Students present new ideas to JYSK's top management

Almost 1,000 students participated in the Master Case Challenge on Friday 1 September 2023, including students from the Commercial & Retail Management program at Aarhus University. The winning groups visited the JYSK Head Office to present their ideas.

The Master Case Challenge is a part of the introduction week for master's students, providing them with an opportunity to tackle concrete challenges presented by various companies. This year was the fourth time that JYSK participated as one of the case companies.

The JYSK case was presented by five JYSK employees, and this year the focus was on how JYSK can appeal to the younger generation of consumers.

One group suggested creating a campaign video that would highlight a new brand identity through storytelling. Another group presented the idea of a personalised customer experience with a particular focus on JYSK's range of beds.

However, it was the group with the creative idea of "JKLUB", a membership club for JYSK customers, that took home the victory. Their suggestions included putting more emphasis on personal offers, bundle offers and second-hand markets as part of the solution to appealing to a younger generation.

Jimmi Knudsgård Jakobsen, who is Sales Director at JYSK, helped select the winning groups:

"The students only have four hours to come up with a proposed solution for our case, so we don't expect them to reach the goal completely. When we select a winner, we emphasise creativity and how the idea could work in practise. In addition, we would like to be able to see that the students have considered how their idea matches JYSK as a company."

On a visit to the head office

The winning groups received feedback from the Sales & Expansion department to refine their proposals even better before visiting the JYSK Head Office in Brabrand. Here, they had to present their proposed solutions to, among others, Rami Jensen, President & CEO, Jørgen Lund, Executive Vice President for Sales & Marketing, and Carsten Nørgreen Weinkouff, Executive Vice President for Retail Development, Customer Service & B2B.

"I think today has been really good. I was very nervous about our presentation, but they were great at giving us constructive criticism and making it a relaxing experience. Also, it was great to have a dialogue with them about our proposed solution," says Rafaela Pinto from group 2 and continues:

“I was pleasantly surprised that they made time in their schedule to listen to our idea. All in all, the course with the Master Case Challenge has given me a good impression of JYSK as a company and a potential workplace."

Mardhatilla Pefiza from group 1 also thought the experience at the Head Office was good:

“I had never heard of JYSK before, but I know a lot now. I was very nervous when I had to present, but luckily it went well, and I think it was a good discussion we had afterwards. I can now also say that I have become a JYSK customer.”

JYSK as an attractive workplace

One of the reasons why JYSK participates in the case competition is to provide students with insights into JYSK as a company as well as a potential workplace.

"After working with JYSK as a business case, my impression of the organisation remains positive. I have now learned that the brand has evolved significantly over the years. Since I am already quite familiar with the furniture and retail industry, it was very exciting for me to work with one of Denmark's largest companies in retail. This experience has made JYSK an attractive workplace for me," says Anna Kasnæs from group 3.