USD 2 billion exemplifies this trend. Instead of cultivating transformative innovations internally, PepsiCo opted for the costly yet apparently safer route of external acquisition to expand its presence in the fast-growing global functional beverage market. M&A as Externalized Innovation: A Cautious Bet Established CPG companies often find their… View Article

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Navigating Growth Challenges: How major CPG companies plan to sustain growth despite volume pressures

Low Volume Growth Based on the low volume growth experienced in 2024, overall organic growth among the eleven leading CPG companies analyzed averaged approximately 4%, but only 0.4% was volume-driven, with three companies experiencing declines. This creates significant tension, pushing companies to rethink and re-balance their growth strategies. Companies like Nestlé are notably prioritizing volume… View Article

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TomorrowLens: The importance of cultural relevance for CPG brands

Consumer purchasing behaviour and decisions are becoming increasingly ambivalent, reflecting the uncertainty felt on a global scale, from political instability and financial fears to climate catastrophes. As a consequence, consumer spending appears to be more and more driven by a need for excitement, joy and experiences.  The evolution of the experience economy  The experience economy… View Article

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Why Australia is an Excellent Test Market for CPG Products

With a culturally diverse and trend-sensitive population, a strong middle class with high disposable income, and a well-developed retail ecosystem, the Australian market offers unique advantages for brands seeking to evaluate consumer behavior, pricing strategies, and product positioning. As CPG brands navigate an evolving landscape in 2025, they must also recognize the shifting dynamics within… View Article

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The “Ripple Effect”: Why Ozempic’s Impact on the CPG Industry is a Slow-Burning Disruption

GLP-1s – originally intended to treat diabetes, are designed to mimic the way a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 works in the body. When blood sugar starts to rise after a person eats, these medicines cause the body to make more insulin, which helps lower blood sugar (1). As the additional effects of GLP-1s have… View Article

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Value Chain: Where you can find the funds to grow

The first definition of value chain was created in 1985 by Michael Porter. Back then, the definition of primary activities and secondary activities have been the key drivers for building an understanding of each company’s value chain. ‘Value chain’ vs ‘supply chain’ Let’s start with a simple comparison between supply chain and value chain: A… View Article

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Leveraging a brand asset through Powerbranding: When to turn brand stretching into growth fuel

From power brand to Powerbranding ‘Power brand’ is a term that is often used to describe a brand that is influential, well-recognized, and has a significant impact on its category or industry. We might think of a power brand as having a clear and compelling identity, a dominant position, delivering consistent quality, and creating emotional… View Article

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Beyond Market Share: How Category Growth Fuels Brand Longevity

How can brands ensure category growth is executed effectively? Brands must strategically align their initiatives with consumer needs, market trends, and innovation opportunities. Read more about this and our framework for success to ensure long-term growth in the CPG industry.

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Private Labels Growth: What CPG Brand Owners Need to Know

The development of private labels worldwide varies by region but is consistently outpacing branded products in the consumer-packaged goods sector, driven by a range of factors. Sevendots analyses the growth of private labels and how brands should respond.

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Our Perspectives

Transforming CPG: What is the debate around Ultra-Processed Foods?

In this episode of Transforming CPG, Managing Partner of Sevendots, Andrea Bielli, and Senior Partner Colin McAllister discuss what you need to know about the debate around Ultra-Processed Foods.

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Our Perspectives

Premiumization vs. Commoditization: Unpacking the Premiumization Trend

In today’s consumer market, brands face a crucial decision between two opposing strategies: premiumization and commoditization. Understanding these dynamics is essential for brands to navigate the competitive landscape effectively. This article delves into the cyclical nature of commoditization, the virtuous cycle of premiumization, and offers strategic frameworks to help brands leverage premiumization to create strong consumer connections and sustain growth.

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"Sevendots helped us to elicit a powerful purpose for Heineken brand globally... We very much appreciated their way of working with us, embedding in the journey our whole team, including external partners. We ended up with a clear purpose endorsed by top executives."

- Bram Westenbrink, Global Senior Director at Heineken

"I’ve found Sevendots to be visionary, inspiring and practical; they are great at distilling wide and complex information and insights, building actionable frameworks and developing strong opportunities that are helping us shape our future strategy."

- Dan Smith, Senior Vice President at Nestle Purina PetCare GSBU

“The Sevendots team led us on a truly collaborative journey of discovery. They gave us a clear framework to understand what was required to win within this new wellness territory we’ve called 'Modern Natural Health'. They challenged some of our assumptions, encouraged us to think even bigger and brought our entire team together around a common ambition and platform.”

- Larry Page, Head of Marketing at Zarbees® at Johnson & Johnson

"We have had the opportunity to work with the Sevendots team on an extremely strategic project related to Global Travel Retail. They have given us both valuable insights and tools to further accelerate our strategy. We particularly appreciate their ability to bring to life the strategic thinking with simple yet effective frameworks that helped inspire the organisation."

- Leigh Irvine and Biancamaria Sansone, GTR Managing Director & Marketing Director, Campari Group

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Our Perspectives

With experience comes perspective. Hear what we have to say.

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15 April 2025

Is Poppi acquisition another example of the inability of large CPG companies to develop transformative innovation?

PepsiCo’s recent acquisition of Poppi for approximately USD 2 billion exemplifies this trend. Instead of cultivating transformative innovations internally, PepsiCo... View Article

Andrea Bielli

Sevendots, Rome

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, 01 April 2025

Navigating Growth Challenges: How major CPG companies plan to sustain growth despite volume pressures

Low Volume Growth Based on the low volume growth experienced in 2024, overall organic growth among the eleven leading CPG... View Article

Andrea Bielli

Sevendots, Rome

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, 07 March 2025

Balancing portfolio simplification with shopper-centric customization in consumer goods

The Case for Simplification Simplifying a product portfolio involves reducing the number of brands or SKUs, standardizing formulations, and eliminating... View Article

Andrea Bielli

Sevendots, Rome

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27 February 2025

TomorrowLens: The importance of cultural relevance for CPG brands

Consumer purchasing behaviour and decisions are becoming increasingly ambivalent, reflecting the uncertainty felt on a global scale, from political instability... View Article

Karen Rickers

Sevendots, Amsterdam

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13 February 2025

Why Australia is an Excellent Test Market for CPG Products

With a culturally diverse and trend-sensitive population, a strong middle class with high disposable income, and a well-developed retail ecosystem,... View Article

Francesco Percopo

Sevendots, Sydney

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29 October 2024

Value Chain: Where you can find the funds to grow

The first definition of value chain was created in 1985 by Michael Porter. Back then, the definition of primary activities... View Article

Hans-Friedrich Zeh

Sevendots, Zug

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Meet Sevendots

Spotlight

Karen Rickers

Karen holds a MSc in Global Business and Sustainability from the Rotterdam School of Management, specialising in feminist research on the relevance of contextualisation of, and diversified networks for women’s entrepreneurship. She further studied entrepreneurship and leadership at the National University of Singapore, before relocating to London to manage Sevendots’ Gen Z spin-off The Red Flower Factory, helping CPG brands innovate for and realign with future generations of consumption. Now based in Amsterdam, Karen has joined Sevendots as a Senior Strategy Manager, leading the development of Sevendots’ strategic foresight capabilities, with a focus on sustainability, generational dynamics, and innovation. She loves to play tennis, go to the cinema, and cook.

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We’re part of a broad ecosystem.

 

 

Our ecosystem includes Gen-Z led solution company, The Red Flower Factory, and our expert market research and insights agency, Moment10. This ecosystem enables an integrated approach to our clients’ business questions in order to formulate effective, proven and actionable opportunities.