We work in small teams and have a very flat hierarchy. We are organised as follows:
The members of our team come from many different backgrounds. Read our profiles to find out more about who we are:
Tom
Consultant
Strategy practice
I joined the Graduate Rotational Programme at Javelin Group in September 2006, after graduating from Oxford University with a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. In my final year I decided I wanted to work for a small strategy consulting firm where I would gain experience and responsibility quickly. I interviewed with several firms, but Javelin Group stood out on several fronts. I met most of the directors at interview, the work seemed 'real' and interesting and it was clear that the people enjoyed working with each other.
Over the course of the year I have worked on seven projects. These have included defining a multi-channel strategy for a major clothing and footwear retailer and reviewing the European expansion opportunities for a pure-play internet business.
The key benefits I would highlight about working at Javelin Group are the quality of the work, the attitude of the people, and the work-life balance. Compared to many other management consultancies, our working hours are reasonable. Expectations placed on you by your superiors are realistic and we rarely work beyond normal business hours. We mostly work in teams of 2-4; meaning each team member’s input is extremely important and valued. You have a one-to-one relationship with everyone in the firm, there are few hierarchies and people take time to share knowledge they have with you. Colleagues within the firm have in-depth experience within different areas of retail, and the quality of our combined output is therefore extremely high.
Outside of the office, as a non-Londoner, I like to get some fresh air away from the capital! I just completed my first triathlon and I play football regularly. As a skiing enthusiast, snow dominates my thoughts during the winter months and I managed to get away three times this year (one of the benefits of a disposable income!).
My favourite retailer is Tesco.com. Grocery shopping is not something I enjoy, and the opportunity to have food delivered and avoid the hassle of pushing a trolley down aisle-after-aisle really appeals to me. I have also come to realise that we're quite lucky to have the opportunity to buy food online, since the UK grocers have pioneered this area.Liz
Senior Consultant
Strategy practice
I joined Javelin Group as the first person on the Graduate Rotational Programme in April 2006. I graduated in Natural Sciences from Clare College, Cambridge in 2004 and my first job was in product development at Disney Consumer Products. I was attracted to consultancy because of the variety of the work and the challenge of working across different disciplines. I also wanted to work in a smaller company where I could make a contribution within the company as well as on a project basis. Finding a consultancy that specialised in retail was a particular bonus, as it is a sector I could relate to, having always been a keen shopper!
I have certainly had a huge variety in the work I have done in my first 18 months, and I can honestly say that no two weeks have been the same. I was working with a client in the first month, and proceeded to work on 11 different projects in my first year. These included retail strategy, multi-channel, due diligence, buying and merchandising and call-centres. My biggest project so far has been working as a business analyst on the development of Virgin Megastores’ new website.
Over this time I have begun to develop something of a specialism in ecommerce. The firm has encouraged this, for example by sending me to Las Vegas for the annual ecommerce conference where I was able to network with many of the USA’s leading ecommerce practitioners and learn about their businesses.
The project teams are usually quite small and it’s often just a director and a consultant. This means that you get to work directly with senior colleagues, who are experts in their field, which is a great way to learn. Everyone who works here is very bright and above all enthusiastic about their work and retail in general. There is a good mixture of experience as some people come from a consulting background, but many others have years of experience working in retail. This provides a breadth of skills that differentiates us from other consultancies, and makes for an excellent training ground as a graduate.
Graduates start as consultants straight away, working directly with clients and inputting into all parts of the project. This means you get to see projects through from start to finish and you will participate in the meetings and presentations with the client. It’s not just analysis either – you will be expected to contribute your ideas and help shape the recommendations.
The work-life balance is surprisingly good for this type of job – consultancy is not well-known for allowing you to have a life! However, we are measured on the quality of our work, and not the hours we spend in the office. Most people are finished by 6.30pm and you could easily be the last person in if you’re still in the office at 7pm. Obviously there are times when you have to work longer as deadlines approach, but the best thing is that you manage your time yourself and there is no culture of face-time.
The company currently has about 80 employees and is rapidly growing. We still maintain a very flat structure, with little hierarchy. This is helped by the fact that we all sit in one large open-plan office, with all the different service lines together. We don’t tend to work on client site (other than the odd day), so everyone is on hand to answer questions, including directors, rather than being hidden away in offices or away with a client for days on end and therefore less approachable. It also means that you get to know everyone quickly, and we have a good social calendar, ranging from Friday nights in the local pub, to events like bowling and paintball, and the now-annual ski trip.
I would highly recommend Javelin Group if you want real responsibility from the beginning, interesting and challenging work in an exciting sector, and a great team environment. I feel lucky that I really enjoy what I do - and that I can count shopping as research!
Joe
Senior Consultant
Strategy practice
I graduated with an MPhil in history from Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 2004. I began my career as a market insight analyst at Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. My role involved forecasting market trends in order to understand how our titles were likely to perform. I was also responsible for conducting the analysis which informed our category development program at Tesco. After a year I decided I wanted to gain wider exposure across different companies, but was eager to remain within retail.
Moving to Javelin Group was an easy choice to make: I got on very well with the people, was impressed by the range of clients, and felt the meritocratic and entrepreneurial ethos would suit me well. I was keen to get into consulting but did not want to work for a firm where there was little scope to meet clients or get under the skin of their businesses. Javelin Group offered both client exposure from the outset, and also the opportunity to work across all areas of retail and see how things were done at the coalface.
