Transition planning for a leading UK retailer

The challenge

Our client had bold sustainability goals for 2030 and 2050 and needed enterprise-wide transformation, including requiring the business to decarbonise its stores and fleets, developing circular retail solutions and shifting consumer behaviours towards plant-based proteins.

The sustainability team had set targets, defined some initiatives and started to make progress on quick wins – but they needed to create a coherent, robust transition plan to ensure the business was set up to deliver on their goals long-term. Gate One partnered with their sustainability leaders to create a Transition Plan using the gold standard Taskforce framework, which could be used internally and published to stakeholders externally.

Approach

Executive alignment: Interviewed Executive-level leaders to align on sustainability ambitions and transition plan challenges.

Business engagement: Engaged with stakeholders across the business via “Accelerator” workshops to assess business impact of the ESG strategy and potential delivery blockers.

Gap analysis: Assessed the gaps between existing strategies and requirements for the Transition Plan Taskforce framework.

Transformation assessment: Assessed effectiveness of governance to manage delivery and developed future state operating model for ESG delivery.

Disclosures: Developed an external disclosure on the transition plan, targets and metrics for inclusion in the annual report.

Summary output: Created an internal strategy summary document, aligning the client’s purpose, ESG strategies and external narrative.

Results

Achieved executive alignment on level of ambition for sustainability and potential delivery blockers.

Aligned external disclosure on the transition strategy to standards.

Identified key gaps in the strategy to develop, aligning with best practice transition plans.

Engaged internal stakeholders and set up the programme for delivery.