The latest piece from A&M's Corporate Transformation Services team breaks down the three patterns emerging across industries, and the four fundamentals that separate the organizations turning AI investment into real P&L impact from those stuck in pilot mode.

Companies are investing billions in AI, but most struggle to convert adoption into measurable financial returns. Managing Director Daniel Schmeltz explains why real AI ROI depends on operating model redesign, not more pilots or tools.

April 2026 is set to hit small UK retailers with a fresh wave of cost hikes, pilling pressure onto a sector many say is facing its toughest time since Covid. Rising wage, insurance, sick pay, business rates, energy standing charges, and reduced owner take‑home pay arrive as consumer demand softens and inflation fears persist amid geopolitical tensions. SMEs enter with limited resilience and mounting headwinds—including late payments, crime, and heavier admin/tax burdens—raising the risk of closures or contraction. The piece urges defensive cost control where necessary and, where possible, smarter pricing, operational efficiency, and targeted automation/analytics to protect margins and conserve working capital.

In a recent Chief Executive feature, Annie Peabody examines how investor scrutiny—not proposed quarterly reporting changes—is driving short term pressures and reshaping how companies communicate corporate value narratives, performance, and strategy.