Here are a few brief analogies to describe Advantage Solutions (ADV):

• WPP for retail sales and merchandising.
• Accenture for CPG sales and marketing execution.

• Sales Agency Services: Provides outsourced sales, merchandising, and analytics support to consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers for distribution, placement, and sales growth in retail channels.
• Marketing Agency Services: Offers promotional, experiential, digital, media, and shopper marketing solutions to CPG manufacturers and retailers to engage consumers and drive demand.

Advantage Solutions (symbol: ADV) primarily sells its services to other companies.

The company provides sales and marketing services primarily to consumer goods manufacturers and retailers. While Advantage Solutions states in its public filings (e.g., 10-K reports) that a substantial portion of its revenue comes from a relatively small number of clients (with the top 10 clients accounting for approximately 32% of net revenue in 2023), it does not publicly disclose the specific names of its individual major customers due to client confidentiality and competitive reasons.

However, based on the nature of their business, their major customers fall into two primary categories:

• Consumer Goods Manufacturers (CPG): These are companies that produce a wide range of products for everyday use, such as food, beverages, household goods, personal care items, and health products. Advantage Solutions helps these manufacturers promote their products, manage sales channels, and increase market share.
  Examples of companies in this category that typically utilize such services (these are illustrative examples of client types, not specifically confirmed major customers of ADV):
  • Procter & Gamble (symbol: PG)
  • Unilever (symbol: UL)
  • The Coca-Cola Company (symbol: KO)
  • PepsiCo, Inc. (symbol: PEP)
• Retailers: These include large grocery chains, mass merchandisers, and other retail outlets where consumer goods are sold. Advantage Solutions assists retailers with in-store merchandising, promotional activities, and improving the shopping experience for their customers.
  Examples of companies in this category that typically utilize such services (these are illustrative examples of client types, not specifically confirmed major customers of ADV):
  • Walmart Inc. (symbol: WMT)
  • Target Corporation (symbol: TGT)
  • The Kroger Co. (symbol: KR)
  • Amazon.com, Inc. (symbol: AMZN)

Dave Peacock
Chief Executive Officer

Dave Peacock was named Advantage Solutions CEO in January 2023. His career spans over 30 years in the consumer packaged goods and retail industry. He served four years as president and chief operating officer of Schnuck Markets, Inc., and spent two decades at Anheuser-Busch, including three years as the company's president. Prior to joining Advantage, Peacock was chief operating officer and on the board of directors of Continental Grain Company, a global investor, owner, and operator of companies across the food and agribusiness spectrum. He was also the founder and chairman of Vitaligent, LLC, a multi-unit restaurant franchise. Peacock is a member of the board of directors of Stifel Financial Corp.

Chris Growe
Chief Financial Officer

Chris Growe leads all aspects of Advantage Solutions' finance organization, including investor relations, accounting, payroll, treasury, and tax. He has more than 25 years of finance and investment experience, most recently serving as a managing director in the consumer and retail sector at Stifel, a global wealth management, investment banking, and investment advisory firm. At Stifel, Growe covered food and tobacco stocks and provided guidance to institutional investors, receiving multiple awards for his work, including several Financial Times/StarMine awards and The Wall Street Journal's Best on the Street Survey Award. Before Stifel, he was an analyst covering food, beverage, and tobacco stocks with A.G. Edwards and spent his early career in marketing at Anheuser-Busch. Growe's appointment as CFO was effective March 27, 2023.

Michael Taylor
Chief Operating Officer, Retailer and Experiential Services

Michael Taylor leads Advantage Solutions' global retailer-focused businesses and teams, which provide end-to-end retail solutions. His portfolio includes private brands powered by Daymon and retail services powered by SAS. Taylor previously served as president of Daymon and held leadership positions spanning retail, business management, and business development. He began his career with PepsiCo Inc.

Brian McRoskey
Chief Commercial Officer

Brian McRoskey is responsible for Advantage Solutions' commercial business units and its growth team. His focus is on accelerating the company's growth, optimizing its operations, and developing key partnerships. McRoskey oversees a portfolio of transformational initiatives designed to evolve the business and position Advantage for profitable growth.

Pamela Morris-Thornton
Chief Human Resources Officer

Pamela Morris-Thornton serves as the Chief Human Resources Officer for Advantage Solutions. She was appointed to this role as part of executive changes announced in March 2023.

The accelerated growth and sophistication of retail media networks and proprietary advertising platforms operated by major retailers (e.g., Amazon, Walmart, Kroger). These platforms offer consumer goods manufacturers direct access to first-party shopper data, in-store and online promotional opportunities, and targeted advertising capabilities, potentially enabling brands to manage more of their marketing and promotional spend directly with retailers and bypass traditional third-party sales and marketing services providers.

