Kappahl

Modernising fashion retail

Client snapshot

Kappahl is an established fashion retailer with a portfolio of brands and concepts including Kappahl, Newbie, kay/day, Kappahl Baby and Kappahl Kids. The company operates across six markets: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, the UK and Iceland. Today, the Grassfish solution supports approximately 160 locations and 220 touchpoints across the Kappahl store network.

The strategic challenge

Kappahl wanted to modernise its in-store environment to better meet the expectations of today’s increasingly digital customers. The ambition was to create a more inspiring and engaging shopping experience while ensuring consistent brand communication across multiple markets.

As the store network evolved across both existing and new concepts, the challenge became broader than simply introducing digital screens. Kappahl needed a scalable way to manage in-store communication across countries, store formats and brand expressions.  

The challenge included:

Maintaining consistent brand communication across multiple markets and concepts
Creating a more inspiring and dynamic customer experience in-store
Reducing dependence on printed materials and manual updates
Enabling faster and more centralised campaign management
Supporting tactical sales communication, customer inspiration and loyalty messaging
Creating a scalable model for new and renovated stores across the group

At its core, the challenge was not about replacing print with screens. It was about building a more flexible, efficient and future-ready model for in-store communication.

Enabling modern in-store communication with IXM

Grassfish supported Kappahl by migrating its existing solution to Grassfish IXM Platform and developing a new channel strategy for both current and future in-store communication channels.
This approach was grounded in In-store Experience Management, moving beyond digital signage to create a structured platform for managing the full communication ecosystem in-store.

At the core of the  IXM Platform

A scalable framework for existing and future in-store channels 
Digital templates supporting brand, inspiration, campaign and sales messaging 
Faster content updates across markets and store environments 
A flexible foundation for different concepts, including Kappahl, Newbie, kay/day, Kappahl Baby and Kappahl Kids

The focus was not only on technology implementation, but on helping Kappahl create a long-term operating model for how digital communication should support the store experience.

The IXM-powered in-store communication model

Together, Grassfish and Kappahl created a scalable framework of digital templates designed to support different types of communication in the store, from brand-building and inspiration to tactical campaigns and sales activation.
 
This gives Kappahl a more dynamic way to communicate with customers at the point of decision. Digital and moving content can make the store environment feel more inspiring, relevant and alive, while also supporting commercial priorities such as campaign visibility, product focus and member recruitment.

Centralised content management enables Kappahl to update communication faster and more consistently across stores and markets.

At the same time, the template framework creates flexibility for different needs, concepts and store formats.

Grassfish also supported Kappahl beyond the technical platform. Through workshops, inspirational sessions and user training, the Grassfish consulting team helped empower the Kappahl organisation and strengthen long-term adoption of the new solution.

Rollout & partnership

Grassfish and Kappahl carried out a major rollout during 2025 across Kappahl and Newbie stores. During 2026, the solution is also being implemented in the new kay/day concept stores, with Kappahl Baby and Kappahl Kids stores to follow.

The rollout is characterised by

By combining strategic consulting with the IXM Platform, Volkswagen Group Sweden has successfully transformed its dealerships into connected, experience-driven environments.

Key outcomes include:

• A large-scale rollout across Kappahl and Newbie stores during 2025

• Continued expansion into new store concepts during 2026

• Implementation in all new or renovated stores across Kappahl’s markets

• A scalable setup supporting multiple countries and concepts

• Close collaboration with installation partners, including Fujitsu 

This ensures that new and renovated stores can become part of a consistent digital in-store ecosystem from the start.

Business impact

By moving to a scalable IXM platform, Kappahl has transformed its store environment into a more inspiring, dynamic and engaging customer experience. Digital and moving content now play a stronger role in how the brand communicates in-store.

Key outcomes include:

A more modern and engaging in-store experience
Stronger and more consistent brand presence across markets
Faster and more flexible campaign and message updates
Improved support for sales activation and tactical communication
Reduced reliance on printed materials
A more sustainable and scalable approach to in-store communication
A future-proof foundation that can evolve with Kappahl’s brands, concepts and customers

The solution supports both brand-building and commercial execution, helping Kappahl communicate more effectively in the physical store while improving operational efficiency behind the scenes.

Strategic takeaway

Kappahl shows how fashion retailers can use digital in-store communication to modernise the store experience while creating stronger consistency, efficiency and scalability.

The key is not simply to digitise individual touchpoints, but to build a structured and flexible communication model that supports the full retail journey.

By migrating to Grassfish IXM Platform and creating a scalable framework for content, channels and store concepts, Kappahl has established a future-ready foundation for inspiring customers, activating campaigns, and strengthening the brand across markets.