World Duty Free to install giant video wall in Terminal 5

World Duty Free have announced that Sony Professional Services Europe, has signed a contract to install a new digital signage medium in its flagship store inside Terminal 5, which will open March 2008. The display is to be officially unveiled to suppliers Wednesday 20th June 2008. In addition, Sony will install a variety of other digital displays across five of the new terminal's seven World Duty Free stores.

Measuring seven metres wide by four metres high, and comprising 24 x 40" hi-definition Sony LCD screens mounted in portrait and landscape formats, the wall will create the equivalent of one giant high-resolution display. The wall content will be managed in real time the displays positioning at the entrance of the shop ensures that content will reach an estimated 70% of the 30 million passengers travelling through the terminal annually.

The 24 screens will be controlled by a 'Jupiter' media controller, enabling advertisements to be displayed as individual images on each screen, stretched across a combination of screens or even displayed on all 24 if required.

Mark Riches, managing director of World Duty Free, said: "The wall will play a big part in us achieving our goal of positioning World Duty Free at Terminal 5 as the UK's most experiential multimedia advertising opportunity outside of Leicester Square. The real time management of the display will provide a unique opportunity for up to 24 brands at a time to display either still or moving images direct to a captive audience of their key demographic. Our key goal is to ensure that no two visits to the World Duty Free stores in Terminal 5 are ever the same. Such adaptable display will not only help us achieve this, but will also help us communicate our compelling mix of world class brands and great promotions."

www.sonybiz.net

Hardy Amies invests in retail management system

Hardy Amies, the renowned menswear tailor and last remaining English Haute Couture house based in Savile Row, London, has invested in Eurostop's retail management solution to enable it to manage, track and analyse sales across its three newly opened stores. The company is launching new outlets in Edinburgh and Chester for its Hardy Amies London range of men's formal and smart casual clothing. Together with a new womenswear shop in London the company will be using Eurostop's systems at their Head Office, Warehouse and EPOS within the shops. The company expects the new systems to enable it to better monitor sales and manage stock flows, increasing profitability.

Eurostop's solution was chosen for its proven retail credentials, as well as its ability to manage all aspects of stock and sales and to integrate with other back office applications. The stores are using WinPOS at till point to capture sales, while information is sent daily through to Eurostop's WinRMIS, the head office system.

All sales are automatically registered and tracked by WinRMIS, giving the head office an instant picture of best selling lines and stock. The company intends to use reports on sales and purchases to identify geographical preferences and trends, enabling it to improve and manage stock control and buying.

Helen Worthington, group financial controller at Hardy Amies, London said: "Hardy Amies is going through a very exciting period of growth based on the success of all our ranges.

"We wanted a retail management system that was easy to use but enables us to be efficient in analysing sales and monitoring stock movements. Eurostop's systems have all of the functionality that we need, yet are easy to use."

www.eurostop.co.uk

EmpireDirect.co.uk offers offline payment

go&pay, provider of cash-based payment services for Internet shopping, has been adopted by EmpireDirect.co.uk, one of the UK's largest independent electrical retailers.

EmpireDirect.co.uk, which sells a wide range of products including household electrical appliances, cameras, home entertainment systems and DVDs, has selected go&pay to include the many consumers who can't pay or won't pay over the internet for its products.

After selecting their merchandise online at EmpireDirect.co.uk site in the usual way, shoppers click on the go&pay payment option during checkout to generate a unique barcoded invoice which, once printed, reserves the goods for a pre-determined period of time. Following barcode scanning and payment in cash at any one of the UK's 24,000 outlets with a payzone terminal (such as convenience shops and newsagents), the goods are dispatched directly to the customer by EmpireDirect.co.uk.

Commented Roni Raithatha, group advertising and marketing manager for EmpireDirect.co.uk: "go&pay will drive increased footfall to our shopping site by embracing many previously unattainable customers, as well as offering added payment choice and convenience to existing ones. They too will value this alternative method of payment from time to time as, without a doubt, cash still counts in the sector we serve."

go&pay will go 'live' at EmpireDirect.co.uk from September.

www.goandpay.com

Dixons Store Group streamlines print strategy

Lexmark International has implemented, and is now managing, a new printing infrastructure for Dixons Store Group International (DSGi), a leading retailer of consumer electronics in Europe, as part of a four-year, multimillion dollar agreement.

Lexmark is currently managing DSGi's overall printing infrastructure as part of a customised strategy to standardise equipment, implement the latest technology, drive continuous improvement and reduce costs and environmental impact. Lexmark is also working with DSGi's Retail Store Operations to simplify, streamline and speed up labour-intensive business processes, increasing productivity for store employees.

Lexmark has installed monochrome and colour laser printers along with multifunction products (MFPs) at DSGi's headquarters, retail stores and distribution centres. All devices have been integrated on the network to increase efficiency and reduce costs. DSGi's PC World locations are also equipped with Lexmark workgroup colour laser printers to print full-colour point-of-sale material (POS) on-site, which will save time and money by enabling rapid deployment of new POS material in a fast-moving market.

Lexmark is also providing services such as asset management, consumables management, proactive diagnosis and resolution, lifecycle management and information and opportunity reporting to manage and continuously optimise DSGi's output environment in addition to the rollout of nearly 5,000 output devices.

DSGi's new print strategy is expected to save the equivalent of more than US$1 million per year in running costs alone, with additional savings expected through a continuous improvement plan that will leverage Lexmark's experienced industry consultants and flexible, customisable multifunction technology to speed up business processes and improve workflow.

"Our new print strategy is much more cost effective with the quantity of toner cartridges used reduced by 22 per cent and environmentally friendly, making day-to-day operations faster and more efficient," said John Thorp, group chief information officer at DSGi. "Easy access to MFP technology has improved internal processes, enabling our employees to be more productive and spend more time with customers."

www.lexmark.com