UK multi-site retail brand — portfolio consolidation across 200+ sites

Starting position

A UK consumer brand with 200+ outlets across the UK, operated under a mixed model — some company-owned, some franchised, some leased. The energy portfolio had grown organically: three incumbent suppliers, three different contract structures (a mix of fixed, multipurchase and out-of-contract), and renewal dates spread across the year.

From a finance and sustainability perspective, this was effectively unmanageable. Every renewal was a one-off event; site-level reporting was inconsistent; there was no single number anyone could quote with confidence on energy spend or carbon.

What we changed

1. Aligned the renewal calendar

Step one was simply moving every contract onto a small number of aligned renewal dates. This sometimes meant early renewal of existing contracts (with the supplier's consent), sometimes extending or shortening initial terms. After 18 months, the portfolio was on two synchronised renewal events per year instead of a constant drip.

2. Right product per site

We didn't force every site onto the same contract structure. Larger flagships moved to Multipurchase to capture trading upside. Smaller sites stayed on competitive fix. A handful of sites with material peak-tariff exposure got separate treatment. The portfolio sat above the product mix — one consolidated picture, multiple structures underneath.

3. One Yolk view, multiple reports

Yolk's grouping let local site managers see their own data and let central finance and ESG see the portfolio rolled up. Brand-level reports for the board became a single click. Site-level reports for area managers became a different single click. The reporting layer finally matched the operational reality.

4. Aggregated efficiency programme

With visibility across the portfolio, the highest-spend sites stood out — and we ran a three-phase efficiency programme covering refrigeration optimisation, LED retrofit at the laggard sites, and an EV destination-charging pilot at five flagships.

5. Cleaned-up reporting

SECR and the brand's public sustainability report became materially more accurate, with clean evidence trails for the procurement decisions, the efficiency programme outcomes and the renewables footprint.

Outcomes

• Renewal cadence: from rolling, ad-hoc renewals to two synchronised events per year.
• Energy spend: reduced across the portfolio, with the biggest contributions from competitive procurement on the laggard sites and from the LED retrofit programme.
• Reporting quality: sustainable reporting moved from "carefully worded" to "audit-clean."
• Operational sanity: finance, sustainability and operations finally shared a single source of truth.

The lesson

Multi-site retail and hospitality portfolios are where TUS does some of its most leveraged work. The savings on any individual site are usually modest — but multiplied across 200 sites and a three-year contract life, they're material. The bigger gain is operational: instead of dozens of rolling renewals and unreliable reporting, you get one portfolio, one renewal calendar and one report.