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From 51% to 84% Compliant in 90 Days: Building a Global Audit Framework Across 8 Locations
THE SITUATION
A global luxury ecommerce retailer operated across eight international locations - a combination of fulfilment centres, distribution hubs and corporate offices. The business had grown rapidly and compliance standards varied significantly across sites. There was no uniform framework, no shared auditing criteria and no mechanism for leadership to understand the true compliance position across the estate.
Each location operated with its own interpretation of compliance requirements across four critical areas: trade compliance, sustainability, transport and supply chain organisation. Some sites were performing well. Others were significantly exposed. Nobody had a complete picture.
THE CHALLENGE
The absence of a unified framework created multiple compounding risks:
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No baseline - leadership could not assess where the business was or measure improvement
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Inconsistent standards across sites created uneven regulatory exposure
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Trade compliance gaps - HS code errors, customs documentation weaknesses, CPC mismanagement
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Sustainability obligations not consistently met across markets
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Transport compliance varied by site with no central oversight
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Supply chain organisation differed across locations - no standardised processes or accountability
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No global support – teams working in opposition
The business needed a framework it could trust, apply consistently and use to drive measurable improvement - starting with the highest-risk markets.
OUR APPROACH
We designed and implemented a structured global audit programme built around four compliance pillars, delivered across all eight locations with a phased approach that prioritised the highest-risk markets first.
Stage 1 — Benchmarking & Framework Design
We developed a bespoke, evidence-based auditing criteria framework across four pillars - Trade Compliance, Sustainability, Transport and Supply Chain Organisation. The framework was designed to be:
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Measurable - every element capable of being scored objectively
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Evidence-based - no subjective assessment, documentation required for every point
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Self-auditable - structured so locations could assess themselves between formal reviews
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Comparable - consistent across all eight locations regardless of geography or function
All eight locations were benchmarked against the framework simultaneously, producing the first accurate, comparable view of compliance across the estate.
Stage 2 — Gap Analysis & Prioritisation
The benchmarking exercise revealed significant variation across sites and pillars. The US operation - one of the highest-volume and highest-risk - was operating at 51% compliance across the four pillars. Priority remediation workstreams were identified for each location with the US designated as the primary focus for the initial 90-day improvement programme.
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Trade compliance - HS code accuracy, customs documentation, Customs procedure clarity
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Sustainability - reporting gaps, supplier documentation weaknesses, waste assessment
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Transport compliance - carrier management, documentation, customs linkage
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Supply chain organisation - process standardisation, accountability structures, SOP and training gaps
Stage 3 — Implementation, Training & Self-Audit Capability
We worked directly with operational teams across the US sites to close identified gaps, implement corrective processes and build the internal capability to sustain compliance without ongoing external dependency.
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KPIs and targets established within each pillar - measurable milestones not abstract goals
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SOPs standardised and implemented across US locations
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Self-audit framework deployed - teams trained to assess and report their own compliance position
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Regular cadence of internal audit reviews established
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Escalation process implemented for compliance failures and near-misses
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Reporting structure built - leadership visibility of compliance position across all sites
THE RESULTS
Within 90 days the US operation moved from 51% to 84% compliant across all four pillars - a 33 percentage point improvement driven by structured remediation, targeted training and the embedding of self-audit capability.
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US compliance: 51% to 84% in 90 days across four pillars
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All 8 locations benchmarked - first comparable compliance baseline across the estate
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Uniform auditing framework established and operational
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Self-audit capability built into operational teams
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KPIs and targets in place - leadership can now measure and manage compliance as a business metric
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Reporting structure established - board-level visibility of compliance position and ongoing risks
STRATEGIC IMPACT
The most significant outcome was not the 33-point improvement in 90 days though that was substantial. It was the structural change in how the organisation managed compliance.
Before the engagement, compliance was reactive, inconsistent and invisible to leadership. After it, compliance was a managed, measured business function with clear ownership, a common standard and the internal capability to sustain and improve without continuous external support.
That is the KAD Consulting model: not ongoing dependency but embedded capability. The organisation now owns its compliance posture. We built the framework, trained the people and handed it over.
The framework has since been extended to additional markets and continues to be used as the basis for new location onboarding.
CLIENT REFLECTION
"For the first time we had a clear, honest picture of where we stood across every location. The framework gave us something we could measure, improve and own. The improvement in 90 days was real — but the bigger change was that we now manage compliance rather than react to it."
— Head of Operations (anonymised)
KAD Consulting designs and implements compliance frameworks that give leadership visibility, create accountability and build the internal capability to sustain standards without ongoing external dependency. If your organisation needs a clearer picture of where it stands — we should talk.