Mastering Tax for Retail and Consumer Goods

SPEAK WITH AN EXPERT

$M
In tax savings for our retail industry clients

End-to-End Tax Solutions for the Evolving Retail and Consumer Goods Landscape

We provide comprehensive retail tax services addressing sales and use tax compliance, property tax management for stores and distribution centers, and strategic planning that uncovers industry-specific savings opportunities. Our approach combines deep retail sector expertise with technology platforms that manage multistate obligations, identify exemption opportunities on inventory and fixtures, and reduce total tax burden across all jurisdictions.

%

Of Fortune 1000 Consumer & Retail companies work with Ryan

Seasoned Tax Experts

Our industry-focused experts turn complex tax challenges into competitive advantages, maximizing savings, improving efficiency, and ensuring compliance.

Multidisciplinary Approach

We bring together consulting, recovery, advocacy, compliance, and technology to deliver fully integrated tax solutions, tailored to each client’s business and industry.

Purpose-Built Platform

Our platform is built for what matters, pairing deep expertise with powerful technology to simplify tax, uncover savings, and keep businesses ahead of change.

The Power of Technology and Expertise—Working as One

We combine deep tax expertise with AI-powered technology to uncover savings across jurisdictions, adapt to regulatory change, and simplify complex reporting, giving businesses clarity, confidence, and control.

Centralized technology tailored to your business

Dedicated experts aligned to performance goals

Real-time insights that drive better decisions

Single point of contact from start to finish

Simplified compliance across all jurisdictions

“We use Ryan for their particular skills and expertise to deliver on difficult VAT recovery tasks. It is about having the personal relationships and understanding the particular abilities of individuals. We have been very impressed with Ryan’s VAT recovery experience and skills.”
Indirect Tax Manager, British American Tobacco
“H&M continues to be very pleased with the results obtained by the Ryan team and we look forward to additional tax savings in the future. They are a tremendous resource with regard to all state and local tax matters.”
Senior Tax Manager, H&M
“Ryan delivered both timely and effective legislative advocacy strategy and support that proved decisive in achieving success for our tax and external affairs professionals.”
Senior Vice President, Tyson Foods

1 / 3

Industry InsightsEXPLORE INSIGHTS

Consumer Goods
Ryan advises consumer goods manufacturers and distributors on complex excise taxes, customs duties on imports, and sales tax obligations as products move through supply chains to end consumers.
Tax Challenges Across the Consumer Goods Supply Chain
Consumer goods companies face complex tax obligations across production, import, and distribution while operating on thin margins. Ryan reduces tax burdens on procurement, optimizes property taxes on facilities, streamlines sales tax compliance, and identifies credits and incentives for capital investment and research and development (R&D).
- Complex Sales Tax Obligations
  Consumer goods companies face sales tax challenges on equipment, raw materials, packaging supplies, and distribution activities, with manufacturing exemption qualifications varying significantly across jurisdictions.
- Federal and State Excise Tax Burdens
  Federal and state excise taxes on specific consumer goods, including alcohol, tobacco, fuel, and luxury items, impose complex rate structures, filing requirements, and product classification challenges.
- Customs Duty and Trade Compliance Complexity
  Imported consumer goods face customs duties, tariffs, anti-dumping fees, valuation challenges, and trade compliance obligations with erroneous classifications that cause costly delays and penalties.
- Escalating Audit Risk
  Consumer goods face audit risks from manufacturing exemptions, excise taxes, employment tax, unclaimed property, and customs valuations, with insufficient documentation leading to assessments, penalties, and cash flow disruption.
Retail
We help retailers overcome unique tax challenges, from managing compliance across thousands of store locations to navigating e-commerce taxation as physical and digital channels converge.
EXPLORE
Retail Tax Challenges Shaping the Industry
Retailers face complex sales tax nexus rules, shifting local rates, and growing compliance burdens across jurisdictions. Ryan’s retail tax services simplify multijurisdictional sales tax, determine nexus obligations, automate rate and filing processes, and manage property tax appeals for stores and distribution centers.
Personal Property Tax Exposure
Retailers pay property taxes on fixtures, point-of-sale systems, furniture, and equipment at each store location, with assessors often applying excessive valuations that fail to account for depreciation.

Real Estate Assessment Challenges
Store locations, distribution centers, and corporate facilities face property tax assessments that frequently exceed actual market values, creating unnecessary tax burdens across multilocation portfolios.

Multistate Compliance Complexity
Compliance across states with varying rates, exemption rules, and product classifications creates exposure for retailers purchasing supplies, fixtures, and inventory, as qualification requirements differ by jurisdiction.

Heightened Audit Scrutiny
Multistate retailers face intensive audit scrutiny from tax authorities examining nexus, product taxability, and exemption documentation, with inadequate support creating significant penalty exposure.
We deliver comprehensive retail tax support for businesses operating across thousands of locations. Our team helps retailers manage sales tax nexus, product-specific exemptions, e-commerce taxation, property and employment taxes, and unclaimed property risk across all jurisdictions.

