Services

Market Entry & Expansion

The financial case, structure and plan for entering a new market — tested before you commit, supported on the ground once you do.

Overview

We build the financial case for entering a market before you commit to it — demand, cost to serve, time to break-even, capital required — and compare the ways in: greenfield, partnership, joint venture or acquisition. Then our local team helps you set up and stays involved through the first year.

Clients are African businesses expanding regionally or into the Gulf, Europe and Asia, and international companies and investors entering Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, the UAE and Singapore. Our offices in each of those markets give you advisors who know the local banks, regulators and counterparties.

Capabilities

Market assessment and feasibility
Entry structure and holding arrangements
Partner, joint venture and acquisition screening
Expansion financing
Local banking and treasury set-up
Post-entry performance review

Who this is for

Companies entering a new country or region, and international investors establishing operations in Africa, the Middle East or Asia.

What you receive

Market entry business case and financial model
Entry structure options with the financial trade-offs set out
Ninety-day implementation plan with local counterparties

How the market is changing

Trade corridors between Africa, the Gulf and Asia are growing faster than traditional routes to Europe and North America, and regional trade agreements are lowering barriers within Africa itself. The opportunity is real, but so is the cost of entering on the wrong structure, with the wrong partner or in the wrong currency.

How to start

A first conversation is confidential and free. If this is the right service for your situation we will scope it in writing before any work begins.

Start a conversation

Common challenges

Problems we're regularly asked to solve, and how

The problem
A market looks attractive on headline growth figures, but no one has modelled what it will cost to serve and how long it will take to pay back.
How we address it
We build a market-specific business case with realistic costs, timelines and break-even scenarios before any commitment is made.
The problem
The entry structure is chosen for speed, and its consequences for funding, profit repatriation and future exit only appear later.
How we address it
We set out the entry structures side by side, with their financial consequences stated, and coordinate with your legal and tax advisers on the final choice.
The problem
A local partner or acquisition target is chosen on relationships rather than evidence.
How we address it
We screen partners and targets on financial and governance criteria, with findings in writing before you sign.

Process

How this engagement unfolds

01
Confidential discussion
We start by understanding the decision in front of you, the constraints around it and what has already been tried — confidential, free of charge, no obligation.
02
Scope in writing
You receive the proposed work, what it will produce, how long it will take and what it costs, before anything begins. The scope sets out which markets, entry routes and partners are in view, and what support continues after entry.
03
The work
We build the business case and entry model, compare structures and partners, and agree a ninety-day plan with our local office.
04
Decisions and follow-through
We support set-up on the ground — banking, treasury, reporting — and review performance against the business case after the first year.

Contacts