JYSK, a leading home furnishing retailer headquartered in Denmark, implemented major advancements in its digital transformation journey by partnering with WSO2, a leader in open-source API management and integration technologies.
Known for its Scandinavian design and affordable furniture, the company is experiencing rapid growth, with over 3,300 stores across more than 48 countries (25 being in the UK) and opening approximately 150 new stores across Europe each year.
JYSK’s rapid expansion placed increasing pressure on its IT infrastructure to scale and evolve, particularly its API ecosystem, which supports critical business functions such as omnichannel retail, inventory management, point-of-sale integrations, and e-commerce.
Challenges of decentralised API management
JYSK’s APIs were widely used across departments, but they lacked standardisation and central governance. Each team operated with its own guidelines, resulting in limited visibility into API assets, usage patterns, and life cycle management. This made it daunting to maintain consistent quality and security, scale efficiently for new stores and online growth, manage dependencies between systems, and handle peak events like Black Friday without compromising performance.
To sustain operational excellence amid growth plans, JYSK needed a unified, scalable API management platform that offered visibility, governance, and agility.
JYSK selected WSO2 API Manager as its enterprise API management platform after evaluating several solutions for functionality, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. WSO2 was chosen for its focused, best-of-breed capabilities as a dedicated API management solution, its open-source model offering flexibility and transparency, and its strong reputation for responsive technical support.
With WSO2, JYSK centralised all its APIs within a single platform, establishing unified standards for API design, publishing, versioning, and life cycle management. The platform also provides clear visibility into API usage, enabling developers to understand who is consuming their APIs and how they are performing.
Delivering impact at scale
By implementing WSO2, JYSK has been able to transform its API landscape into a strategic business enabler that supports its growth ambitions.
By centralising API management with WSO2, JYSK streamlined integration processes, enabling faster onboarding of new stores and digital services. This approach allowed the company to scale efficiently across Europe. API adoption expanded significantly, growing from around 10 APIs to 30, reflecting broader standardisation and governance across the organisation.
Simplified integration and a unified approach to API governance improved operational control, enabling faster store rollouts, smoother e-commerce integrations, and a more agile response to evolving customer demands. On a typical weekday, the platform supports over 2 million API calls across 74 APIs with sub-1ms latency, demonstrating reliable, high-performance operations at scale.
During high-traffic periods like Black Friday, the platform managed a significant increase in transaction volume without compromising performance. This reliability ensured seamless customer experience during critical sales events.
Looking ahead
This strong physical presence is supported by a growing digital footprint, as JYSK continues to scale its e-commerce operations to meet increasing customer demand and changing shopping behaviors. Looking ahead, JYSK plans to migrate its e-commerce platform into the API manager and transition from VMs to Kubernetes, enhancing scalability and operational excellence.