Advanced Solutions for Your
Business’s Toughest Challenges

SPEAK WITH A TAX EXPERT

Discover How We Help You Pay Only What You Owe—Nothing More

I agree to receive marketing emails from Ryan. I can unsubscribe anytime. Privacy Notice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Our retail tax services manage sales and use tax compliance for retailers operating across all U.S. states and abroad, handling registration requirements, rate determination for thousands of local jurisdictions, return preparation and filing, and remittance of collected taxes. Our tax technology platforms calculate accurate tax for e-commerce and retail locations, manage nexus determinations as your footprint expands, and track rate changes across jurisdictions. The Firm handles exemption certificate collection and validation, ensures proper product classification under varying state rules, and coordinates compliance for marketplace facilitator obligations. This comprehensive approach reduces audit risk while freeing internal resources from manual compliance burdens.
Our experts identify substantial tax savings through comprehensive reviews of sales and use tax paid on purchases, property tax assessments on stores and distribution facilities, and income tax positions, including available credits for expansion and job creation. Our experts examine historical transactions to recover overpaid taxes on fixtures, equipment, supplies, and services that qualified for exemptions but were incorrectly taxed. Our reviews uncover misclassified purchases, overlooked manufacturing exemptions, excessive property valuations, and unutilized credits. These recovery projects typically identify refund opportunities worth millions for retailers with significant store counts and procurement volumes.
Yes. Ryan recovers sales and use tax overpaid on store supplies, fixtures, point-of-sale systems, maintenance services, and other purchases that qualify for exemptions. The Firm examines whether items were properly classified as exempt supplies, qualified for manufacturing or resale exemptions, or were taxed at incorrect rates. Our reviews analyze accounts payable records, vendor invoices, and purchasing card transactions to identify overpayments across all store locations and corporate facilities. We then pursue refunds through vendor negotiations or direct claims with tax authorities, recovering taxes paid in error over the prior three to four years, depending on the statute of limitations.
Yes. We appeal property tax assessments on retail stores, distribution centers, and corporate facilities when valuations exceed actual market values. We challenge assessor methodologies, present comparable sales data, and demonstrate how retail-specific factors affect property values. Our appeals address overvaluations on land, buildings, and personal property, including fixtures and equipment. We manage the complete appeals process from filing protests through hearings and negotiations with assessors. For retailers with large portfolios, we implement systematic review processes that identify appeal opportunities across all locations annually.
Our proprietary technology addresses retail tax challenges through automated exemption certificate management that collects, validates, and renews certificates from wholesale customers while maintaining audit-ready documentation.Our platforms calculate accurate sales tax across all selling channels, including stores, e-commerce, and marketplaces, applying correct rates and rules for thousands of jurisdictions. Property tax technology tracks assessment notices across all store locations, flags excessive valuations, and manages appeal deadlines. For consumer goods manufacturers, our systems handle excise tax calculations, customs duty optimization, and manufacturing exemption documentation. These integrated solutions reduce manual effort, improve accuracy, and provide real-time visibility into compliance obligations and savings opportunities across all tax types.

Mastering Tax for Retail and Consumer Goods

End-to-End Tax Solutions for the Evolving Retail and Consumer Goods Landscape

The Power of Technology and Expertise—Working as One

Centralized technology tailored to your business

Dedicated experts aligned to performance goals

Real-time insights that drive better decisions

Single point of contact from start to finish

Simplified compliance across all jurisdictions

Indirect Tax Manager, British American Tobacco

Senior Tax Manager, H&M

Senior Vice President, Tyson Foods

Tax Challenges Across the Consumer Goods Supply Chain

Complex Sales Tax Obligations

Federal and State Excise Tax Burdens

Customs Duty and Trade Compliance Complexity

Escalating Audit Risk

Retail Tax Challenges Shaping the Industry

Personal Property Tax Exposure

Real Estate Assessment Challenges

Multistate Compliance Complexity

Heightened Audit Scrutiny

Advanced Solutions for YourBusiness’s Toughest Challenges

Discover How We Help You Pay Only What You Owe—Nothing More

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Ryan help us manage sales and use tax compliance across multiple states?

Can Ryan help us identify tax savings or recovery opportunities?

Does Ryan help retailers recover overpaid tax on supplies and inventory?

Will Ryan tax consultants help appeal property tax assessments?

How does Ryan’s technology help with common tax challenges for retail and consumer goods businesses?

The Power of Technology and Expertise—Working as One

Centralized technology tailored to your business

Dedicated experts aligned to performance goals

Real-time insights that drive better decisions

Single point of contact from start to finish

Simplified compliance across all jurisdictions

Indirect Tax Manager, British American Tobacco

Senior Tax Manager, H&M

Senior Vice President, Tyson Foods

Personal Property Tax Exposure

Real Estate Assessment Challenges

Multistate Compliance Complexity

Heightened Audit Scrutiny

Advanced Solutions for YourBusiness’s Toughest Challenges

Discover How We Help You Pay Only What You Owe—Nothing More

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Ryan help us manage sales and use tax compliance across multiple states?

Can Ryan help us identify tax savings or recovery opportunities?

Does Ryan help retailers recover overpaid tax on supplies and inventory?

Will Ryan tax consultants help appeal property tax assessments?

How does Ryan’s technology help with common tax challenges for retail and consumer goods businesses?

Advanced Solutions for Your
Business’s Toughest Challenges

Advanced Solutions for Your
Business’s Toughest Challenges