Operational Consistency & Control for a Multi-Site Retail Business
Sector: Retail
Role: Strategic & Operational Consultant
Service Areas: Target Operating Model · People & Process · Governance · Leadership Support
The Challenge
A growing chain of women’s clothing stores was struggling to maintain consistency across locations. While the brand and customer proposition were clear, the way each store operated varied significantly.
Management approaches, stock control, customer experience, and people processes differed from site to site. This created inefficiencies, unnecessary risk, and frustration for senior leadership, who lacked clear visibility or control over how the business was really operating day to day.
Alongside this, there was increasing pressure around governance and compliance, particularly in areas such as health and safety, staff management, and operational oversight. The business needed a way to standardise how it operated without losing the individuality of each store.
What was required was a clear operating model, consistent standards, and ongoing support to embed them across the organisation.
Our Approach
Bonner-Murray Consulting was retained to work alongside leadership to design and embed a consistent Target Operating Model across the business, providing both strategic structure and ongoing practical support.
The engagement began with a detailed review of how each store was operating in practice.
This included:
Reviewing store-level processes for stock control, customer experience, and day-to-day management
Identifying inconsistencies in people management, oversight, and accountability
Assessing health and safety practices and governance arrangements across sites
Understanding the pressures facing store managers and central leadership
This phase highlighted where variation was creating operational risk, inefficiency, and unnecessary management burden.
Based on the findings, a clear Target Operating Model was designed to bring consistency without overcomplication.
This involved:
Defining standard processes and expectations for store operations
Establishing clear management structures and lines of accountability
Designing consistent approaches to stock control and reporting
Creating a structured staff appraisal and performance management framework
Conducting a comprehensive review of health and safety controls to ensure consistency and compliance
The focus throughout was on creating clarity for managers and confidence for leadership.
Bonner-Murray Consulting provided retained support to help embed the new operating model and support leadership as it became business-as-usual.
This included:
Ongoing advisory support to leadership and management
Practical guidance for store managers implementing new processes
Support with governance, documentation, and review cycles
Acting as a sounding board for operational and people-related decisions
This ensured the changes were not just designed, but consistently applied and sustained over time.
The Outcome
The business moved to a far more consistent, controlled, and resilient operating position.
The outcome included:
Greater consistency in store operations and customer experience
Clearer management structures and accountability across sites
Reduced operational and governance risk
Improved visibility for leadership over performance and compliance
Stronger people management through structured appraisal and support
A scalable operating model to support future growth
“The biggest benefit was having a clear operating model that everyone could work to. It’s given our leadership team far better visibility and confidence that the business is being run consistently across all locations.”
Owner (anonymous)
