Superdrug cures chip-and-pin woes

High street retailer Superdrug is overhauling its entire electronic point of sale (EPOS) network to meet the January 2005 chip-and-pin fraud compliance deadline.

The health and beauty chain plans to replace tills across its 700 UK stores by August 2004 using new hardware from retail systems integrator Wincor Nixdorf.

The new EPOS hardware will help cut down on rising maintenance costs resulting from ageing IT systems installed 10 years ago.

"The new chip-and-pin technology is expected to dramatically reduce card fraud, which cost UK banks and retailers more than £400m in 2003," said a Superdrug spokeswoman.

Using Mosaic's Europay Mastercard Visa compliance technology, linked to intuitive cashier software from Retalix, Superdrug's new tills will be able to cut down on credit card fraud.

"Transaction times are also expected to be reduced significantly, improving customer service," said the spokeswoman.

The new EPOS systems replace keyboards with touch screens, significantly cutting training costs by walking cashiers through the sales process step by step.

Retalix software also includes an on-screen, pull down product recognition system to identify items if scanners cannot read an individual barcode.

The embedded Windows XP operating system, adopted across Superdrug's parent company A.S. Watson, also links EPOS information to data warehousing and supply chain systems, and includes real-time monitoring to cut down on shrinkage.

The tills are installed with e-top up software from PayPoint so that the retailer can offer pre-pay mobile phone services, and Superdrug will be able to improve promotional activity by recognising two-for-one offers and coupons.

Wincor Nixdorf will roll out the new systems to 30 stores each week until completion of the project in autumn 2004.

See also:

Mothercare's web plan set to deliver

Retailer introduce chip-and-PIN as part of £15m overhaul  22 Sep 2004

JJB Sports debuts new IT systems

Retailer upgrades network, desktops and printers and prepares for chip and Pin  27 May 2004

UK firms not ready for chip and Pin

One in five retailers delay upgrading their card payment authentication systems  24 May 2004

Interview: Fraudsters threaten data

Peter Dorrington, head of fraud solutions at SAS UK, explains what problems the introduction of chip-and-PIN credit cards will cause businesses  29 Apr 2004

ID fraud hurts trust in ecommerce

Consumers fail to take care of their personal details  21 Apr 2004

Watch out: There's an ID thief about

Danny Bradbury reports on how businesses are coping with identity fraud.  15 Apr 2004

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