NEWSDIGEST 07


GOLDSMITHS OFFERS VENDING SERVICE H igh Street jewellers


Goldsmiths has introduced a new automated retail vending machine at its new boutique store in Westfi eld Stratford City. The Aurum automated retail


vending machine, which was designed and built by Rugby-based Automated Space Ltd. in conjunction with retail design consultancy Quadrant Design, is an integral part of the retailer’s storefront and is currently being used to sell Vivienne Westwood watches. It enables customers to purchase their goods immediately without queuing, at a convenient time – even if the store is closed – after viewing them both in the machine and onscreen.


The external appearance of the machine can be customised to suit store design requirements. In the case of the Goldsmiths machine this involved the application of Hanex cladding to the front of the machine to match the fi nish on the rest of the storefront.


In addition, product information and machine stock data is stored and managed using a content management system that can be accessed remotely via an internet browser-based interface. This allows product information, advertising and promotional campaigns to be easily changed and updated. The machine also has a high security locking system and the


PIXMANIA-PRO UPDATES SITE AND DISCOUNT STRUCTURE PIXmania-PRO, the online business-to-business (B2B) retailer, recently unveiled a radical overhaul of its existing discount structure, as part of its seventh birthday celebrations. As part of PIXmania and the wider Dixons Retail group, PIXmania-PRO uses its substantial buyer power to pass on


competitive pricing onto its customers. John Hughes, PIXmania-PRO Northern Europe business development director, told Retail Technology the website


overhaul and discount restructuring, which shifts it more towards an ‘every day low pricing’ position, went hand in hand with an expanded range beyond electricals to do-it-yourself and gardening products, home appliances, toys and other categories.


“The new site is more ergonomic and makes offers clearer,” he said. “An important feature is the dynamic daily price


changes. Retailers online can plug in offers via data feeds to our cloud to sell on their sites. It’s basically drop shipping and we’ve been doing it for years, but feeding into this discount site is new.”


M&S EXTENDS SUPPLY CHAIN INVESTMENT Marks and Spencer (M&S) recently announced it had licenced multiple supply chain management components from JDA Software. The deal for JDA Allocation,


each of which requires differentiated strategies.


Demand, Fulfi lment and Size Scaling modules among others, which was signed in the third quarter of 2011, is designed to help manage the effi cient fl ow of non-food merchandise through national and regional distribution centres to the retailer’s global store network.


M&S plans to use this extension


of its investment in JDA products to help effectively manage product fl ow through its multi-tier international supply chain, which supports a wide variety of product categories, ranging from high fashion to staple items,


Andrew Skinner, Marks and Spencer merchandising director, said: “Marks and Spencer expects to improve instore availability, reduce end of-season markdowns, and increase the effi ciency of our supply chain operations. JDA’s technology will provide the inventory visibility we need to make more profi table decisions, help match our strategic and tactical plans with local customer preferences and drive overall profi tability.”


The retailer also recently selected Endeca InFront search and merchandising software, to support the growth of its international multichannel business.


Having launched its fi rst


international transactional website in October as part of its return to France after its ill-fated cross channel venture a decade ago, M&S is deploying the new platform to innovate faster, deliver best-in-class capabilities and enable a multichannel customer experience that is coherent and consistent. David Walmsley, Marks and Spencer multichannel development director, said: “We were looking for a partner with a scalable solution for search and merchandising that would support our company’s international growth while giving our marketers and merchandisers greater oversight and control over the customer experience.”


◆ HSBC Merchant Services has won a tender to provide Post Offi ce with card processing services to its approximate 11,500 branches nationwide. It will provide a range of technology, including virtual terminals for the Post Offi ce website, and process payments from all the branches, ‘Post and Go’ self- service kiosks and its estate of 13,000 paystation bill payment terminals.


NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 RETAIL TECHNOLOGY


window is made from security glass incorporating a glass break detection system. The customisable product storage pods are also made from tamperproof-coated sheet metal, while its supplier said maximum power consumption for the machine in operation is 400 watts.


◆ Poundstretcher has completed the replacement of its legacy hardware and upgraded its Torex point-of-sale (PoS) software for 370 outlets, including 1,300 PoS systems in eight weeks. It will also upgrade its business analysis tool to incorporate Torex business analytics and loss prevention software.


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