Chocs away! as Thorntons speeds up store transactions

New point-of-sale system has cut purchasing times by up to two-thirds

I should cocoa: Thorntons needed to update its POS systems to handle new payment methods

Confectionery group Thorntons has rolled out a new point-of-sale (POS) system across its store network to speed up transaction times.

Thorntons’ 380 stores are now using the Torex-supplied system, which includes a chip-and-PIN feature and replaces a previous legacy platform that could not be modified to support cardholder password verification.

The business invested more than £800,000 in the new platform, which was deployed in October and is claimed to have reduced purchase time by two-thirds over the Christmas trading period.

“Our previous POS system was more than 10 years old, and its limited functionality was beginning to restrict the level of customer service we have always been known for,” said Steve Harris, head of IT at Thorntons.

“We have invested in technology for the future, which will deliver real value to all parts of the organisation through improved efficiency, sales and insight into our business.”