In Store tech: Roadchef

Roadchef driving forward with EDGEpos

Mark Rogers, Retail Director for Roadchef, talks to The Week In Retail about the company’s decision to install EDGEpos in nine Spar stores on their Motorway Services.

The EPoS journey for Spar in Roadchef has been a particularly important part of the business strategy. A temporary Epos platform was installed whilst Mark and the team looked at the different solutions in the market and tried to understand the different providers available to them, and what they were looking for. What really sped up the transition to EDGEpos was the introduction of Self-Checkout tills in other areas of the business, and the introduction of Electronic Shelf Edge Labels, which Henderson Technology adopted early on. “We needed to understand not only what we needed today, but also how we could future proof our business for tomorrow. This was a key factor in our decision. We needed to ensure that we were offering the right solution for our customers, and all our store colleagues,” says Mark.

EDGEPOS FEATURES

“The features we could not live without are endless. One of the features for the stores teams is the Reduced to Clear printer and Handheld Unit.

“This has removed a big task for them as previously they would have had to spend time working out what the reduction level and amount was. This of course flows through to the financial performance of the stores also and improves the store margins.

“The ease of the tills is fantastic also. Our store teams really enjoy how simple the tills are to use. EDGEpos has removed a lot of the old clunky functions on the till, and they love the speed of the tills. When we have had colleagues working on the EDGEpos tills from other areas of the business, they are often jealous as the EDGEpos tills are so easy to use!”

EDGEPOS SELF-CHECKOUT

“Our customers find the EDGEpos Self-Checkout simple and effective to use. The Self-Checkout has a pre-recorded voice that talks the customer through each step, and they often feel like there is a cashier helping them. We certainly could not live without this product in-store.

“We are trying to offer our customers an effortless way of use in our Spar stores. We are in a world where customers expect to see self-serve in-store; not everybody wants to be served by a cashier – some people just want to serve themselves.

“Self-serve is no longer a nice product to have, it is now a minimum requirement for customers in-store. And the fact that Henderson Technology could offer us the hybrid Self-Checkout option that fits onto our customer model was a huge plus for us.”

HEAD OFFICE

“The Head Office system for us was a crucial part of our discussions with Henderson Technology. When we worked with other third-party suppliers, all individual stores teams had to change prices in each store which was potentially risky. With EDGEpos Head Office we now have full control and operations such as price changes are now all managed by one team instead of individual store teams. We know that this improves our overall margin. EDGEpos also gives us real time reporting and performance which we did not have before.”

CONCLUSION

“For anybody looking for a new EPoS partner to work with, look at EDGEpos. Ask yourself ‘What do you need today? And what will you need tomorrow.’ Henderson Technology will not only work with you as to what needs delivered today but will also scope out what you need for the future within your business too. Be brave with what you want for the future, the team at Henderson Technology are always open to dialogue of what your requirements are. It’s a great partnership.”

MARK ROGERS

Mark Rogers is responsible for the different retail brands within the Roadchef business including Spar and looks after the retail strategy and customer offerings within the businesses.

ROADCHEF

Roadchef is the oldest services on the motorway, with around 50 million visitors per year. It has positioned its services as the high street under one roof, offering its customers a unique offer.