A major development involving WHSmith and YP Electronics is set to revolutionise News retailing. An electronic link has been developed between the SPRINT EPoS system and WHSmith News, using their on line service - Connect2U.

 The link enables retailers to dial into WHSmith to collect a daily, electronic contents note even before their deliveries arrive in store. The daily delivery note, which will be available from 5:00am everyday provides retailers with details of exactly which publications they are to receive (including issue codes) and of any price changes that have occurred since their last delivery. This information is then automatically imported into the SPRINT EPoS system, updating the supply figures, issue numbers and prices, eradicating the need to manually book in news supplies and automatically preparing delivery rounds and updating customers' accounts!
"This is a monumental development," said Ian Harris, managing director of YP Electronics Ltd, "WHSmith retailers using SPRINT EPoS have a unique advantage, which saves them time and effort and increases accuracy and efficiencies!"

 One of the most frustrating and often time consuming tasks for the News retailer is the management and adjustment of their standing orders. Now, that becomes simple. By creating accurate sales information through SPRINT EPoS, the retailer can manage their newspapers and magazines more effectively, seeing what is being sold, stolen or selling out. Once they have made their amendments to the standing orders values in SPRINT, the changes can be automatically downloaded in seconds to the WHSmith system through this simple Internet connection.

Andrew Munro,
Customer Contact Manager, Connect2U

 Muir Baxter of Baxter's News in Sheffield, where the development was piloted, said "it's brilliant - installing SPRINT in the first place made our lives so much easier than it was with the manual system. The launch of Connect2U gave us the ability to manage our standing orders on-line but it was a slow process, manually inputting all of our figures. This new link is simply fantastic - we can have all of our customer accounts and delivery rounds up to date before our papers arrive and transfer our changes directly from SPRINT!"

 "EPoS is all about control and efficiencies" explained Harris, "this new development provides both and enables retailers to maximise every opportunity." Andrew Munro, Customer Contact Manager, Connect2U would agree. "This development is fundamental in shaping the future of news retailing. The automated exchange of information between SPRINT EPoS and Connect2U not only brings additional efficiencies to the retail process but provides the retailer with real benefits" he said.

 The WHSmith link is the latest in a string of developments by YP Electronics, which has seen them create product file updating and electronic ordering services to numerous wholesalers, including P&H, Winerite, Nisa, Costcutter, Key Lekkerland, Booker, SPAR wholesalers and many more.

Article from Independent Retail News 12th July 2002

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