Recognised as a thought leader and implementer for the consumer goods and retail sectors

KPS Hidden Champion in the Consumer Goods & Retail category for the second time in a row

The Munich-based consultancy is the leading partner for retail and consumer goods companies in strategy, process and technology consulting and has now been recognised as a Hidden Champion in this category for the second time in a row. For future-proof high-performance designs, KPS relies on market-leading technologies such as SAP S/4HANA and the future-oriented principle of composable architecture with best-of-breed solutions as well as a strong partner network, flanked by the ready-to-use industry solution KPS Instant Platform.

Hidden champions offer expertise, implementation strength and innovative spirit

The Hidden Champions of the consulting market, now in their ninth edition for 2024/25, are the oldest seal of quality for consulting firms in Germany. The WGMB’s most popular study attracts corresponding attention in the market and emphasises the achievements of the finalists. Based on a detailed survey of managers from large and medium-sized companies as well as from the public sector, the study examines the extent to which highly specialised consulting firms such as KPS are considered by their clients to have greater expertise in their specialist area than the three established consulting firms McKinsey, BCG and Bain. In a total of 20 subject areas and eleven sectors, the award-winning management consultancies were perceived as more competent than their major competitors.

One of the largest S/4HANA transformations in the Nordics

In collaboration with KPS, the leading partner for customer-centric business transformation, the Danish retail group Coop Danmark has successfully completed a comprehensive SAP S/4HANA migration of its end-to-end process landscape. This ranges from procurement and the supply chain to sales and finance.

The ability to implement replaces analytical skills as the most important criterion when choosing a consultant

The analysis of the consulting companies under consideration took place in a three-stage process: first, potential hidden champions were identified by a panel of experts. Following a preliminary study on the general suitability of the identified candidates, the main study was carried out to evaluate the finalists in detail.

The most important criteria for the Hidden Champion Award were analysed with the help of a preliminary survey: In addition to industry and methodological knowledge or analytical skills, thought leadership, ability to implement, communication skills, as well as teamwork and price level were evaluated in particular. The ability to implement replaced analytical skills as the most important criterion when choosing a consultant; thought leadership returned to the top 3.

The results of the award show what a challenge it is to compete successfully in the top segment of the market. This year, 30 consulting firms have asserted themselves as hidden champions in various thematic and industry-related segments of the consulting market.

Overall, consulting firms in Germany could once again increase their turnover in 2023 compared to the previous year: the industry expects growth of around twelve per cent to EUR 48.8 million.

Idea development necessary for a variety of specific topics

As a conclusion of the surveys conducted as part of the study, it can be said that in today’s world, good advice alone is no longer enough; proposals need to be put into practice together with the client. The top managers surveyed also attribute a great deal of expertise to consultancies that are not generalists. In view of the large number of specific topics that require in-depth expertise, the development of ideas in the corporate field takes centre stage.

The Hidden Champions Study 2024/25 is available for download here:

About the Scientific Society for Management and Consultancy

The WGMB was founded in 1998 as a privately funded scientific research institute and has established itself as a pacesetter in the field of application-orientated management research through numerous publications, projects and studies over the past two decades. The co-operation with prestigious universities and the long-standing trust of numerous companies not only commits the institute to research work according to scientifically proven methods, but above all to uncompromising independence from all players and interest groups. The core of the work is sound quantitative research for sustainable, reliable results. However, the interdisciplinary mission statement of the WGMB also requires us to think outside the box – and thus also the well-founded use of qualitative methods at the interface of economics, psychology and social sciences.