BUSINESS PROFILE
certainly not all they want. To really keep them coming back you need to offer a complete experience that starts well before they even set foot on the train. These days people increasingly expect a one-stop service centre for a great many more aspects of their lives. It’s no longer enough for a phone to be just a phone, or for a restaurant just to serve food. Have you seen a garden centre recently that doesn’t have its own tea-room? Refurbishment is one answer but it’s not always an easy one. With the Olympics just at an end,
Retail revolution G
etting from A to B as fast and as economically as possible may be the core of what rail customers want. But it’s
the Paralympics about to start, and the music festivals in full swing, throughout the country, maybe there’s a lesson to be learnt from the event planners. They know that no event worth its salt can be without its retail outlets, its food stalls, its shelters, restrooms, medical centres and toilet facilities. So how do they do it? They use temporary facilities that provide customers with the total environment experience they’re looking for. The kiosks of today not only look exciting and streamlined, they offer the highest standards of inbuilt facilities plus all the advantages of mobility, flexibility, and affordability.
Thinking about how this approach could run alongside the development of rail refurbishment programmes, or be built into them, Rail Professional decided to talk to one kiosk company with a long history, and a sound reputation for delivering the goods with flair and expertise – AJC Trailers and its sister company AJC Retail Solutions.
How it works AJC Trailers is a long-established, family-run business. Founded in 1964, it specialises in providing bespoke, quality, catering solutions, and it was its success in this area that led to the establishment of its sister company, AJC Retail Solutions. With an even broader remit, AJC Retail Solutions provides a fully joined-up service through from concept to hand-over. We spoke to the company’s managing director, Jane Samsa to get some more
PAGE 34 SEPTEMBER 2012
details about the service it provides. ‘Starting at the beginning may sound simple, but it is the key to success. It all starts with the design process. The design and layout of your kiosk, whether it is a retail outlet or an amenities facility, and the selection of appropriate equipment, are all critical in taking your ideas forward to reality. They will all impact on how well the kiosk can fulfil its function. Our designers’ knowledge in creating precise retail solutions, and the customer’s knowledge of their particular requirements, provide the foundation to establishing a successful partnership during the project.’ A Network Rail-approved supplier, the company’s history and credit-rating mean that customers can have confidence in receiving a solid, reliable service which utilises only the highest standards of equipment, materials and manufacturing. After an initial site visit to establish an in- depth understanding of each customer’s needs, AJC will use its in-house design expertise to submit preliminary drawings, to review and amend these as required, and then to present the finalised set of 3D drawings.
The company will handle all the
The future of station retailing is friendly and fun. AJC’s kiosks could help to refresh stations up and down the country
necessary submission of plans to local authorities, and landlords and see to all the associated administration and compliances. It will also provide method statements and risk assessments and at the end of the project will supply all gas safe and electrical equipment certificates. Customers receive sound, friendly and impartial assistance in the selection of the best materials and equipment for the job, and can feel confident in the company’s state of the art manufacturing processes. It provides quality support from start to finish – from inception through to delivery, handover and installation. Samsa adds: ‘We support our customer base with a full suite of spares, and after-sales parts and equipment. On- site backup is not an issue because we always select top-brand products with optimum warranty support. In fact, we have our own full-time service technician to support all aspects of the business in the event of possibilities such as on-site power failure.’
Nosh and el Mexicana AJC has a history of providing competitive, innovative designs, across a whole range of retail and service
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