British Red Cross rolls out a powerful POS hardware upgrade from AURES across 360 UK retail outlets

RUNCORN, U.K. - July 14, 2015 - PRLog -- Specialist cloud-based retail solutions provider Cybertill has completed the rollout of a major hardware upgrade across the 360-strong store estate of British Red Cross.

For many years, British Red Cross has relied upon Cybertill’s specialist software to manage both its front-of-store EPoS transactions including the automation of Gift Aid processes and back-office functions such as stock management.  Improved trading margins, tighter stockholding and system scalability have all resulted from use of the Cybertill solution.

As part of its delivery of a complete POS infrastructure, Cybertill installed - and has since maintained - a full network of PC-based touchscreen terminals from its partner J2 Retail Systems, now AURES Technologies.

Explains Mike Picken, who is Head of Commercial Development for the charity: “Of our original estate of J2 580RTs, the majority were still functioning well after 5 years.  We’ve found them a very reliable and trustworthy machine which has certainly done the job.”

“But time’s moved on and more powerful models are now available,” he continues.  British Red Cross has, over recent months, upgraded to the J2 625 terminal in each store.  This contemporary machine comes with a 2 GB hard drive and an Intel Dual Core Atom 1.86GHz D2550 Cedarview processor to provide the longest product life possible.  It is known for its reliability and high performance.

“We wanted the same look and the same familiarity for our staff, many of whom are volunteers,” says Picken.  “We’ve achieved this but with a more powerful machine.  Staff are commenting how much faster the J2 625s are, and of course faster transactions mean faster service, which is positive.”

After what Mike Picken describes as “a very smooth rollout” nationwide to BRC stores, the new machines are now well bedded in. “Our positive experience of J2 over the past 5 years convinced us to opt for new J2s to take us through our next 5 years of trading.  We’re certainly satisfied with the J2 625’s performance so far.”

About AURES Technologies - www.aures.com

Founded in 1989 and listed on Euronext since 1999, the AURES Group manufactures EPOS systems and related peripherals. Its PC-based hardware and open-system equipment provides management and check-out functions to all points-of-sale and points-of-service including specialist food and non-food stores, retail outlets, superstores and catering and hospitality.

With corporate sales over €64 million for 2014, the AURES Group has global presence, with its head office in France, subsidiaries in the UK, Germany, Australia and the USA - and a network of distributors and resellers in 50+ countries.

About the J2 625

For high performance and reliability, J2 has equipped its J2 625 with the new Intel Dual Core Atom 1.86GHz D2550 Cedarview processor to provide the longest product life possible. This new 32nm part has a higher speed with lower power consumption than other currently available Atom processors from Intel, at a similar price point. As part of the Intel embedded road map, the D2550 processor and chipset will be available for seven years from its release date.

The J2 625 offers a choice of touchscreens; both are spill proof, dust proof, and can be cleaned with a standard glass cleaner. Users can select a zero-bezel five-wire resistive touch screen (TFR), or the multi-touch projected capacitive touch screen (PCT).

The J2 625 comes standard with 2GB of memory plus a choice of either a 2.5" SATA HDD or SDD. With four serial ports, four USB ports, video output with VGA/DVA/HDMI support, cash drawer port, audio in/out, gigabit Ethernet, +12V output, as well as other built in peripheral capabilities, this is a versatile computer.

The convection cooled fanless design means the J2 625 can be used in very harsh environments and requires little or no maintenance. High dust, grease, sea air or high temperatures will not affect its operation. With a quick access HDD/SDD slot, a drive can be changed in seconds. A simple design allows the unit to be fully disassembled and assembled in just a few minutes by simply removing a few screws.

About Cybertill – www.cybertill.co.uk

Cybertill was formed in 2001 in response to retailers’ needs for a powerful, flexible, scalable EPoS system that delivers a speedy return on investment. Retailers, big and small, are faced with ever-expanding challenges in an ever-competitive world with multiple routes to market. How could they gain an overview of all sales and stock movements, through all channels, whilst on the move? How could they give their customers a really top-class experience so that they would return and recommend?

These were the principles behind Cybertill, the first and only EPoS system to be delivered over the internet, as a cloud-based computing solution.  Cybertill is a scalable, function-rich product that seamlessly integrates point-of-sale, ecommerce and mail order operations.

Now employing over 65 people at its Merseyside offices, Cybertill is independently owned and funded. It has over 5,000 sites and more than 600 customers from big name high street retailers and brand names, through to small chains to specialty stores and charities.

About British Red Cross – www.redcross.org.uk

British Red Cross (BRC) is one of the world’s longest-established and best-known humanitarian organisations. It is part of a global network – the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent Movement – that helps communities and individuals in crisis.

The organisation is volunteer-led and depends heavily upon the kindness of others. To support its benevolent programmes, BRC needs to raise funds through campaigns and appeals. These take place in tandem with the day-to-day operations of its nationwide retail shop network where both donated and bought-in goods are sold. BRC has 360 shops across the UK, from the Channel Islands to the Outer Hebrides.  Specialist format outlets, such as vintage, bridal, books and household, complement BRC’s general retail operations.