bp retail

Three standout metrics

42%

increase in website visits

42%

rise in applications

90 minutes

admin time saved daily

The voice of the customer

“The candidate’s journey will always be at the top of our agenda, and we are now really seeing the positive results.”

Emma Gehrke De Rose, Head of Talent and Capability, bp retail

case_study_not_working_image_3

What was going wrong

bp retail, part of the wider BP (British Petrol) brand is a convenience business comprising traditional fuel services plus its own coffee shop, Wild Bean Café. They partner with Marks & Spencer Simply Food to offer a comfortable, convenient experience across their 300+ service stations.

bp retail were struggling to recruit enough qualified candidates across their network, putting the customer experience at risk. Challenges included:

bp retail wasn’t seen as part of the wider BP brand and was often mistaken for Marks & Spencer;
Lengthy application processes prompted many candidates to drop off;
Application volumes weren’t meeting recruitment demand.

The turning point

Emma Gehrke De Rose, Head of Talent and Capability, knew change was needed. To meet the needs of the business bp retail needed to differentiate its employer brand and showcase what working at bp retail was really like. Putting the candidate experience at the centre was key.

They partnered with PageUp to attract and recruit the workforce they needed across 440 vacancies nationwide.

The shift began in three phases:

Dedicated new careers site

Creating a new careers site to showcase bp retail’s values, share real employee stories and their “one team” inclusive culture.
Focus on frontline roles

Highlighting the three most important frontline roles: Store Managers, Assistant Managers, and Customer Service Assistants, totalling 440 vacancies across the UK.
Strategic recruitment campaigns

Driving new talent to the site through strategic activity contributed to a 38% rise in applications from social campaigns alone.

The solution in action

bp retail successfully repositioned their employer brand, attracted top talent at scale, and dramatically improved both the candidate experience and operational efficiency using PageUp.

Key initiatives included:

Rebranded careers site

A fresh site featuring bold colours and authentic employee images showcased BP group’s net-zero ambitions, real employee stories, testimonials, training opportunities and company benefits throughout.
Quick apply functionality

Streamlining the application process reduced completion time from 6+ minutes to seconds, significantly improving the candidate experience and reducing drop-off rates.
Interview self-scheduling

Candidates could select convenient interview times themselves, reducing coordination time for hiring teams while offering a better candidate experience.
Manager notifications

Automated notifications to managers flagged what stage a candidate was at to avoid delays and maintain transparency between hiring managers and the talent team.
Streamlined onboarding

Using PageUp’s centralisedcentralized system with integrated e-signature functionality eliminated manual processes in stores and head office, saving an average of 90 minutes of admin time daily.

The impact

Hard ROI

42% increase in website visits across all devices
42% rise in applications since project completion
38% rise in applications from social campaigns
90 minutes of admin time saved daily

Soft ROI

Stronger employer brand identity positioned eliminated confusion with Marks & Spencer.
Easy-apply functionality reduced lengthy application process, improving candidate experience.
Manager notifications flagged candidate stages to reduce delays and improve transparency.
Authentic employee stories brought the ‘one team’ culture to life and humanisedhumanized the brand.

What surprisedsurprised us the most

“We have streamlined processes, so it now takes candidates seconds to apply rather than having to add an abundance of information. The whole process is more efficient and friendly.”

Emma Gehrke De Rose, Head of Talent and Capability, bp retail