Department Store

This case study with answers is one of the 500+ cases in our case interview library. Get ready to dive into the case.

Case Study Prompt

Our client is a large department store chain.  The CEO knows that men’s dress shirts are much less profitable than the rest of his product lines.  He believes that if they were evaluated on a fully loaded (inclusive of all costs associated with the product) basis that they would in fact be unprofitable.  

He is considering taking action to correct this problem.

What would you want to know to determine whether or not the CEO is correct? 

Case Study Overview

In this Bain style case study with answers, you have been called in to help the CEO of your client determine the fate of their line of men’s shirts. He suspects they are unprofitable and it’s up to you to dig deep into Profitability and find the data to either support or negate his assumption so you can help him make an informed decision.

Getting ready for a second round Bain interview? The Profitability Framework will help you solve this case study, but don’t stop there. Take the existing framework and combine it with your own business acumen and experience to develop a solution to this case that is specific to the problem.

There is one math exhibit in this case, so make sure your quant skills are in high gear. This is an advanced case study with answers and has a qualitative difficulty is 3 out of 4, making it a case you would likely run into in a second round at Bain.

Bain Interview Tips

Bain’s top priority in it’s candidates is practicality.

As you work through the case, focus on how you would lead the team working on this case and which work packages you would delegate.

As you work through this case:

• Identify 1 key takeaway or area you can improve
• Time yourself – 2min for structure, 5min for math, 2min for brainstorming, 2min for conclusion
• Smooth out your polish and communication skills

Looking for more practice? Check out our case interview library.

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