Advantage Solutions (ADV) operates in several addressable markets related to outsourced sales and marketing services for consumer goods companies and retailers. The primary addressable markets for their main products and services are as follows:

• Marketing Agencies Market:
  • In the United States, the marketing agencies market size is estimated to be USD 182.49 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 238.85 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.53% during 2025-2030.
  • Globally, the marketing agencies market was valued at USD 369.56 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 386.36 billion in 2025, with a projected CAGR of 4.5%. North America's share of this market was USD 100.0 billion in 2024 and is expected to double by 2035.
• Retail Service Market:
  • The U.S. Retail Service market size was valued at USD 15.14 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 31.61 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 9.64% during the forecast period of 2025 to 2032.
• Retail Merchandising Market:
  • The Global Retail Merchandising Market is expected to reach USD 54.7 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 9.30% between 2024 and 2033. The market size in 2024 was USD 27.3 billion.
  • Specifically for the Merchandising Unit Industry in the United States, the market is estimated to be valued at USD 1.5 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 2.5 billion by 2035, registering a CAGR of 5.3% over the forecast period.
  • The global market for Retail Visual Merchandising Service was estimated to be worth US$ 847 million in 2024 and is forecast to a readjusted size of US$ 1087 million by 2031 with a CAGR of 4.1% during the forecast period 2025-2031.

1. Growth in Experiential Services: The company has consistently reported strong demand and robust performance in its Experiential Services segment, which includes product demonstration and field marketing events. This segment has shown notable growth in revenues and Adjusted EBITDA, with high execution rates and improved staffing levels contributing to its success. Management anticipates this segment will continue to perform well due to ongoing demand.
2. IT Transformation and Technology Investments: Advantage Solutions is undergoing a significant IT transformation, including the implementation of new ERP and enterprise data infrastructure. These investments are aimed at enhancing operational efficiency, improving workforce optimization, and driving potential growth. The company expects these programs to yield significant operational expenditure savings and broader business efficiencies over the next two to three years, which can indirectly support revenue by allowing for more competitive pricing or reinvestment in growth areas.
3. Strategic Partnerships and Digital Capabilities: A key partnership with Instacart is enhancing Advantage Solutions' technology capabilities and operational reach. Successful pilots integrating in-store audits with its retail execution network through this partnership demonstrate the potential for boosting digital capabilities and expanding service offerings, which can lead to new revenue streams.
4. New Business Wins and Client Expansion: Advantage Solutions focuses on deepening client relationships and securing new business wins. Management has indicated a strong pipeline for 2026, supported by business development efforts. As staffing and execution stabilize, these new business opportunities are expected to take effect, contributing to revenue growth.
5. Operational Efficiencies and Workforce Optimization: While primarily cost-focused, the company's efforts in improving operating efficiencies and talent management are foundational to supporting revenue growth. Centralized labor management for talent attraction and retention in Experiential Services, for example, directly aids in meeting demand and executing more events. Overall operational streamlining and improved labor utilization are expected to drive future efficiencies and profitability, enabling the company to effectively scale its services.

Share Repurchases

• In November 2021, Advantage Solutions authorized a new share repurchase program for up to $100 million of its Class A common stock.
• The company executed $12.6 million in open market purchases during the fourth quarter of 2021, leaving $87.4 million available under the program as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.
• Advantage Solutions spent $34 million on share buybacks in 2024 and $1 million in Q1 2025.

Share Issuance

• Advantage Solutions went public in September 2020 through a merger with Conyers Park II Acquisition Corp., valuing the company at approximately $5.2 billion.
• As part of the merger, 203,750,000 shares of Class A common stock were issued to Karman Topco L.P., and an additional 5,000,000 performance shares vested in January 2021 upon satisfying a market performance condition.
• As of March 5, 2025, there were 321,408,856 shares of common stock issued and outstanding.

Inbound Investments

• The company's public market debut in October 2020 through the SPAC merger with Conyers Park II Acquisition Corp. provided access to public markets.

Outbound Investments

• Advantage Solutions acquired BrandShare, an e-commerce sampling and advertising company, in May 2022.
• Quantum Networks was acquired by Advantage Solutions in January 2020.

Capital Expenditures

• Advantage Solutions reduced its capital expenditure guidance for full-year 2025 to a range of $45 million to $55 million. This was revised downwards from earlier guidance of $65-75 million and then $50-60 million.
• The company continues to invest in technology and AI capabilities to enhance services and operational efficiency.
• Strategic IT and capability investments are also a focus for enhancing client services.