Ohio-based consultancy Change 4 Growth launches UK office

Westerville, Ohio-based transformation consultancy Change 4 Growth (C4G) has launched its first location in the UK.

C4G specializes in transformational change services, and has developed a strong client roster within the retail sector, supporting notable firms such as American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Eddie Bauer. C4G delivers consulting offerings in the areas of organizational change management, culture alignment and engagement, instructional design and e-learning, leadership development, and project delivery support.

With the retail sector being hit by violent waves of disruptive e-commerce and shifting consumer preferences, massive organizational change is increasingly in the cards, whether as a preventative measure for healthy future growth or as an “it’s probably too late” restructuring initiative. 

C4G was founded by CEO Beth Thomas, a veteran consultant with 25 years of experience supporting organizations through major transformations, organizational change, and employee engagement initiatives. Before founding C4G in 2017, Thomas was managing director of consulting at human resources outsourcing and advisory firm Sequent, and senior vice president and head of retail training and development at banking giant JP Morgan Chase.

C4G's new location, at London LABS House, will be helmed by managing director David Lucas, who will lead the firm’s change management offerings in the UK.

UK-based retail consultancy Thought Provoking Consulting (TPC) Group made a significant investment in C4G last year. The investment allowed TPC to expand its retail sector offering into the area of organizational change management. C4G’s London office will be at the same location as TPC’s London headquarters.

The UK retail market is currently an attractive target for change consultants (and insolvency and restructuring specialists, for that matter). The UK High Street has been battered by e-commerce incursion, Brexit pressures, and stagnating real wages, with PwC reporting 2,692 retail store closures versus 1,569 openings in the first half of 2018.

As the UK braces for the fallout of a potential no-deal Brexit and the looming end of the business cycle, C4G will likely find fertile ground for its retail-focused transformation services.

"Many of our clients are global organizations who have facilities and employees around the world, and as an avid admirer of Britain's innovative retail community, it has long been my intention to open a Change 4 Growth office in the UK," Thomas said. "Now, with David Lucas, who brings a proven track record of transformational change at the helm and our sister company, Thought Provoking Consulting, also located in London, we're more excited than ever to explore the synergies to be discovered in having a UK powerhouse to support not only the retail sector but all industries."

Related: US healthcare consulting firm Vynamic expands into UK
Digital talent marketplace Catalant opens an office in London