“It’s definitely given me more confidence and more spring in my step because I think I look great; I can serve great.”
Jodie, Store Colleague
Retail Staff Uniform Programme
Dunelm
Customer: Dunelm
Industry: Retail
10.000+ employees
200 stores
93% wearer satisfaction
When colleagues are mistaken for competitors, brand visibility becomes a commercial risk.
Retail Uniform Programme
Client: Dunelm
Sector: Large-format retail
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 Uniforms was appointed to redesign the programme using its 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.
The Challenge : Employees Invisible in Their Own Store
Numerous colleagues reported the same experience: customers approaching them with questions, only to realise mid-conversation they had mistaken them for staff from another retailer entirely.
ASDA. Homebase. Co-op.
For a brand operating in a highly competitive homeware market, the implications were clear. Their weak visual identity does not just affect perception, it directly impacts performance.
If a customer cannot identify your staff:
- they cannot engage with them
- they cannot ask for help
- and the opportunity to influence purchase decisions is lost
The existing uniform was not failing due to quality. It was failing due to invisibility.
The Approach : Engineering Visibility Through the Science of Uniform®
Murray’s Science of Uniform® process starts with the wearer.
Before any design work began, structured research was conducted with colleagues across Dunelm stores to understand:
- what they felt confident wearing
- what they avoided wearing
- what helped or hindered customer interaction
This insight informed every design decision.
Role Clarity Through Colour
Customer-facing ‘host’ colleagues were assigned Dunelm green. A deliberate, highly visible signal within the store environment.
Operational and stock colleagues wore black, ensuring functional clarity without visual confusion.
Programme Impact
The programme was rolled out across 200 stores and 10,000 colleagues.
Stores implementing the host role and green uniform reported clear and observable improvements in customer engagement and sales performance.
- Brand recognition improved.
- Staff became immediately identifiable.
- And customer interaction became more natural and consistent across store environments.
Wearer satisfaction reached 93%, reflecting improvements in comfort, fit and confidence.
Confidence Changes Behaviour
Research into enclothed cognition shows that what people wear at work directly influences how they think, behave and perform.
This was reflected clearly across Dunelm stores.
“It really makes a big difference to have the uniform that fits with you rather than you fit the uniform. It has definitely given me more confidence and a spring in my step.”
This is not just sentiment.
A more confident colleague:
- initiates more customer interactions
- represents the brand more effectively
- contributes to a more consistent in-store experience
Across a large retail workforce, this behavioural shift compounds into measurable commercial impact.
What this means for retailers
Uniform Is a Commercial Driver, Not a Cost Centre
The Dunelm programme highlights a critical shift in how uniform should be viewed. That uniform is not just about consistency or compliance.
It directly influences:
- whether customer interactions happen
- how staff represent your brand
- and how effectively your store converts footfall into revenue
Most uniform programmes are still evaluated on cost per garment. But the highest-performing organisations evaluate them on what they deliver.
Designing for Confidence, Not Compliance
Garments were designed for modern fit, comfort, and everyday wearability.
Because a uniform that is worn consistently without enforcement, delivers stronger brand representation than one that is simply issued.
Built with Stakeholder Alignment
Senior leadership, store teams, and operational stakeholders were engaged throughout the process.
The result was a programme with internal buy-in before rollout ensuring adoption from day one.
”“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… working with Murray has been a genuine pleasure.”
People Partner, Dunelm Head Office
”“It really makes a big difference to have the uniform that fits with you rather than you fit the uniform because it makes you feel a sense of pride in what you’re wearing. It has definitely given me more confidence and a spring in my step because I think I look great, I can serve great.”
Jodie, Store Colleague
”“It feels great, it feels like I’m wearing my own clothes that I’d choose to wear outside of work. I work for a professional organisation, and we have a professional uniform to match that, which I’m very proud of.”
Pete, Store Colleague
Is Your Uniform Programme Delivering Enough?
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 programme is underperforming.
And it is likely costing more than it appears.
Speak to a Uniform Specialist to understand what a high-performing retail uniform programme could deliver in your organisation.