You are currently viewing the United States website Institutional website. You can change your location here or visit other RBC GAM websites.

Welcome to the RBC Global Asset Management site for Institutional Investors

In order to proceed to the site, please accept our Terms & Conditions.

This RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Website is intended for institutional investors only.

For purposes of this Website, the term "Institutional" includes but is not limited to sophisticated non-retail investors such as investment companies, banks, insurance companies, investment advisers, plan sponsors, endowments, government entities, high net worth individuals and those acting on behalf of institutional investors. The Website contains information, material and content about RBC Global Asset Management (collectively, the “Information”).

The Website and the Information are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute an offer, solicitation or invitation to buy or sell a security, any other product or service, or to participate in any particular trading strategy. The Website and the Information are not directed at or intended for use by any person resident or located in any jurisdiction where (1) the distribution of such information or functionality is contrary to the laws of such jurisdiction or (2) such distribution is prohibited without obtaining the necessary licenses and such authorizations have not been obtained. Investment strategies may not be eligible for sale or available to residents of certain countries or certain categories of investors.

The Information is provided without regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any specific recipient and does not constitute investment, tax, accounting or legal advice. Recipients are strongly advised to make an independent review with an investment professional and reach their own conclusions regarding the investment merits and risks, legal, credit, tax and accounting aspects of any transactions.

Accept Decline
org.apache.velocity.tools.view.context.ChainedContext@68bce12c

In the second part of our consumer series, Neil Abbott, Senior Portfolio Manager, RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited, and Kilian Niemarkt, Client Portfolio Manager, RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited, look at what drives competitive advantage in a sector which features everything from soft drinks, to auto parts, to leisurewear. They also touch on how the sector has been impacted by recent macro events, during a challenging few years.

There are many companies jostling for position in the consumer sector. Obviously your research is detailed, but can you highlight how you know a company has something special to offer?

Competitive advantages can vary by industry, and some of them are very obvious. A company’s brand is probably the most important part of any consumer assessment, and some companies, such as Coke, Tesla and Disney, obviously have very powerful brands. Brands are intangible drivers of long-term value creation and rarely feature on balance sheets or in the cash flows of companies, but they are the starting point when thinking about consumer investments. As part of our analysis, we ask: ‘What do consumers identify with? Do they trust the brands that they're spending their money on?’

Brands are the first thing we look at, but technology also plays an important role. Companies such as Amazon, Ocado and Tesla are technology-driven consumer companies. Their technology is industry leading and gives them a sustainable competitive advantage, and that is important for us when we do our research and make long-term assessments.

An image is worth a thousand words

An image is worth a thousand words

Source: RBC GAM. Logos are protected trademarks of their respective owners and RBC disclaims any association with them and any rights associated with such trademarks. For illustrative purposes only.

What else is important when looking for the proverbial jewels in the crown?

For any consumer company, distribution capability is important i.e. how goods reach consumers. Obviously, Amazon changed the world in that regard and to be able to buy more or less anything at short notice is a fantastic capability and one that we like from a competitive perspective, however it’s not the only way to have a distribution advantage. An example is Unilever’s Indian subsidiary which reaches approximately 1.4 billion people, and which no e-commerce or traditional consumer company in that country can match.

Some companies in the U.S. use a ‘Direct Store Delivery’ system where products go directly from production plants to retail stores. These companies have direct relationships with the retailers, and this enables them to interact with consumers. Not all big FMCG – or fast-moving consumer goods companies – do this, and many distribute through third parties. However, the companies that do use this approach can have a strong distribution advantage.

We also look at the more intangible aspects of a company, such as the people and culture and in recent years, sustainability. This is an important aspect of consumer companies as it has given rise to the concept of brands with purpose. We believe this is an extremely important way of gaining a competitive advantage.

Companies with an innovative culture can also have a winning edge. A Brazilian beer company, for example, would be managed differently to a traditional British or American beer business, and the Brazilian culture and energy and excitement around that can make an ‘old’ – or traditional – business seem like a young business. Understanding that culture and the way it can impact a company is part of understanding its competitive advantage.

Finally, we seek management teams we can trust, and that takes time which makes it challenging for us to be nimble when it comes to investing. Ultimately though, we assess companies’ management teams constantly, as part of our ongoing due diligence, so we rarely have to start from the beginning. We believe that an example of a company with strong management is Home Depot, which is a very mature business, and which we view as being well managed in that it seeks to keep consumers happy, and treat its employees and shareholders fairly.

