Woolworths
“Within People are fun and easy to work with. They spend time with people right across the business at every level, so they truly understand the culture. They’re great at taking a lot of qualitative data and turning it into something meaningful that can be worked with, shared, and understood by all.”
Bringing a bold ambition to life
ALIGNMENT ACROSS THE ORGANISATION - Impacted 30,000 employees with the customer promise
BUILDING CAPABILITY AT SCALE - Over 2,000 retail managers and 30,000 staff trained
DRIVING BUSINESS GROWTH - Food sales grew 6.4% CAGR; Customer satisfaction up 5 points to 92%
The Challenge
Woolworths faced growing competition in retail and wanted to deepen the impact of their purpose by embedding it more strongly in customer experiences. Their goal was not only to differentiate themselves in the market but also to inspire employees to live the Woolworths purpose in every interaction.
The Within Way®: Embedding values
Having partnered previously on creating the Woolworths Store Purpose, Within had already established a trusted relationship. Our storytelling-led approach resonated deeply in South Africa, a country rich with diverse voices and perspectives. By co-creating the Customer Promise with employees across the business, Woolworths gained organisational alignment, stronger middle-management execution, and a scalable framework for consistent customer experience. This foundation also supported measurement and continuous improvement.
The Impact
With the Customer Promise in place, Woolworths empowered its people to deliver with confidence and authenticity. Over 30,000 employees were trained to bring the Promise to life, with customer satisfaction rising from 86% to 92%. Employees report feeling “more natural” and “more confident,” while customers notice staff “really care” and “seem even better.” Commercially, Woolworths has seen sustained food sales growth and a stronger foundation for the future.