Hobbycraft invests in internet-based till system

Arts and crafts retailer Hobbycraft has signed a £1m deal to upgrade its till equipment.

The firm will install 143 touch screen, internet-based electronic point-of-sale (Epos) terminals to support its expansion plans.

'It is our strategic aim to grow from 23 to 60 stores as quickly as we can to give us national coverage,' said Chris Crombie, Hobbycraft managing director.

'When we first started in 1995 we introduced a homegrown Epos system based on what is now a creaky, rudimentary platform. We needed something that would be reliable and scalable.'

The Epos system will run on an IP-based virtual private network (VPN), with always-on connections to head office for centralised management.

The system will act as a management and stock replenishment point within each store, and integrate with other centralised systems to support a transition to a more automated supply chain.

Crombie says the system will provide faster and more robust management information data.

The contract with Anker Systems includes a three-year service deal for hardware and store software support and maintenance, and the management of IP VPN service provider Tiscali.

'It will help make sure the customer is served more speedily and efficiently, with no downtime, and things such as chip and PIN be rolled out to the customer till displays,' said Crombie.

'We had one vision, that the system should do everything in-store - one system, one provider.

'With this deal, we get a one-stop-shop and system. Every other vendor seemed to want us to integrate to their systems.'

Hobbycraft will also deploy a stock replenishment system at its head office to match stock-holding patterns across stores to trends in customer demand.

Hobbycraft hopes the Epos system will go live by September.