Speaking of management focusing on customers and shareholders, what are your views on engagement?

Thinking like an owner is the key point here. We spoke to the CEO of a U.S. retailer who, during the pandemic, sought to ensure that none of his employees would lose their jobs and committed significant sums to making sure that his employees could take time off, if needed. In the short term, these actions could impact quarterly results, whereas in the long term, we can see this as a company building strong contingent assets and creating value.

As an interesting aside, the retail sector typically has very high turnover levels and staff are generally not committed to their employers. Over time, a few companies have recognised that having experienced staff in-store who can help consumers is a key component of their customer service. Employee turnover levels are much lower at good companies, and especially ones where employees are treated as partners in the business. We always look at turnover levels in a company when we're thinking about investing. The rate of change can give us a signal for something changing positively or negatively in the culture.

Finally, viewed through a consumer lens, how have recent inflationary pressures and interest rate rises played out in the sector and for you, as investors?

In our view, inflation was visible in the consumer sector before other sectors. Towards the end of 2021, it became clear to us that we were going to be seeing quite high levels of inflation coming through from consumer companies. The twin pressures of high inflation pushing up prices, and probable increases in interest rates pushing up mortgage costs, were bad news for consumer companies.

In this type of environment, more consumer spending capacity is allocated to basics, such as food and drink, and the amount left for discretionary spending becomes squeezed, so we had to think about how we would respond to that. We also needed to think about which of the companies we could invest in were best able to deal with inflation, i.e. the companies that would be able to raise their prices to protect their margins, but not see high levels of elasticity in terms of negative demand response.

As we move into 2023, we continue to learn more about consumer companies and industries, as always. In particular, sustainability is high on the agenda and conducting in-depth, annual ESG engagement will be a key focus of our investment activities across this interesting and ever-evolving sector.

Learn more about our team and how we seek to make a positive difference to our clients through responsible long-term investment.

Related content

Disclosure

This document is provided by RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) for informational purposes only and may not be reproduced, distributed or published without the written consent of RBC GAM or its affiliated entities listed herein. This document does not constitute an offer or a solicitation to buy or to sell any security, product or service in any jurisdiction; nor is it intended to provide investment, financial, legal, accounting, tax, or other advice and such information should not be relied or acted upon for providing such advice. This document is not available for distribution to investors in jurisdictions where such distribution would be prohibited.

RBC GAM is the asset management division of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) which includes RBC Global Asset Management Inc., RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc., RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited, RBC Global Asset Management (Asia) Limited, and BlueBay Asset Management LLP, which are separate, but affiliated subsidiaries of RBC.

In Canada, this document is provided by RBC Global Asset Management Inc. (including PH&N Institutional) which is regulated by each provincial and territorial securities commission with which it is registered. In the United States, this document is provided by RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc., a federally registered investment adviser. In Europe this document is provided by RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority.

Additional information about RBC GAM may be found at www.rbcgam.com.

This document has not been reviewed by, and is not registered with any securities or other regulatory authority, and may, where appropriate and permissible, be distributed by the above-listed entities in their respective jurisdictions.

Any investment and economic outlook information contained in this document has been compiled by RBC GAM from various sources. Information obtained from third parties is believed to be reliable, but no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by RBC GAM, its affiliates or any other person as to its accuracy, completeness or correctness. RBC GAM and its affiliates assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. Opinions contained herein reflect the judgment and thought leadership of RBC GAM and are subject to change at any time. Such opinions are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be investment or financial advice and should not be relied or acted upon for providing such advice. RBC GAM does not undertake any obligation or responsibility to update such opinions.

RBC GAM reserves the right at any time and without notice to change, amend or cease publication of this information.

Past performance is not indicative of future results. With all investments there is a risk of loss of all or a portion of the amount invested. Where return estimates are shown, these are provided for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as a prediction of returns; actual returns may be higher or lower than those shown and may vary substantially, especially over shorter time periods. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

Some of the statements contained in this document may be considered forward-looking statements which provide current expectations or forecasts of future results or events. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and involve risks and uncertainties. Do not place undue reliance on these statements because actual results or events may differ materially from those described in such forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Before making any investment decisions, we encourage you to consider all relevant factors carefully.
® / TM Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence.
© RBC Global Asset Management Inc. 2023