When the YOOBIC Retail Excellence Forum arrived in London, the energy in the room was unmistakable — a mix of curiosity, shared challenges, and stories of transformation from across the retail world. One that particularly resonated came from DFS Group, the UK’s leading sofa retail group. With nearly 5,000 colleagues across four brands — DFS, Sofology, The Sofa Delivery Company and our Group support functions — the group has become a model for how large, multi-brand retailers can drive culture and consistency at scale.
Facing the task of communicating with 5,000 colleagues across multiple brands and 200+ locations, DFS Group partnered with YOOBIC to launch The Hub, a digital workspace designed to simplify communication, strengthen culture, and give every colleague a single source of truth.
Jenny Wood, Head of Internal Communications, walked the audience through the journey: from scattered systems and duplicated messages to one connected community.
Across DFS, Sofology, The Sofa Delivery Company and our Group support functions, communication had become increasingly complex. Each brand was running its own channels, storing files in different places, and distributing messages on separate timelines. Important information lived in a patchwork of old platforms, shared drives, and local systems.
Colleagues often joked that they had to “play Sherlock Holmes” to find simple answers. The result wasn’t just lost time, it was lost connection. Without a single communications rhythm, silos formed, duplication grew, and cultural alignment suffered.
When the company’s existing tool, Workplace by Meta, was scheduled for retirement, it became the catalyst to do what had long been needed: build a single space that united the group.
DFS Group’s ambition was clear: to create a single, trusted hub that would bring together communication, knowledge, tools and task management for all colleagues, whatever their brand or role.
To achieve that, the team focused on three priorities:
Simplicity: reduce the number of platforms colleagues needed to check by unifying processes, platforms, and content. The new platform would replace multiple point solutions used across the Group, including Workplace by Meta, and also RMS Metro, which was used by the DFS operational comms team for tasks and communications. As part of this, they reviewed more than 200 overlapping pieces of content and homemade tools — many storing the same information in different places — and rebuilt them into one coherent, reliable source of truth.
Consistency: ensure everyone receives the same, up-to-date information through a single channel for communication, tools, and knowledge.
Culture: make collaboration and celebration part of daily life, increasing connection across brands and making it easier for colleagues to do their jobs.
The end goal was simple: to free up time for colleagues to focus where it matters most, with customers.
The new platform was named The Hub, a central place for everything Group DFS. To make the rollout memorable, the team built an internal campaign called “See You Down The Hub.”
There were competitions, pop quizzes, and prizes; posters and banners brightened offices and stores; cakes and pompoms made an appearance. But more importantly, a network of Hub Champions were trained to bring the platform to life across every site. Leadership visibility was critical too, the executive team used The Hub from day one, reinforcing that this wasn’t just a communications project, but a new way of working.
The result was enthusiasm, not obligation. Colleagues were eager to explore, post, and connect.
The Hub’s impact was immediate and measurable. Within weeks, activity on the platform had surpassed expectations.
Beyond the metrics, the platform changed how people felt. Colleagues described The Hub as intuitive and personal, a space where they could see leadership updates, celebrate wins, and collaborate across brands.
“We stopped asking people to be detectives,” said Wood. “Information finds them.”
The success of The Hub has given DFS Group the confidence to go further. The next phase focuses on embedding YOOBIC’s task management across all departments, replacing hundreds of manual Google Forms, and expanding the use of micro-learning modules to deliver short, practical training for every role.
The goal isn’t just efficiency; it’s culture. By connecting communication, learning, and execution in one place, DFS Group is creating an environment where colleagues feel informed, valued, and ready to deliver for customers.
“Just do it,” Wood told the audience. “Start with a clear vision, don’t get overwhelmed by the functionality, and remember that adopting the platform is only the beginning of a continual journey of improvement.”
YOOBIC powers The Hub at DFS Group, connecting 5,000 colleagues across four brands and 212 locations through one platform built for communication, learning, and execution.
If your teams are switching between too many tools, it’s time to simplify. YOOBIC helps retailers bring everything together — saving time for central teams, reducing IT costs, and making daily work easier for the frontline.
→ See how YOOBIC helps retailers simplify and scale.