+30K
Employees
Behavior Development Boosts Retail Channel Performance
Industry: Retail
Service: People and Organization
Service: Supply Chain
Our Client
One of the most successful retailers in the Netherlands, employing over 30,000 people across more than 1,000 stores in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg, and Austria. The company has sustained 30% annual EBITDA growth since 2012.
+30%
EBITDA growth year-on-year
+6K
Different products
The Challenge
The client’s rapid expansion—with an average of two new store openings per week across multiple European countries—posed major challenges in maintaining consistent performance and culture.
- Rapid growth and complexity: Expansion in both volume and geography required scalable operational standards.
- Cross-functional communication gaps: Limited information flow between departments caused inefficiencies and delays.
- Sustainability of performance: Processes, systems, and especially behaviors needed to be standardized and embedded.
- Leadership capability: Managers needed coaching to sustain the company’s culture and drive continuous improvement.
Real Results Achieved Together
The Performance Behavior project established a sustainable, high-performance culture supported by measurable operational improvements across departments.
98%
Increase in planning and forecast accuracy
99.3%
Picking reliability
99.9%
Picking lines OK
Transformation Impact
- Improved communication and collaboration across departments.
- Strengthened leadership capabilities through targeted coaching.
- Implemented a structured Daily Management System in all departments.
- Standardized work practices using Job Instructions (TWI).
- Established a sustainable behavioral foundation aligned with company values.
- Performance improved by 8 to 10 percent per department, due to the behavior development within the departments
- 19% higher actual savings than planned
Our Approach
EFESO partnered with the client to design and implement a two-year transformation roadmap based on waves of behavioral and process improvement.
- Structured Daily Management Deployment
• Implemented the Daily Management System in progressive waves across departments.
• Focused each wave on specific improvement targets such as forecast accuracy and picking performance. - Leadership and Behavioral Development
• Provided individual coaching to management and middle management.
• Strengthened leadership behaviors to support sustainable improvement. - Cross-Department Collaboration
• Improved communication and information sharing between teams.
• Encouraged joint problem solving to eliminate interdepartmental losses. - Capability Building and Standardization
• Used Job Instructions (TWI) to train and standardize best practices.
• Developed internal capability to replicate the behavioral model across future warehouses.
Related Services
People and Organization
Workforce transformation, leadership development, and structure optimization. Learn more about our People & Organization consulting services.
Supply Chain
Supplier complexity obscures 70% of your value creation. We strengthen networks through supplier development programs, risk mitigation strategies, and collaborative innovation platforms.
Ready to Transform Your Team's Performance Through Behavioral Excellence?
- Unlock sustainable operational improvements that stick beyond the initial implementation
- Stop struggling with disconnected departments and inconsistent communication
- Join leading retailers who've achieved breakthrough results through Daily Management Systems
Discover More Clients Results
60%
Reduction in start-up time
Food & Beverage
Vertical Start-Up Reduces CAPEX Project Time by 60%
Accelerated CAPEX execution through Vertical Start-Up methodology, reducing project timelines by 60% across European operations.
+20%
Production capacity
Packaging
WCOM Implementation Increases Production Capacity by 20% and Reduces Accidents by 75%
Building operational excellence at a major sawmill in Sweden, increasing production capacity by 20% and reducing accidents by 75%.
+1.6%
EBITDA improvement achieved
Food & Beverage
Transforming European Bakery Operations at Scale
Bakery EBITDA lagged 5 points below industry. Comprehensive training and loss reduction. Recovered €5M, improved EBITDA 1.6%.
€7M
Annual EBIT improvement
Transportation, Logistics and Services
Turnaround of Two Plants for Major Logistics Company
Logistics provider needed warehouse optimization and service improvement. We redesigned warehouse layouts, implemented automation, and enhanced picking processes, increasing throughput by 35%.
>98.5%
Delivery readiness level consistently maintained despite inflation, sustainability investments and 12% volume growth
Food & Beverage
Unified Performance and Culture Transformation Across a Global Food Network
An eight year journey hardwired a common way of thinking and working into the organization, enabling Bell Food Group to sustain delivery performance above 98.5% despite rising costs and market complexity.
+50
Global change agents equipped to lead maintenance transformation
Chemicals
Transformation Agent Force Delivers €50M+ Savings
Harmonized maintenance across 17 global sites through 50 trained change agents, delivering €50M annualized savings.
-45%
Reduction in maintenance backlog
Transportation, Logistics and Services
Transforming Public Transit Operations at Scale
Metropolitan transit authority needed reliability improvement and cost optimization. We enhanced maintenance programs, optimized scheduling, and improved asset utilization, achieving 98% service availability.
-81%
Reduction in breakdowns
Food & Beverage
Transforming Wine Production Excellence Through Total Productive Maintenance
Wine producer struggled with quality consistency and rising costs. We implemented Total Productive Maintenance, optimized production flow, and enhanced quality systems, achieving 81% OEE improvement.