A European retail organisation was considering a partnership with a leading Middle Eastern trading house to open a chain of retail outlets in several Middle East and North African countries. Our client wished to fully understand the political and business risks of each potential market, asking us to help screen the countries and narrow its choices.

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Initially we drew up a list for each country of 25 key political and business risk questions that would directly determine the outcome of investments in those markets. As the client already knew the basic facts about these markets, the questions raised critical issues that were barely covered in public resources and highlighted the real issues that the client needed to know. Using our network of well-placed and knowledgeable sources, we then provided detailed and reasoned answers for each question, identifying the most significant areas of risk.

Our conclusions helped the client select the two most promising markets from the political/business risk perspective, focusing its negotiations and planning with its Middle Eastern partner.