During my time here I have worked across a very wide range of projects, a total of fifteen. These have included working for both international FTSE 100 companies and smaller operations within specific niches of retail. The work has varied from high level strategy, through technology, supply chain, call centres and store operations. It has enabled me to gain a thorough understanding of how retail businesses work, and given me exposure to a diverse range of operating models.
My favourite shop is Amazon.co.uk. As someone who often finds high street shopping to be a highly stressful and frustrating experience, I like being able to access and compare a wide range of products very quickly. The site is well put together and remembers all delivery addresses and payment details, so it is really convenient to use. Amazon’s delivery proposition is also excellent.
Joe
Senior consultant
Operations practice
I joined Javelin Group in 2006 after completing my MSc at Imperial College Business School. Prior to this I had worked for three years at Arcadia Group in merchandising and for one year at Aldi on its graduate training scheme. My first degree was in Law from Newcastle University.
The main thing I enjoy about Javelin Group is the variety of work. Every project is different and every client is different. My projects have covered buying and merchandising, multi-channel, retail strategy and due diligence. My clients have ranged from Marks & Spencer to Sainsbury’s to Ekornes (a small Norwegian furniture manufacturer). By coincidence, several of my clients have been based in Copenhagen.
My role within these projects has also been varied. My core expertise is buying and merchandising and as such I have advised a number of retailers on best practice in this area. However, you are encouraged to work outside of your ‘sweet spot’, so I have also built up my knowledge of multi-channel retail and retail strategy.
The project teams at Javelin Group are typically small (2-3 people) which means you are expected to make a significant contribution. You are actively encouraged to voice your opinion and seek additional responsibility. The free flow of ideas and varied mix of people means you are always learning, making the company a stimulating place to work.
My favourite shop is Selfridges on Oxford Street. It is a beautiful old building that is well known for its leading window displays. The store has great in-door theatre and I have seen some really spectacular events there. The mix of brands is eclectic and includes offerings not usually found on the high street. I also like the bold way in which Selfridges has expanded outside of London and anyone who has not seen the new store in the Birmingham should have a look.
Mark
Consulting Manager
Operations practice
My favourite shop is John Lewis in Kingston as it has a light and spacious feel to it and great customer service culture like no other retailer that I know.
Following four years at an outsourced fulfilment provider and six months at Screwfix Direct as operations and development manager, I joined Javelin Group in October 2001. I was attracted by the challenge and the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects dealing with multiple clients in many different environments.
My work is very varied and includes process mapping and re-engineering requirements capture, call centre and warehouse benchmarking, implementation of new warehouses and call centres and defining the multi channel fulfilment strategy for clients. I also work on projects to improve the efficiency of operations and reduce unnecessary tasks by utilising technology more effectively. I meet and work with people across all levels – from directors to end-users.
I enjoy visiting different operations (call centres and warehouses) and seeing how they are structured, managed and operated, trying to take best practices from the experience and then being challenged to come up with practical solutions knowing that these are likely to be used and to make a different to numerous users. At Javelin Group I have the opportunity to learn from true industry experts, across different practice areas, and work both independently and as part of a small team.
Matt
Senior consultant
Locations practice
I graduated from St John's College, Cambridge, with a degree in Geography and spent two years in Corporate Banking, before joining Javelin Group in May 2005.
Having worked in finance, where I primarily dealt in intangibles (e.g. loans and credit facilities) I was attracted to a position with a more direct link with the 'real world'. Javelin Group provided me the opportunity to work directly with retailers and property developers on projects that have a direct impact on the retail landscape.
In the last two years I have worked on retail location strategy projects for over 10 retailers in sectors ranging from luxury footwear to laminate flooring in both the UK and mainland Europe. Whilst specialising in location analysis I have also worked on a number of broader due diligence projects, evaluating the commercial and operational investment potential of potential targets for private equity firms, building up a particular niche (and waistline!) in projects in the foodservice sector.
I never envisaged using my geography degree in the world of work, but the great thing about working in the Locations practice is that I get to understand and model the impact of changes to retail geographies, be that through the development of an entire shopping centre or the relocation of a portfolio of stores.
Javelin Group has delivered on its promise to give me early exposure and responsibility and provides me with the opportunity to use my (rapidly) growing knowledge of retailing to make informed recommendations to key decision makers across a variety of interesting projects.
My favourite shop is Ikea. My house would look pretty empty without it!
Andrew
Associate Director
Locations practice
After I graduated from Durham University with a degree in French and Spanish, I spent two years on the WH Smith graduate trainee programme before moving to Management Horizons Europe where I spent five years working in the Shopping Centre Evaluation practice area.
I joined Javelin Group in March 2004, having been attracted by Javelin Group’s exciting growth and the opportunities this offers for career development. Since joining I have been promoted to Associate Director, focusing on delivering shopping centre projects to our developer/owner clients. Our work has taken me to many different places, not only in the UK but also various interesting places around Europe. Typically, our projects include tenant mix strategy for shopping centres and assessing the sales and rental potential for retail-led schemes.
At Javelin Group, the people are down to earth, easy to get on with and take great pride in the work that they do. Everybody seems to be working together with the common goal of making the company better and more successful. I find that working here is a rewarding experience. Whilst inevitably there are times when the workload gets extremely heavy, there is a feeling that this effort will be rewarded and recognised.
My favourite shop is Tchibo because the offer changes frequently and it is very affordable.
