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McLeish Brothers Delicatessen & Convenience Stores

"“The touchscreen till system has increased the speed of operation in-store and the aesthetic screen displays are more intuitive and easy to use.”"
Stanley Morrice, Managing Director of McLeish Brothers

The Client
Leading Scottish delicatessen and convenience store chain, McLeish Brothers, has its eye firmly on expansion. Building on well-established operations in Dundee, Broughty Ferry, Glenrothes and Inverurie, McLeish more recently opened a store in Aberdeen’s business district in its new ‘Manhattan Deli’ format. The new store is carrying McLeish’s trademark specialities of freshly-prepared deli goods, regional hot favourites such as mince and tatties stovies, and an ‘Asian’ range of Indian curries prepared using fresh Scottish ingredients. All are produced daily in their newly opened, state-of-the-art, purpose-built kitchens in Dundee.

After McLeish had acquired the first stores for its core business and purchased further stores from local competitors Scottish Co-op and Somerfield, it felt that the incumbent EPoS solution did not meet the operational requirements of the convenience store sector.

Rather than allow this to hinder the development of the business, McLeish assessed the options to find the optimum combination of software and hardware to manage both customer-facing and back-office operations. Its goal was to install one solution across the company for central control and visibility.

The Solution

The Benefits
· The VoiteQ VPoS system has brought with it increased stock visibility
· The business can now plan and react to changes quickly
· Head office control and regional independence are both catered for
· Integrated Commidea EFTPoS solution speeds up customer service at the till point
· Ordering is more accurate and results in reduced stock holding and better supplier relationships
· The space-efficient, hygienic and versatile J2 560 is tailor-made for the food service industry
· Staff find the J2 560 touchscreen tills intuitive and fast to use

The Process
McLeish’s objectives were to find an EPoS solution that was easy to use and which would give more accurate ordering. The company also wanted to improve its stock control, including minimising out-of-stock items and managing age-controlled products. As McLeish’s Managing Director, Stanley Morrice, explains, his choice was a VPoS solution from a company with whom he was already familiar, VoiteQ. VPoS is now installed at McLeish’s Head Office and in all its stores.

The solution comprises VoiteQ’s retail management software running on contemporary PC-based touchscreen tills from J2 Retail Systems. The chosen till system is J2’s all-in-one PC-based touchscreen, the J2 560 which, thanks to its fanless operation, splashproof and dustproof casing, and flexible mounting options, is ideal for the food service industry.

In the Aberdeen ‘Manhattan Deli’, McLeish has demonstrated its open approach to customer service by installing secondary J2 100 screens. These provide a multi-media experience, both publicising promotional items and giving customers a visual tour of the kitchens where their food is being prepared.

“The new touchscreen tills allow us to take customers on a whistle-stop tour of the kitchens. At a time when knowing what goes into your food and how it is produced is becoming more important, being able to demonstrate this to our customers is a great feature to have,” says Stanley Morrice.

Elsewhere across the business, Piccolink hand-held devices have been integrated, and enable staff to check stock, receive deliveries and create orders without leaving the shop floor.

The Results
McLeish is now able to manage its operation and react to changes quickly. Head Office have complete visibility across the estate and the Retail Director and his team benefit from the accurate data coming from the in-store systems to make decisions, highlight issues and move the business forward.

A further technology advance at the Aberdeen store is the integration of VPoS with the branch’s digital CCTV system. This helps management to keep an eye on what is going on in-store from any of nine cameras. VPoS’ receipt archive facility links to cameras located at point-of-sale, allowing CCTV images to be recalled for specific transactions and displayed alongside receipt information.

As well as providing Head Office control, VPoS provides stock control at a branch level, allowing each store to influence available products and to tailor them to its regional market. Reduced stock holding in stores and an improved ‘in-stock’ situation has resulted in a rapid return on investment.

The system automates processes that staff had previously had to carry out manually, giving time and efficiency savings. For example, VPoS has a cash office feature that enables staff to balance their tills quickly and easily on screen. Trading information is relayed through to Head Office for increased security.

The tills also support age monitoring, and prompt sales staff to verify that a customer is old enough to buy a restricted product such as alcohol.

Concludes Stanley Morrice: “The till is the last point of contact we have with the customer during their visit. We have to serve them efficiently and accurately, and leave them with a positive impression of McLeish Brothers and wanting to come back.”

As an added bonus, the integration of till systems and security systems at the Aberdeen store has led to tighter management control of point-of-sale transactions.


About VoiteQ

VoiteQ supplies fully integrated retail solutions that incorporate Business Management Systems, Warehouse Management Systems, and EPoS systems, as well as VoiceMan, the UK’s leading middleware software for voice solutions.

VoiteQ provides voice directed solutions enabling a hands-free and eyes-free method of warehouse picking that results in a smoother, more continuous operation, which increases productivity and accuracy.

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Blackpool, VoiteQ is the UK’s largest supplier of voice directed distribution systems, supplying more than 70% of UK warehouses that have voice implementations.

Sector: Grocery & Convenience