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Customer Story

Dutch Retail Giant Takes Holistic Approach to Modern Innovation

Blokker offshoot Mirage implements team-driven, end-user focused solutions to deliver more business features more frequently and bug-free
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Software Technology

Industry
Retail and Consumer Goods

Company
Qxperts.io | Part of Xebia

Evolving from Blokker Holding, Mirage Retail Group is home to some of Dutch High Street’s beloved retail shops like Blokker, Big Bazar, Intertoys, and MINISO. Mirage has a strong presence in Europe, existing across 12 countries, with approximately 8,000 employees and 2,825 storefronts. The company prides itself on its core brand, Blokker, founded in 1896, and has built its foundation on that rich history.
Why
Increase the system's ability to deliver more business features more frequently and reduce bugs in the production environment
What
Repair systems that prevent achieving full potential
How
Eliminate task-driven work and move towards holistic end-user solutions

Reaching New Heights

Mirage needed to stretch its boundaries and improve its ability to meet its demanding and continually changing customers’ needs. “Retail stores that provide ideal products and the best service are simply not enough,” said Jeanine Holsche, the COO of Mirage. The retailer needed an exceptional digital strategy that would allow the company to take advantage of the latest online tools and technologies. “As an experienced leader in change management, I knew it was time to introduce modern collaboration and development practices to reach our goals,'' explained Holsche.

Finding Their Stride

Mirage needed a complete overhaul of its communication tactics and backend organization restructuring to achieve its desired state. “Sometimes you need an outside perspective, someone with the vision but also the ability to provide solutions,” explained Holscher, “Developing a plan that would work specifically for us is what we needed, and it’s exactly what we got. Xebia introduced new collaboration and development practices that helped us tackle the challenges we faced.”

“As I see it, the ultimate goal is to keep outdoing ourselves, to keep growing, and that starts internally and winds up benefiting the customer.”
Blokker
Jeanine Holscher COO, Mirage

No More Dead Weight

“Learning how to stay innovative and competitive, especially in this day and age of changing consumer preferences, has been crucial to our success,” said Holscher, “So, understanding the major pain-points of the bugs in the systems and the communication breakdowns that were occuring were critical.” To this end, Xebia prioritized its focus on operable software and high functioning teams with good communication. Mirage teams soon found a self-resilient stride as the bugs that held systems down were significantly minimized, making the backend operable again. Mirage’s Blokker IT teams can now deliver better quality software, faster.

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