Prénatal Nurtures Growth with Speexx: Coaching and Languages for the Next Steps in Transformation
Prénatal Retail Group (PRG) launched a funded training project with Speexx, beginning with language courses and continuing with business coaching. The goal was to expand participation and boost employee engagement. This personalized approach has already delivered tangible results and strong involvement across the organization.
About
PRG is the leading Kids & Family Hub in the childcare and toy sector, with 551 stores across five countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and France) and a workforce of around 3,800 people. The group includes the Prénatal, Bimbostore, and Toys Center brands and holds exclusive licenses for FAO Schwarz in continental Europe and Toys”R”Us in the Iberian Peninsula.
Its story began in 1947 in France with the creation of Prénatal, which opened its first Italian store in Milan in 1963. In 2015, PRG Retail Group was established under the slogan “Grow with Us,” reflecting a deep commitment to families, nurturing growth, and building lasting trust with over 22 million customers worldwide.
We are very satisfied with the courses offered by Speexx, which are flexible and led by highly qualified trainers. The team is always ready to provide support, assisting with every step of the process — including the planning of funded training.
Federica Varinelli, Human Resources Specialist, Prénatal Retail Group
Challenge
In 2021, PRG began seeking digital solutions to replace traditional face-to-face training, which was more costly and less flexible. In 2022, the first project with Speexx was launched, introducing bookable one-to-one language courses. The main challenge was to promote consistent use among employees with limited time and resources. As the courses were funded, sessions had to be held during working hours, requiring careful testing of the platform and a well-structured training schedule.
Solution
Speexx proposed a series of individual online lessons that later evolved into Executive 1.1 – a flexible language training program combining personalized self-learning modules with one-to-one conversation sessions in English, French, and Spanish. Pleased with the program’s modularity and adaptability, PRG decided in 2025 to extend the initiative with business coaching courses. These were designed to support employees who had recently taken on team coordination roles, or were already in them, by helping them overcome challenges and achieve professional goals more effectively.
Outcome
The project evolved through three key phases:
• Bookable one-to-one sessions, which achieved a steady increase in attendance rates.
• Introduction of Executive 1:1 courses, which received highly positive feedback, particularly for the continuity with the same coach and the quality of the conversation sessions.
• Launch of the business coaching program, involving employees from various areas of the company, selected not only by function but also by specific role.
Throughout each phase, Speexx supported PRG in monitoring activities and simplifying the management of funded training, transforming it into an accessible and scalable development opportunity.
Outlook
PRG intends to continue and expand its collaboration with Speexx. In terms of language training, the next step will be to collect and analyze internal feedback in a structured and measurable way, with the goal of extending the project to additional business functions and departments. Looking ahead, PRG aims to further embed a culture of continuous learning and professional growth, making both coaching and language development integral elements of its people strategy and long-term transformation journey.
