Building an HR system fit for Normal’s global expansion

A fast-growing retailer with big ambitions

Normal is one of Europe’s fastest-growing retail chains, expanding rapidly across borders with thousands of employees and new store locations opening month after month. To support this growth, Normal needed a reliable HR partner based in their home market. One who understands the realities of local teams, high-volume hiring and a global setup.

Connecting Sympa’s HR system to a purpose-built ecosystem of tools, Normal is now equipped to scale their people operations with confidence.

What they needed

The more you expand, the more complex your HR processes become. Normal’s HR and IT teams were faced with the challenge of supporting growing operations in multiple countries while navigating frequent hiring cycles and large volumes of contracts.

They set out to find a solution that could grow with them. Above all, they needed an HR system that could adapt to country-specific legal requirements and streamline hiring processes.

What we delivered

Sympa delivered a future-proof HR setup designed to meet the realities of Normal’s business. The system supports multiple countries, languages and legal requirements, while giving HR, IT, and store managers the visibility and control they need to do their work effectively.

We configured localised workflows and document templates to ensure compliance across regions and equipped the platform to handle thousands of employee records and contracts efficiently. Store managers start the hiring process, while employee data is managed centrally through integrated systems without needing direct access to Sympa.

A tailored ecosystem built to scale

From the beginning, Normal knew they wanted to combine Sympa with best-in-class tools for recruitment, document signing and employee engagement. Rather than locking into a rigid all-in-one suite, they chose to build a connected HR ecosystem tailored to the way they work.

Their ecosystem includes:

Teamtailor (Recruitment)

Recruitment is managed in Teamtailor, where store managers start the process. Once a candidate is hired, their data flows automatically into Sympa through an integration developed with Teamtailor.

Scrive (eSigning)

Employment contracts are digitally signed through Scrive and automatically stored in Sympa. Country-specific templates ensure consistency and compliance.

Relesys (Engagement platform)

Sympa feeds accurate employee data into Normal’s pre-existing engagement platform, Relesys, to support internal communications and training for store teams.

What's next for Normal

With Sympa at the core and the right tools around it, Normal has laid the groundwork for their growth across Europe. One where local managers can act quickly, leadership can plan confidently and systems stay aligned across borders.

Next up is Scenarios, a new feature that will allow Normal to model organisational changes in advance, adding an extra layer of control and foresight as they scale.