First published in Retail Tech Innovation Hub
Leaders from Currys have spent a week working inside the retailer’s Southampton physical location as part of a store immersion push.
This was designed to show off new additions to store - from electronic shelf edge labelling upgrades and AI adoption to new headsets and a refreshed sales floor leader programme but also to experience areas of further growth and opportunities.
The week was built around leaders taking part in banking, deliveries, replenishment, customer service, support roles, recruitment, warehouse tasks and more, with the aim of giving them a genuine feel for what’s going well, what needs improving and the pace of the store environment. Almost every system, role and team in the store had senior leadership participation at some point during the week.
The store continued to run exactly as usual, allowing leaders to experience unfiltered day-to-day trading. Daily performance huddles covering footfall, omnichannel sales and customer service sparked healthy competition, according to those involved. Anecdotes from the week point to a positive customer experience during the immersion.
It also brought together leaders from different regions, including ROI, creating the chance for shared learning. In fact, the Ireland team did a similar exercise at their Blanchard town store.
With 300 insights gained, the Currys team are going to take them away and see how they can introduce changes and collaborate across the organisation, prioritising aspects that will make things easier for colleagues on the shopfloor.
“What a week this was! I spent time on the service desk, joining sales floor huddles, Merchandising, serving, shadowing customer conversations, reviewing task planning and helping with deliveries – really getting into the day-to-day rhythm of store life. I learned a huge amount. I left feeling incredibly proud of how colleagues show up every single day and are even more focused than ever to serve and support the front-line teams. The more we simplify and streamline, the easier it becomes for our colleagues to help our customers shop with ease. Thank you to everyone that was a part of this.”
Matthew Speight Director of Stores
“Having our senior leaders work side by side with the team brought a real buzz to the store. The conversations that happened on the shopfloor were open, honest and full of pride. What stood out most was how willing our leaders were to jump straight in, whether it was replenishment, serving customers or tackling the morning routines. It meant a lot to the team, and it showed just how committed they are to understanding and acting. The insights shared will make a real difference to how we continue improving the colleague and customer experience, right across all our stores.”
Tim Cayer General Manager, Hedge End Store