When colleagues are mistaken for competitors, brand visibility becomes a commercial risk.
Dunelm identified a critical issue within its store environment: colleagues were being mistaken for staff from other retailers, including ASDA, Homebase and Co-op, repeatedly across multiple stores.
In a competitive retail environment, this is no longer a uniform issue; it becomes a commercial problem. If customers cannot identify staff, interactions are lost. And when interactions are lost, so are sales.
Murray was appointed to redesign the programme using The Science of Uniform® methodology, combining wearer research, stakeholder consultation and design expertise.
The result was a uniform programme that improved colleague visibility, strengthened brand identity and delivered measurable improvements in customer engagement and wearer satisfaction.
"It has definitely given me more confidence and a spring in my step because I think I look great, I can serve great."
In store, customers were struggling to find Dunelm staff, while colleagues reported they'd been mistaken for staff from ASDA, Homebase or Co-op.
In a highly competitive homeware market, the implications were clear: reduced sales, poor customer experience and a lack of brand identity.
The Science of Uniform® process starts with the wearer. Before any design work began, we ran structured research with colleagues across Dunelm stores. We wanted to understand what they felt confident wearing, what they avoided and what helped or hindered their interactions with customers.
That insight shaped every design decision. It led to a clear approach to role clarity through colour. Customer-facing "host" colleagues were assigned Dunelm green, a deliberate and highly visible signal within the store. Operational and stock colleagues wore black, which kept their roles functional and clear without causing visual confusion.
"Working with Murray has been great, it feels as if they’re a big enough company to compete, but still small enough to care and that they treat our colleagues as their colleagues"
The Dunelm programme highlights a critical shift in how uniform should be viewed. Uniform is not just about consistency or compliance; it drives a measurable impact on customer experience and employee confidence.
We find the highest-performing organisations evaluate uniform on its return on investment rather than focusing on cost per piece.
If your colleagues are not instantly recognisable on the shop floor or if your uniform is worn inconsistently, outdated or disconnected from your brand, your uniform may be impacting your bottom line.
Talk to our team to discover what uniform can achieve for you.
