Birds retail bakery, ‘risen from the ashes’, pays tribute to innovative J2 till technology

March 1, 2011 - PRLog -- East Midlands-based regional bakery chain, Birds (Derby) Ltd, has reported on the success of its refitted, new-concept shop in Alvaston, Derby and paid tribute to the brackets bespoke-designed for its till system by manufacturer J2 Retail Systems.

Last Spring, Birds’ Alvaston retail bakery was devastated by fire.  Explains Retail Manager, Mike Holling: “The shop burnt out and we couldn’t trade.  As we had to plan a complete refit, we took the opportunity to rethink our shop layout, to do something different.”

The Alvaston shop had been running with an old model EPoS system that J2 had supplied some years previously.  “We had a couple of old J2 Viper tills and one still worked despite being full of soot and having had foam sprayed on it by the Fire Brigade!  But we decided it was time to introduce the new J2 615 model EPoS till that we had already installed elsewhere.”

As Mike Holling planned the installation of the new tills, he realised that space was tight.  A change in counter configuration seemed to be the way to go.  He approached J2.  Known for the flexible EPoS mounting options they already provide, J2 came up with a space-saving solution: a new bracket which could be pushed back 45 degrees, to allow the J2 615 tills to be recessed into a more compact space.

J2 completed this bespoke development for Birds.  “We’re very pleased with this solution, so much so that we are going to use the bracket in our new Chesterfield site,” says Mike Holling.  “It gives better counter accessibility and helps us to reduce the till footprint.  Of course, space is always at a premium in a retail environment so this flat bracket works extremely well for us.”

One third of Birds’ retail estate is now using J2 615 EPoS, and a phased rollout will continue this year.  “Eventually, all shops will have J2 615s.  The new bracket gives us a useful option if we have a tight layout to deal with, enabling us to put the tills in different areas,” states Holling.

He concludes: “Our partnership with J2 works extremely well.  We always find them responsive - the flat bracket is a case in point.  It’s a very good design and J2 delivered precisely what we were looking to achieve.  We consider J2 to be at the cutting edge when it comes to technology.  If they have a new development in the pipeline, they always invite us to have a look.  Even if we don’t need it straightaway, it helps us to map out future requirements.  Besides, EPoS is so affordable now.  You really can’t do without it to run your business.”


BIRDS (DERBY) LTD           www.birdsbakery.com
      
Birds (Derby) Ltd has been baking for almost a century.  Priding itself on having grown with the times, it has never allowed modernisation in the pursuit of efficiency to destroy its quality and its craft bakery heritage.  In fact, this family-run business boasts of still using traditional techniques.

The company’s strength comes from staying regional and keeping close to the culture of the East Midlands where all its shops are located.  In 2010, Birds opened its 50th shop.  The bakery and head office remain in Derby.   The business now employs 650 staff, of which 500 in the retail estate.  

The primary product range is bread, confectionery, savouries and celebration cakes.  Large orders, buffet food and celebration cakes can be ordered online.  Birds’ range of take-away foods, sandwiches, hot savouries and coffees is offered under the Expresso brand.  For customers wanting to relax in a comfortable setting, there are tearooms in eight of the shops.  


J2 RETAIL SYSTEMS       www.j2retailsystems.com

J2 Retail Systems is a specialist manufacturer of PC-based touchscreens, LCD touchscreen monitors and point-of-sale hardware to the retail, hospitality and leisure industries.  With 70,000+ units installed worldwide, its clients include hospitality and leisure operators including several cinema chains, hundreds of hotels, clubs, pubs and restaurants, plus leading-brand retailers.

By controlling its design and manufacture, J2 has built a reputation for innovation, exceptional reliability and cost-effectiveness. J2 uses emergent technologies wherever possible to reduce the cost of hardware ownership.  In a recent market coup, J2 launched the first EPoS to contain Solid State storage drives as standard.  By so doing, it reset the benchmark for EPoS performance, reliability and cost of ownership.

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