The challenge
In 2024, Hunkemöller, a leading European lingerie retailer, faced the challenge of turning their newly launched company values from abstract concepts into concrete behaviors. With over 7,000 employees, they needed a scalable solution to develop consistent skills across their internationally distributed workforce.
The solution
Hunkemöller partnered with Lepaya to create value-aligned upskilling training programs customized for different seniority levels. Through a combination of in-person, online, and VR training, along with practice sessions with actors, they ensured practical skill development that aligns directly with their company values.
Values as the foundation for learning strategy
When Hunkemöller, a European lingerie retailer, launched their new company values in 2024, they knew that true cultural transformation requires more than just an announcement. To tackle this challenge, the L&D team took a strategic approach focused on developing the skills employees needed to effectively embed the new values into daily operations.
By working closely with Lepaya, they created a strategic framework that linked each of the company's values to specific skills and behaviors. This enabled them to create tailored learning paths for different organizational levels – from young professionals to leaders, ensuring that while not every individual takes every course, they all receive training that addresses core values relevant to their role.
"We truly believe that value needs to be something that's not just a word on the wall, but rather a reflection of the behaviors that you actually see inside the organization."
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Learning that strengthens collaboration
The success of Hunkemöller's training program lies in its highly practical and engaging approach.
Training sessions usually combine pre-work materials, interactive sessions, and post-training applications to ensure learning retention. For learners, a particularly effective element is the use of professional actors and VR (virtual reality) for role-play scenarios, creating realistic situations that learners can directly relate to their daily work.
Beyond skill development, these training sessions also serve as valuable networking opportunities. By bringing together employees from different departments and countries through both online and in-person sessions, the program strengthens cross-functional collaboration within the organization.
“I personally like it most whenever there is an expert involved because that really brings me out of my comfort zone. And I always feel like that is, for me, the moment where I learn the most.”
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Creating lasting behavior change
The impact of Hunkemöller's value-based learning strategy is reflected in both quantitative metrics and behavioral changes because true learning impact is when learners apply new skills at work in ways that contribute to business goals.
With an 87% sign-up rate and training satisfaction scores averaging 9.0, the program demonstrates strong engagement across the organization.
But the real success lies in the tangible changes in daily work practices. Many employees have implemented their learnings to improve feedback practices or coaching approaches. This shows that the training has helped make newer organizational values, such as 'empowering,' become embedded in daily practices through concrete behaviors.
“I've definitely seen behavior change and people taking more of a coaching approach, giving more feedback, which is also part of our culture that we really want to grow.”
A partnership built for future growth
Looking ahead, Hunkemöller plans to continue aligning learning initiatives with business priorities. Next year, this will involve shifting the focus toward strengthening leadership capabilities to navigate industry challenges, with future programs becoming increasingly targeted based on skills gap analyses.
Johandri Kieck, Global Learning and Development Manager at Hunkemöller, explained:
“We're constantly looking at where the business is going, and what we need to do strategically to support the business. That's why we so often have a slightly different approach from one year to the next in what we put in place for soft skills training.”
Thus, the partnership between Hunkemöller and Lepaya will continue to evolve, demonstrating a continuous learning cycle that responds to changing business needs. As Johandri notes, “I've always enjoyed working with Lepaya because of that whole business partnering approach [...]. Lepaya is always structured with: What are the goals we want to achieve? How are we doing in achieving that? What are your business goals, and what can we do to support them? So that structure absolutely helps in making it a tangible benefit that I can see every year.”
Through this ongoing collaboration, Hunkemöller is building more than just a trained workforce—it is fostering a culture where learning is deeply embedded in the organization's DNA.
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