Martin
McColl, the company that runs most of
Britain's corner shops, is embarking on an eight-year, £19m project
to create a national integrated store management system that will
help it fight fraud.
The electronic point of sale (EPOS) system from
Torex will provide a
complete back-office stock control and accounting suite, with
integrated digital CCTV and an electronic catalogue system.
It can detect and flag suspicious transactions and automatically
capture digital video. Central office or remote users can also use
the digital CCTV to monitor stores in real-time.
Jonathan Miller, finance director at Martin McColl, said the
company had picked Torex after a full review of its in-store
systems and POS strategy. "It will deliver real and measurable
business improvements across our estate, increase the productivity
of our stores and enhance the overall customer experience," he
said.
Martin McColl will install
HP RP5700 POS retail processor units with MultiQ touchscreens
that support customer-facing video media at the point of sale. It
will use Bluetooth hand-held terminals from
Nordic ID for
stock management at each store.
Online account management for home news delivery will allow
customers to order new publications, confirm holiday periods and
settle bills over the internet.
Torex will provide hardware and software support services for
the next eight years.
Graeme Cooksley, president and chief operating officer for
Torex, said the contract was unprecedented in the convenience
sector.
Martin McColl is a billion-pound business that runs over 450
convenience stores and 850 newsagents throughout England, Scotland
and Wales, as well as more than 460 post offices. It delivers
newspapers and magazines daily to over 200,000 homes.