A bespoke uniform for 4,500 colleagues, designed from The Southern Co-operative's own history.
Every colleague in a Southern Co-op store is part of a story that started long before they joined. Their uniform didn't tell it.
A beautifully considered design that truly reflects who we are.
The Southern Co-operative is one of the UK's largest independent co-operatives, running food stores and funeral services across southern England. Community is the reason it exists.
Its uniform came off the shelf. It did the job, but it could have belonged to anyone.
The brief: a head-to-toe bespoke uniform that carries the society's heritage, fits every colleague in every role, and holds up through a full shift on the shop floor.
The society's history set the design direction. Rubber two-tone badges. Trim detailing inside and out. A palette drawn from the brand's own colours.
None of it is loud. Heritage lands harder when you find it than when you're told about it.
Then the essentials, tested against the 240+ variables of The Science of Uniform®.
Fit. Blocks refined across the whole collection and an extended size range, so every colleague, whatever their shape or size, can wear it with confidence.
Fabric. Soft single jersey that breathes, washes easily and keeps its shape and colour.
Function. Pockets, stretch and easy fastenings, plus a 2-in-1 jacket with a removable soft-shell sleeve for a shift that moves between tasks, temperatures and the weather outside.
We were especially pleased with how well the designs were received by our stores, with colleagues responding positively to the look, feel, and thought behind the new uniform. We've been delighted with the experience of working with Murray and would happily recommend them to others seeking a collaborative and highly capable uniform partner.
97%
of employees say it's important that their uniform represents the company brand.
Murray x Coventry University — 2,500+ respondents
A community brand already has what most brands spend years trying to build: a history its people share.
A stock uniform leaves that history in the archive. A bespoke one puts it on every colleague, in every store, every day.
If your uniform came off the shelf, whose story is it telling?
A fully bespoke, head-to-toe collection, including polo shirts and a 2-in-1 jacket with a removable soft-shell sleeve. The work covered fabric, fit and size range, brand identity, and heritage details such as rubber two-tone badges.
Murray has partnered with Southern Co-op since 2021, managing uniform supply, stock, online ordering and distribution to 210+ sites. This programme is the next chapter: a full redesign of the uniform itself.
Through understated details: rubber two-tone badges, external and internal trims, and a palette drawn from the brand's colours. The uniform tells the society's story without shouting about it.
Single jersey across key garments: soft, breathable, easy-care and long-wearing. It fixes earlier problems with colour fading and garments losing their shape. Sustainable fibres aligned with Co-op values were also considered.
The research-led design method Murray built from an independent study with Coventry University of 2,500+ people. It identifies over 240 factors that decide how a uniform performs for the wearer and the brand, and it guided every decision here, from fabric to sizing.
Talk to our team to discover what uniform can achieve for you.
