The Jessop Group Limited, the UK's premier photographic retailer, has contracted with PC-based touchscreen manufacturer J2 Retail Systems to install new EPoS hardware in its stores.  The rollout programme has started, with ten of the company’s top-performing shops being the first to have the new terminals installed ready for Christmas trading.

Dave Wilson took up the position of Head of Business Systems at Jessops in February 2012 and immediately turned his attention to reviewing the group’s primary line-of-business systems.  It was clear that any future software upgrades within its store infrastructure would be reliant on improving the existing EPoS provision.  “Some of our tills were up to 10 years old and were creaking. They simply didn’t have the processing power to support an ERP upgrade and were nearing the end of their useful life.  It was clearly time to invest in an EPoS refresh.”

Dave Wilson joined Jessops from Vue Cinemas, where he had installed J2 Retail Systems’ technology in its cinemas.  “I had no hesitation in turning to J2 again as I’d enjoyed a tight relationship with the team.  At Jessops, we needed scalability and I knew J2 had a whole family of products, from entry level through to top level.  Its terminals are widely used, are fit for purpose and reliable.  I’d also found them very well priced so was confident we could achieve a good total cost of ownership from upgrading to J2.”

Jessops has opted for the J2 680 model, described as “the ultimate in integrated touchscreen terminals”, and aims to roll out a total of 600 units across the store estate during the course of 2013.  “This model can go up to 16GB RAM and comes with a range of processors, which is great for us.  If, in the future, we require more processor power or memory, we can just scale up the processor or scale up the memory.  It’s an easy upgrade,” says Wilson. 

The retailer predicts that the move to J2 technology will result in reduced till downtime, improved performance and greater reliability, all leading to a better customer experience in the stores.

Dave Wilson adds: “We’ve already trialled the J2 680s instore and the difference is remarkable.  In the past, it could take 2-3 minutes for staff to do a product search at the till.  Now it takes a few seconds!  We’ve had an incredible response from the stores.  They love the new terminals.”

“During 2013, we’ll continue to refresh and roll out to the remaining stores, with pushes pre-summer and pre-Christmas. As the first stores are upgraded, we’re releasing key spares for our old tills, which will help us to service the remainder of the estate.”

Jessops has also opted for store systems maintenance via J2 Retail Systems. “I’ve always found the J2 support teams very proactive, ready to help at the drop of a hat.” 

A multi-faceted business, Jessops has flourishing e-commerce, call centre and mobile operations in addition to its nationwide store network. Highly regarded not just by its customers but also by the retail industry, Jessops picked up two accolades at last month’s 2012 Retail Systems Awards, where it was pronounced both ‘Retailer of the Year’ and ‘Overall Winner’.

Concludes Dave Wilson: “Our strategy is to be the first-choice destination for everyone’s imaging needs.  We concentrate on delivering exceptional customer service and sharing our knowledge.  That approach has helped us to grow into the country's foremost photographic retailer.” 

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 100,000 units+ installed worldwide, its clients include thousands of leading-brand retailers, leisure operators and hospitality businesses. 

J2 products represent innovation, reliable performance and one of the lowest costs of EPoS ownership achievable today.  The company controls its own design and manufacture and constantly looks for ways to improve the cost and quality of its user experience.

J2’s history has been one of pioneering and market ‘firsts’, including the first EPoS to contain Solid State storage drives as standard.  The company now offers clients the widest choice of leading-edge touchscreen technologies available.  It recently brought to market the first system to proactively monitor EPoS hardware and automate fault diagnosis and resolution before a till failure occurs.

The Jessop Group Limited  www.jessops.com
Established in 1935 and now with an annual turnover of approximately £240 million, Jessops is the UK’s leading photographic retailer, enjoying a reputation for excellence in the field that is second to none. Jessops offers a complete solution for photography enthusiasts; from photographic equipment and accessories to photo printing and award-winning personalised gifts from Jessops Photo.

The group operates from 190 stores UK-wide, from southern England to the Highlands of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.  Jessops also has a telephone call centre, a mobile site and a strong e-commerce business at www.jessops.com, with a Collect at Store service available within hours.  Full product stock is held online, with a broad range of cameras, camcorders, binoculars, telescopes, lens and accessories.

The Photo business includes photographic printing (both in-store with a 25 minute service and online), gifting (with canvases and posters available in store within an hour and a send-away service including photobooks and canvases) and portrait work.  There is also a popular photography training academy offering a wide range of course.

Jessops’ route to becoming the country's leading photographic retailer has been to match a comprehensive product range with exceptional customer service and an unsurpassed for photography.

Further information (external website)