With the holiday shopping season in full swing, retail businesses are at their busiest. This year, with six fewer shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas than usual, retailers are looking to leverage technology and earlier-than-ever sales events in an attempt to get their wares in customers' hands. Unfortunately, the boom time on Wall Street has been slow to reach Main Street, where many people are trying to stretch their holiday dollar further than ever. Alvarez & Marsal recently integrated the team from ClearLine, a boutique firm with whom they have a longstanding working relationship, to enhance their retail offering. Former ClearLine CEO and newly minted A&M Managing Director Tom Phelps sat down with Consulting to offer his insight about the merger and steps retailers are taking to avoid a stocking full of coal this holiday season.
Consulting: Why the timing for the merger and what are some of the early goals?