future-ready retail: empowering people whilst driving growth
the challenge
Our client, a major UK retailer, was navigating a tough market. With more people shopping online—especially post-COVID—the organisation needed a big strategic overhaul. This meant making their business more efficient, updating how things worked day-to-day, and investing more in their people.
We had to come up with a people-focused plan that would reshape their operating model. The goal? Make things run smoother, while also giving employees the tools and pathways to thrive. Despite not being the driving force behind the project, a focus on effectiveness and efficiency led to an incredibly welcome by-product: cost reduction.
the results
We improved the payroll-to-sales ratio from 13.1% to 12.1%, even though wages increased by over 15%.
We developed a fresh people vision that matched their new strategy, boosting staff engagement and productivity.
We redesigned the organisation to work more efficiently, delivering big wins across the board.
We knocked down barriers between teams, empowering managers and opening up new growth opportunities for staff.
Within just three weeks, we made noticeable changes, cutting out unnecessary processes so the team could focus on customers.
the process
We took a three-step approach, diving into different areas to make lasting change:
Discover
We looked at how things were run across customer-facing and operational teams, digging into data, workflows, and employee feedback. This helped us pinpoint what wasn’t working and set the stage for a better design.Design
Using our insights, we worked with company leaders to map out a new vision for their people, built around key skills and strategic goals. We made sure our plan would deliver benefits each year, streamlining how work got done.Implementation Planning
Finally, we created a realistic, step-by-step plan to make it all happen. This included engaging everyone involved, setting clear responsibilities, and making sure leaders were equipped to drive the change. Our roadmap focused on sustainable, long-term success.
By collaborating closely with our client, we enabled them to transform their vision into actionable, impactful change. Through a deep dive into cultural and operational challenges, a strategically aligned future design, and a clear implementation plan, we set them on a path for sustained growth and success. Our work not only streamlined operations and improved efficiency but also boosted employee engagement, creating a lasting positive effect on the business.