Transforming Brand Consistency with Retail Foundations

A prominent retail chain with over 300 stores was facing their annual challenge of executing a massive deep clean operation to try and maintain standards.

The Challenge

Annual Deep Clean and Transforming Brand Consistency

Each year, our client undertook a daunting task – rallying all stores for an extensive deep clean to rejuvenate storefronts, shop floors, fixtures, back-of-house areas, and staff spaces. Despite their best intentions, transforming brand consistency across the estate was widely considered to be an operational headache.

Solution

Our client wanted us to help, so we decided to reimagine store standards and brand consistency through the concept of Retail Foundations. This initiative took the challenges of annual deep cleaning and turned them into a proactive, ongoing approach that not only maintained standards but enhanced them.

Structured Maintenance Cycle

Retail Foundations removed the annual burden and introduced a regular rotation of tasks. Store fronts, shop floors, and back-of-house areas were systematically addressed multiple times throughout the year, ensuring that every aspect of the store received regular attention, and standards were maintained at a much higher level than before.

Confirming and Tracking Progress

Tasks within the Retail Foundations framework were actioned and confirmed by each store, providing positive confirmation of completion, alongside uploaded images for central review. This provided not only accountability but also a real-time view of the progress across their extensive network.

Regional Manager & Stakeholder Visibility

The results of each task were made accessible to regional managers, and other departments such as Property, Health & Safety, Security, Internal Audit, Accessibility, and Compliance providing them with a holistic overview of the brand’s upkeep and enabling targeted follow-ups. This transparency led to more productive store visits and empowered head office teams to provide timely support when needed.

Results

• Consistent Brand Standards: Retail Foundations removed the inconsistencies of brand upkeep, resulting in uniformity across all aspects of the stores
• Eliminating Annual Overload: Our rotational strategy eradicated the need for an exhaustive annual deep clean, freeing up resources and time
• Operational Efficiency: Elevated standards resulted in increased store productivity and efficiency
• Brand Enhancement: Consistent upkeep of store fronts, fixtures, and facilities reinforced the brand’s image and customer experience