Firkins takes Quantum leap with new EPOS systems across entire estate

June 21, 2010 - PRLog -- BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – West Bromwich-based bakery Firkins is rolling out new touch screen till systems from EPOS Group across its entire chain of 38 shops in the West Midlands.

Firkins' branches are running Birmingham-based EPOS Group's Quantum 1.1 specialist solution for bakeries on its model Q650 tills along with CyBake Touch shop ordering software.

Firkins was founded in 1870 in Carter's Green, West Bromwich, less than half a mile from its current factory in Black Lake. Famous for its cakes, sausage rolls and hot pork sandwiches, the Black Country bakery recently opened new shops in Harborne, Dudley and Bearwood. Firkins aims to have the new systems from EPOS Group in every one of its shops by the end of June.

Ian Bolderston, Firkins managing director, had been looking for an computerised till system that would meet his firm's needs for four years before EPOS Group contacted him about Quantum. Quantum is an end-to-end management system designed to ensure revenue capture is complete and that stock consumed is accurately reconciled to revenue. He was attracted by Quantum's advanced reporting functions for bakers and price-promotion management capabilities.

"I was looking at how you handle your promotions products, your linked-in products, your meal-deals and that type of thing and still actually retain the integrity of the data," says Bolderston. "We weren’t able to say that inside a meal-deal we sold x amount of a soft drink. We could only say that we’d sold so many meal-deals, which ruined the integrity of our stock control system because we didn’t know what to allocate."

Quantum 1.1 solves this with live reporting via broadband back to head office so managers can see exactly what is selling in each shop in real time as well as cash declared. For promotions, Quantum allows complex discounts involving combinations of products (or even combinations of products, special vouchers and specific customer-types) to be set up and automated on till screens from head office. There is no staff discretion, allowing for totally accurate margin control and detailed reporting on the success or otherwise of such offers.

"We are also going to develop the customer loyalty side of Quantum with customer loyalty cards and the ability to understand and analyse what people buy," explains Bolderston.

Stephen Boyes, EPOS Group managing director, says: "When we were looking at Firkins' requirements, it was clear that the level of complexity the company was asking for its price-promotions would be a challenge for most EPOS systems. EPOS Group was uniquely placed as our new bakery-specific version of Quantum  proved to be an excellent fit and the very close proximity of the Firkins' estate to our Birmingham division has allowed for fast responses and plenty of face-to-face contact."

Firkins boss Ian Bolderston was also impressed with the way EPOS Group had integrated Quantum with the CyBake Touch software solution. CyBake Touch works alongside Quantum on Firkins' new Q650 touch-screen tills so that orders, waste and deliveries are entered in-store. As with Quantum, the data is then transmitted to head office in real time via broadband. Using CyBake Touch's sales order processing module at head office, all shop orders, adjustments, waste and stock figures can be checked and amended by the sales orders team.

Bolderston says: "The Touch side of it was all about completing the loop for us; we’ve got the sales data, we really needed to understand the waste data and the ordering and the suggested ordering and how it linked then back to my bakery system."  

This has gone down well with staff, says Bolderston as it provides them with the tools to maximise their shops' takings and achieve bonuses for hitting sales targets.

"With CyBake Touch, staff won’t be ringing us up for their changes, they’ll be keying them in themselves and it will give them a degree of control of information," he says. "The system will show them the last four weeks sales, so when they make their judgment, there’ll be our system’s suggested order, but then they can actually change that or alter it, so it gives them some control and some feeling of being part of it and that’s quite important as well."  

A byproduct of EPOS Group's work with Firkins was that the baker also decided to replace its old ERP production system. Having been introduced to CyBake Touch, it installed the complete CyBake 3 bakery management system from York-based RedBlack Software in a separate deal.  

Bolderston says: "I was trying to get a system that will revolutionise the way we operate as a bakery and what EPOS Group's till system in conjunction with my CyBake system is giving me is a complete solution. What my shops want and what they’ve sold and what they want to re-order is integrated seamlessly into my production system."

ENDS

About EPOS Group: With over 25 years of experience, EPOS Group specialises in the design, installation and support of EPOS systems in retail and hospitality environments and has offices in Ramsgate, London and Birmingham. Hardware partners include J2 Retail Systems. Software partners include Commidea and RedBlack Software. You can find out more about EPOS Group at http://www.eposgroup.co.uk


For further information, contact:

Seamus Quinn
Cue Communications
07846 102192
seamusquinn1@yahoo.co.uk

or

Stephen Boyes
Managing Director
EPOS Group
0870 428 2830
steve@eposgroup.co.uk

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