Autoland

Case Study Prompt

A successful chain of Canadian auto service stores (Autoland) has entered several markets in the United States in hopes of duplicating their success in America. The stores offer two services: retail sales of auto parts for customers who prefer to perform their own maintenance and a service center for fixing any automobile problem, from an oil change to new transmission.

Since entering the U.S., Autoland has experienced $50M in revenue with losses of $20M. The owner is considering pulling out of the United States. You have been hired to determine if they can improve their performance, relative to competitors, or if they should exit the market.

How would you approach this problem?

Case Study Overview

Your Canadian client, Autoland, has recently entered the United States marketplace and is experiencing revenue losses. They are looking to you to help them make the critical decision as to whether or not they can compete in this market. In this Strategy& interview case study, your job is to familiarize yourself with your client’s operations, dig into their profitability and make a recommendation.

Are you preparing for a first round Strategy& interview? While you can use the Profitability Framework to solve this case study, the best case interview candidates blend frameworks and their own business acumen to create a custom framework.

There are no math exhibits in this case. The qualitative difficulty is 2 out of 4, which makes this a beginner case interview you would typically see in a first round interview.

Strategy& Interview Tips

What does Strategy& look for in its case interview candidates? Creativity and innovative approaches to problem solving.

Make sure you are comfortable working outside basic frameworks and finding unique solutions to problems you may face.

In this case, focus on a couple of things:

1. Time yourself throughout the case (2min to build structure and 2min to present it; 2min each for a brainstorming question; 2min for final recommendation)
2. Focus on finding one area you can improve upon for next time.

For out-loud practice with an expert, book an hour with an ex-MBB coach.