International Scale-Up of B2B Platform

A leading German food & beverage wholesaler runs a central B2B platform through its digital subsidiary, connecting restaurateurs and suppliers. At the request of a European shareholder, the platform was to be introduced in a new market to replace an existing system. The program focused on further developing the platform, localizing it for market-specific requirements, and managing the rollout in close coordination with the shareholder in switzerland.

Challenges

Initial situation, pain points, and setup:

• The shareholder's existing platform had to be replaced

• High expectations and numerous customization requests from the shareholder, despite limited internal capacity

• Lack of clearly structured requirements on the side of the digital subsidiary

• Communication gaps between business and IT within the digital subsidiary

Objectives

• Establish a structured and documented requirements process to align all parties

• Define robust and actionable epics for the digital platform development

• Build a functioning coordination process between business and IT

• Create a business case and roadmap for rollout in the shareholder market

• Actively manage the international rollout in close alignment with the local shareholder

• Set up scalable governance and communication structures across organizations

Approach

• Initial gap analysis of the German platform's capabilities and processes

• Structuring, prioritizing, and documenting requirements into actionable epics (Jira & Confluence)

• Close coordination with business and IT stakeholders in Germany

• Process adaptation and ongoing facilitation between internal functions

• Introduction of regular retrospectives to stabilize delivery processes and communication

• Development of business case, cost estimates, and financial model for international expansion

• Definition and steering of localized epics tailored to the target market

• Central orchestration of the rollout from Germany, with proactive stakeholder management in Switzerland

• Continuous tracking of feature performance in both the German and Swiss markets

Obstacles

• Internal friction between business and IT over priorities and resource allocation

• Platform architecture not fully scalable for additional markets

• Misaligned expectations and technical constraints in the target market

• Politically sensitive relationship with the shareholder due to their ownership and legacy systems

• Conflicting goals between strategic platform expansion and realistic rollout readiness

• Complex development setup involving multiple internal and external agencies

• High workload for the program team due to added international responsibilities

Critical success factors

• Tight alignment across business, IT, and management layers

• Full transparency around priorities, requirements, and capacity

• Continuous validation of feasibility along technical platform boundaries

• Translation of strategic expectations into a realistic, actionable roadmap

• Clearly defined roles and responsibilities across countries

• Structured internal communication and disciplined meeting formats

• Early and transparent communication with the shareholder at eye level

• Ongoing measurement of impact for new epics and features in both markets

Key results

• Country-specific rollout was prepared, launched, and functionally led

• Platform capabilities expanded based on localized requirements

• Business case and rollout roadmap aligned and approved by the sponsor

• Internal clarity established around requirements, feasibility, and governance

• Stakeholder communication between digital unit and shareholder institutionalized at management level

• Platform successfully integrated into the Swiss market and positioned for further international scaling