15/09/2021 | Hardis Group
Sport 2000 has deployed Workplace from Meta as part of its CUP2024 strategic plan, which aims to enact a shift to new retail methods. The roll-out will help the cooperative transition to a phygital model by supporting internal communication and information-sharing within its 100-strong workforce and, eventually, between thousands of employees among its 400-plus members.
Grenoble, September 15, 2021 – Hardis Group, a consulting firm, digital services company and independent software vendor, announces that it has helped Sport 2000, France’s third-largest retailer of sports and leisure items, deploy enterprise communication and collaboration suite Workplace from Meta.
Boosting internal communication in support of the CUP2024 strategic plan
Sport 2000, a cooperative founded in 1966, is now France’s third-largest multisports retailer, with a network of over 570 independently owned stores operating under several brands: Sport 2000 Plaine (multisports), Sport 2000 Montagne (in ski resorts), Espace Montagne (outdoor), Mondovelo (cycling), S2 Sneakers Specialist, and WAS We Are Select (selective fashion).
As part of its CUP2024 strategic plan, the cooperative has opted to deploy an internal communication and information-sharing system as its looks to accelerate its transition to a hybrid physical and digital retail model. “In the past, we relied on an extranet and on sending out updates to our network,” explains Stéphane Solinski, CEO of Groupe Sport 2000 France. “But that way of working was too top-down and fell short of what our ambitious growth plans required. We wanted a system that supported top-down and bottom-up internal communication, and that would allow us to share information and pool expertise across the network.”
After reviewing several applications, Sport 2000 ultimately decided on Workplace from Meta in late 2020. “It was the most intuitive of all the options we looked at,” adds Stéphane Solinski. “It had a short learning curve and promised rapid uptake among members and their employees. The people we dealt with at Hardis Group and their proposed deployment methodology were also key factors in our decision.”
A methodology designed to promote uptake
Hardis Group provided end-to-end support—from defining the deployment strategy and identifying use cases, to developing the communication and user training plans, integrating Workplace into Sport 2000’s information system, and preparing and pre-populating the platform. “We add users to predefined groups relevant to their line of work, with several posts published,” explains Alexandra Fouquet, Head of Digital Workplace Solutions at Hardis Group. “So when an employee signs in to Sport 2000’s Workplace environment for the first time, they can immediately start commenting on, liking, and sharing content.”
“The deployment started in summer 2021 and the whole process was finished by September,” says Solinski. “Our ultimate goal is to achieve 75–80% uptake among member stores’ employees. And we’ll reach that target using the same process that’s always worked well in cooperatives: word of mouth among our members.”