Industries we work in across Egypt and the GCC

Wills Business is a management consultancy based in Cairo. We work with owners and executives in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE across the nine industries below. We are not a sector specialist. The decisions that bring clients to us repeat across sectors: whether to build, where to grow, how to fix operations that no longer scale, and how to run the company so it outlives its founder. What changes by sector is the data, the regulator, the lender's expectations and the cost structure. This page names the typical decisions we see in each industry and the services used to make them.

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Real estate and construction {#real-estate-construction}

Developers, contractors and landowners in Cairo, the New Administrative Capital, Riyadh, Jeddah and Dubai. The decisions: whether a plot should become residential, mixed-use or commercial; whether a development still works when construction and finance costs move; whether a contractor's margin problem is pricing, procurement or site management. Feasibility studies for land and development projects are the most common engagement, prepared for banks and, in Egypt, for the authorities that approve the scheme. Operations work covers cost control, procurement and project delivery for contractors. Financial advisory covers funding structures and partner valuations. Family groups that own land often start with governance, because the decision about what to build is also a decision about who decides. Services: feasibility studies, operations consulting, financial advisory.

Retail and consumer goods {#retail-consumer-goods}

Retail chains, distributors, franchisees and consumer brands selling in Egypt and the Gulf. The decisions: which stores, cities or channels to open next and which to close; whether to take a franchise or build a brand; how to price when import costs and currency move; whether the margin problem is in buying, in the store or in the warehouse. Market research measures demand by segment and city before a launch or an expansion. Feasibility studies support new-format or new-country roll-outs. Operations work looks at inventory, supply chain and store performance. Strategy work answers the question of which categories and channels deserve the next three years of capital. Services: market research, strategy consulting, operations consulting.

Manufacturing and industrial {#manufacturing-industrial}

Factories and industrial groups in 10th of Ramadan, 6th of October, Sadat City, the Saudi industrial cities and the UAE industrial zones. The decisions: whether to build a new line or plant; whether to export or to serve the Gulf from a local plant; how to hold margin when energy, input and import costs rise; whether an ERP will fix the planning problem or expose it. Feasibility studies for new plants and lines are prepared for banks, SIDF and the Egyptian industrial authorities. Operations work covers production planning, cost reduction, procurement and supply chain. Digital work covers ERP selection and the operating discipline that has to come before it. Export and Gulf market entry is a market research engagement with a plant-side cost model attached. Services: feasibility studies, operations consulting, digital transformation.

Food and beverage and hospitality {#food-beverage-hospitality}

Restaurant groups, food producers, hotels and catering companies across Cairo, Riyadh, Jeddah and Dubai. The decisions: whether a concept should be franchised or company-owned; whether a hotel or a food plant is worth building at this site and this size; how to fix a group whose outlets each run differently; how to price a menu when inputs move monthly. Feasibility studies for hotels, food plants and multi-outlet roll-outs are prepared for banks, franchisors and investors. Market research measures demand and competitor pricing by city and segment. Operations work standardises outlets, procurement and kitchen costs across a group. Business plans support franchise applications and investor rounds. Services: feasibility studies, market research, business plans.

Healthcare {#healthcare}

Hospitals, clinic chains, diagnostic centres, pharmacies and medical distributors. The decisions: whether a hospital or clinic chain is viable at this location and case mix; how to grow from one facility to several without losing clinical and financial control; how to prepare for an investor who wants governance and reporting the founder never needed. Feasibility studies for healthcare projects are prepared for banks and for the health regulators in each country, with the licensing path built into the schedule. Strategy work covers service lines, locations and payer mix. Governance work covers boards and reporting for founder-led groups taking outside capital. Financial advisory covers valuation before a partner or an exit. Services: feasibility studies, strategy consulting, financial advisory.

Education {#education}

School groups, universities, vocational institutes and training companies in Egypt and the Gulf. The decisions: whether a new campus or school is viable at this fee level and catchment; whether to take an international curriculum licence; how to run a group of schools as one organisation; how to prepare for an education investor. Feasibility studies for campuses and schools are prepared for banks, regulators and investors, with the licensing and accreditation path built into the timeline. Market research measures catchment demand, fee tolerance and competitor capacity. People and organisation work covers the operating model, leadership structure and staffing of a growing group. Governance work supports founder-led groups moving to a board. Services: feasibility studies, market research, people and organisation.

Logistics and transport {#logistics-transport}

Freight forwarders, warehousing operators, last-mile companies and fleet owners serving Egypt, the Saudi corridor and the UAE hubs. The decisions: whether to build a warehouse or hub at this location and size; whether to enter Saudi Arabia to follow customers; how to price and route when fuel, labour and currency move; how to get a company that grew on relationships to run on process. Feasibility studies for warehouses and hubs are prepared for banks and investors. Operations work covers network design, routing, fleet cost and warehouse productivity. Digital work covers the systems that a logistics business needs once it is too big to run on spreadsheets and WhatsApp. Market entry work supports expansion into the Gulf. Services: operations consulting, feasibility studies, digital transformation.

Financial services and fintech {#financial-services-fintech}

Non-bank lenders, payment companies, insurance brokers, investment firms and fintech start-ups that have found a market and now need to run like a company. The decisions: which segments and products to build the next three years around; how to prepare a business plan and model a regulator or investor will accept; how to organise for growth without losing control; how to value the business before a funding round. Strategy work covers market and product choices. Business plans and financial models support licence applications and investor rounds. Financial advisory covers valuation and transaction support. Governance work covers boards and controls that regulators and investors expect. We do not give regulatory advice; we build the regulator's requirements into the plan. Services: strategy consulting, business plans, financial advisory.

Family-owned groups {#family-owned-groups}

Family groups in Egypt and the Gulf that span several of the industries above, often in their second or third generation. The decisions: who runs the group next and how that is decided; how to separate family matters from company matters; how to bring in a non-family executive or an outside investor; whether to keep, sell or split a business that no longer fits. Governance work covers family constitutions, boards, decision rights, ownership rules and succession. Strategy work answers the portfolio question of which businesses deserve the group's capital. Financial advisory covers valuation for buyouts between family members and for outside partners. People and organisation work covers the move from founder-led to professionally managed. Most family engagements run in Arabic. Services: governance and family business, strategy consulting, financial advisory.

Not on the list?

The list covers the industries we see most often, not all of the industries we work in. If your company is in energy, agriculture, media, technology, professional services or another sector, the decision is usually one we have made before in a different setting. Tell us what you are facing and we will say honestly whether we are the right firm for it. If we are not, we will tell you who is.

Thirty minutes. No deck. A senior consultant replies.