First Annapolis Consulting - Retailer Services

Management Consulting

Card Issuing
Merchant Acquiring
Deposit Access
Retailer Services
Commercial Payments
Emerging Payments
Payment Strategy

M&A Advisory Services

Specialized Services

International

Research Services

Our Retailer Services practice parallels our Credit Card Issuing practice, but is focused solely on retailers, manufacturers and service providers to the retail market segment. Our clients include leading retailers and service providers in all market segments – department stores, specialty apparel, discounters, home improvement, catalog, consumer electronics, oil, bookstores, and more. We advise our clients on all payment products – credit, debit, stored value, check, and other emerging vehicles.

Services Offered

Partnership Finance: In our Retailer Services practice, we routinely advise retailers and third party card issuers on the formation and management of credit card partnerships, both private label and co-brand. We add value by providing a balanced perspective of the merits of various credit card alternatives, a practical understanding of the strategic, financial, and contractual trade-offs of each alternative, and an ability to create partnerships that generate lasting value. Moreover, we offer ongoing program management support to allow our clients to draw on us for best practices, strategic insights, and tactical support.

Strategy/Product Development: First Annapolis supports retailers and third party card issuers in the development of successful business and product strategies. We add value by providing comprehensive market assessments, competitive analysis, primary and secondary research, financial analysis, and implementation support. These services leverage our industry experience and analytical expertise to help clients create and deploy winning strategies and tactics.

Portfolio & Risk Management: First Annapolis has built a specialized portfolio and risk management team with years of industry experience at companies such as Fair Isaac, Capital One, GE, and others. Our support involves developing strategies across the credit lifecycle (front-end through back-end), conducting best practices reviews and portfolio diagnostics, and providing implementation support. Our team is tactically-oriented with a depth of expertise in credit policy, account management, fraud prevention, and collections.

Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory Support: First Annapolis leverages its deep knowledge of the credit card industry and card portfolio performance to provide specialized M&A support to clients divesting or acquiring credit card portfolios. We manage the full purchase/sale process or provide targeted valuation, diligence, negotiation, or fairness opinion support. In order to help clients achieve the most favorable outcome, we leverage proprietary analytical tools, experience with complex transactions, and strong relationships with leading buyers and sellers. We have developed strong expertise in structuring private label and co-brand partnerships, selling sub-prime or impaired assets, and facilitating customized portfolio swaps.

Strategic Sourcing: We help retailers with their gift card programs, merchant processing arrangements, database solutions, and other servicing needs. First Annapolis adds value by using a disciplined approach, analytical rigor, project management experience, and proven expertise to achieve the most favorable outcome for our clients. Our specialized resources differentiate us from other advisory firms and make First Annapolis a perfect complement to client project teams. These specialized resources include professionals who joined First Annapolis from prestigious law firms that bring a unique combination of business and contractual acumen to our strategic sourcing assignments.