Poundland chooses EPoS system to enhance stock management and planning

Poundland, Europe's leading one price retailer, has implemented a new EPoS system based on Epson's Intelligent Register, in order to improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of its business. Recognising the importance of having the right IT systems in place to manage merchandising, supply chain and store management, rolling-out the EPoS solution will optimise Poundland's product offer and maximise sales.

"The objective was to develop our EPoS, Merchandise Management and Warehouse Management systems," explained Neil Duckhouse, IT manager at Poundland. "In short, we want to stock the items that will sell; not have to sell the items we have in stock." He continued, "Besides satisfying supply and demand, it's also essential for us to maximise customer service - an easy-to-use and quick-to-master system which prevents bottlenecks at the checkout is vital."

Epson's Intelligent Register with its intuitive touchscreen interface, customer display, Magnetic Stripe Reader (MSR) and thermal printer provides Poundland with a reliable and efficient solution for the point of sale. Using clear on-screen prompts, the IR guides the operator through all PoS-related
operations including transactions, refunds and queries, therefore reducing inputting errors and enabling faster, more effective customer service.

Epson's hardware, used in conjunction with software developed in-house by Poundland, delivers a solution which monitors the success of the retailer's rolling product range of around 1800 items. Sales are recorded and data transmitted to the back-office via a Local Area Network (LAN) enabling store managers to carry out real-time sales analysis. Sent daily to Poundland's Retail Support Centre, the information is published on the company intranet and used to gain a better understanding of what customers are buying, enabling Poundland to increase the relevance of its offer.

"Since implementing the system we have seen the benefit of EPoS in its true form," commented Neil. "Scanning each and every item we sell tells us exactly which products are proving popular and enables us to make better buying decisions all around." George Oldridge, Poundland's IT director added: "The open source architecture of Epson's IR is ideally suited to our needs. Its design looks good in our new store format and the integrated printer and MSR means that there are fewer peripherals to connect. In terms of performance and reliability, I'm pleased to say that the IR has lived up to our expectations - we have full confidence in the dependability of the Epson brand."