Feature: Euronics Case Study – Cliff Walton & Sons The only way is EPOS


Joe Walton, co-owner of Welsh Euronics retailer, Cliff Walton & Sons, and a self-confessed IT ‘dinosaur’, was fearful of adopting an EPOS system, but it’s changed his life and led to more business and new customers.


C


liff Walton & Sons is a family-run, Euronics retailer in the mid-Wales


market town of Rhayader, in Powys, not far from the border with Herefordshire and near Aberystwyth. The company has been around since the


early ‘70s and has always been a very traditional retailer – so much so that when the idea of moving its pen and paper operation over to an EPOS system was mooted, co-owner, Joe Walton, was unsure of how it would benefit his business, and was very wary about using the software. “I used to store everything in my brain – what


my products were, my cost prices and my stock control,” he says.


Taking a leap into the future “I was a bit scared by EPOS – would I and the staff be able to manage it? We were happy with the old-fashioned way of dealing with our shop – we had a job book with all our customers’ names written in it and what we had to do during the day. We were an old-fashioned electrical retailer, and I was scared of change.” So, what made Joe change his mind? “During COVID, I locked the door and every


afternoon at three o’clock I’d go and deliver…,” he says. “A lot of my customers were on the internet – even some who were 80 years old.” “With [Euronics] Marketplace coming on


board, there was an opportunity for us to showcase all of the products we could offer and ensure our customers, new and old, would come to us. We’ve worked hard for over 50 years to build up our business. So, hopefully, my dad, looking down from above, would be happy about it.”


Where it all started Joe started working at the business 40 years ago, when he was 16 – his parents founded the company in the early ‘70s – and Cliff Walton & Sons became a Euronics / CIH member around the same time Joe began his career there. “We predominantly sold colour TVs and then


we slowly progressed to white goods – we were one of the first Zanussi and Hotpoint retailers in the UK,” he says.


Winter 2024 PEOPLE MAKE THE DIFFERENCE


The business covers a wide area – delivering goods within a 40–50-mile radius. Many of its customers are extremely loyal and have been buying from Cliff Walton & Sons since the early days: “Some of their children are still dealing with us now,” says Joe. “We did have a very small shop, but then


me, my father and my brother built onto it and made it as big as we could on the high street.”


Improvements He says that since the EPOS system has been in use, he’s seen some huge improvements. “It’s changed the business – from the minute


the stock comes in, we scan the products, and we have our costs, retail prices and stock holding all in one place, which used to be in my head,” he explains.


“We have four members of staff who, at the click of a button, can check our stock. We had a Samsung washing machine which we thought we’d only sold four of and we’d sold 15. The EPOS is so precise and we’re very happy with it.” He adds: “It’s also reduced my stress levels


and I feel much more confident – having all the information in once place. What’s great is that when a customer comes back in, we can find them, it just makes life so much easier and quicker. We’re still learning, but we’re all happy with the results.” Joe adds, “we’ve had really good training on


the system – we went to Tankersley [Euronics warehouse facility] and undertook a full day of training with the CIH team and others who had purchased an EPOS package as well as having someone from the provider visit our shop to teach us. We never thought we’d be able to understand it, but we’re all happy now. We should probably have done it years ago.” He says the Marketplace system and EPOS have made a huge difference to his business and made it much more efficient, with great support from Euronics and also his EPOS provider, adding: “It’s a complete change of life, but to thrive it’s worth it. Thanks to Euronics / CIH for encouraging me.”


www.ierdaily.co.uk | 17


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40