EY strengthens expertise in the area of consumer products and retail

With the beginning of March 2024, a new partner, Rafał Reif, joined EY Poland. He will be responsible for the development of the consumer products and retail sector at EY Poland and for the strengthening of the Customer practice within Consulting.

Rafał has over 16 years of experience in the consulting industry, specializing in a number of areas such as sales channel development, operating model design, supply chain, digital transformation and sustainability, especially in the fashion and consumer products sector.

He is actively engaged in research on consumer behaviors and analysis of global trends in the retail and fashion industries.

The new EY partner will use his expertise and ability to interpret changes in the business environment to effectively support brands in adapting to new market challenges, including the ESG requirements.

I’m happy that Rafał is joining us in a critical point to the retail market. The retail market has to cope not only with increasing competition, but also with changing consumer behaviour patterns as subsequent generations increase their purchasing power. The market must cope with increasing competition and changing consumer purchasing behaviors along with the emerging voices from subsequent generations. Poles are particularly price-sensitive, and now they are paying increasingly more attention to the ESG factor. At the same time, technological changes alter the way we make purchases.  We are strengthening our expertise in consumer products and retail sector to better navigate our customers through this journey, says Kazimierz Klonecki, Managing Partner at EY Consulting.

After a very difficult period of high inflation and changing shopping behaviors, retail is catching its breath. This is the time to optimize many processes and engage the customer in a variety of channels. A good understanding of consumer needs and the use of data analytics continue to be the success factors in this industry. However, new aspects are emerging, such as the need to implement modern technologies, comply with sustainable economy guidelines, and act responsibly to build trust among customers, comments the new leader of the consumer products and retail sector at EY Poland.

Rafał Reif graduated from the Poznań University of Economics with a degree in Economics and from Polimoda in Florence with a degree in Fashion Brand Management. He is passionate about travelling, especially to Asia, and Japanese culture and cuisine. He values active recreation, cycling and practicing winter sports in his spare time. He recently began his adventure with surfing.