In January 2025 we announced our new strategy, ‘Elevating The Works’, which is focused on The Works becoming the favourite destination for affordable, screen-free activities for the whole family.
Our three strategic drives help us focus on the right actions to achieve our purpose: growing our brand fame, improving customer convenience and being a lean and efficient operator, underpinned by our people and planet commitments.
Our strategic aims
A clear customer offering, with a refreshed strategy, building momentum and significant untapped growth potential in the value retail sector.
1. Highly relevant purpose and meaningful ambition
2. Clear position in value retail sector, with all-year round appeal
3. Much-loved by customers, with significant opportunity to grow brand awareness
4. Accessible and convenient multi-channel proposition
5. Significant market share growth potential across all key categories
6. New five-year strategy to transform the business is delivering results
7. Strong financial position
Our five-year financial goals
Sales in excess of £375m
(+35% from FY25)
EBITDA margins of at least 6%
(+76% from FY25)
Grow our brand fame
The Works is a favourite destination among our loyal customers, but we want even more people to discover and love what we do.
What will we do?
- Promote The Works with creative marketing that highlights our brand and our Time Well Spent message.
- Improve our understanding of and engagement with new and existing customers.
- Continuously excite and delight customers with innovative products at great value all year round.
- Make every visit feel welcoming, family friendly, and full of inspiration.
What will it deliver?
We will attract and retain more loyal fans to our brand and deepen our understanding of our existing customers to better meet their needs.
Improve customer convenience
We want to attract and retain loyal customers by making it even easier for them to shop with us.
What will we do?
- Deliver our product offer and trading plans consistently and to high standards.
- Tailor store space to ensure our product ranges better meet the needs of local customers.
- Introduce The Works to more customers by opening stores in new communities.
- Enhance our multi-channel offer with a seamless in-store and online shopping experience.
What will it deliver?
We will improve customer experience by giving customers our amazing products where and when they want them.
Be a lean and efficient operator
To continue offering customers great value and making sustainable profits, we need to keep our costs low and be an increasingly lean and efficient business.
What will we do?
- Work with suppliers to improve our product margins.
- Transform the way we work, through new and improved systems and simplified processes.
- Reduce our operating costs, ensuring every penny is spent and invested wisely.
- Grow our average customer transaction values to maximise cost efficiency.
What will it deliver?
We will offer fantastic value to our customers while improving profit to support investing in The Works’ long-term growth.
People and planet
Our strategy is supported by our people and planet commitments.
What will we do?
- Improve our colleague experience with a focus on personal growth, belonging and wellbeing.
- Give back to the communities we service through our charity partnerships and local fundraising.
- Minimise our climate impact through lowering emissions, conserving our resources and reducing our waste.
- Establish key supplier partnerships, mitigate risk and source our products in an ethical and efficient way.
What will it deliver?
We will make positive and sustainable changes for our peoples, our communities and our planet hat enable us to inspire reading, learning, creativity and play, for generations to come.
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