Info request: Financo, PJ Solomon, Sawaya, Threadstone, etc

Does anyone have information on what it's like to be an analyst at one of these consumer/retail focused advisory firms?

These firms are rarely ever talked about on this forum but have worked with some pretty major clients in recent years, and seem to do mostly M&A advisory work (not a comprehensive list by any means, but just to show that analysts at these firms might also work on some large deals):

Financo: Billabong, Joseph A Bank, Lululemon, Stuart Weitzman, Dollar Tree PJS: Office Depot, FinishLine, Perry Ellis, HBC, Brooks Brothers, VF, Under Armour Sawaya: Conair, Bayer, Prestige Brands, Church & Dwight, Johnson&Johnson, SlimFast

I would have to assume that the exit opps would be slightly more limited from these firms compared to BBs, but any thoughts on culture, work/life, pay?

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Odio quaerat soluta ab nesciunt modi. Et voluptas odio architecto et. Alias harum quibusdam atque praesentium repudiandae eum cupiditate.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”