Member Article

Poundland underpins 99p Stores acquisition with Vodat International

Poundland, Europe’s largest value general merchandise retailer, is upgrading its store network following the acquisition of 99p Stores with a managed network solution from Vodat International, the leading retail communications provider.

With ambitious roll-out plans, Vodat will update the existing network model across Poundland’s store estate at a rate of 15 per week – comprising 240 newly acquired 99p Stores – by the end of April 2016, as well as providing the fibre connectivity to support the retailer’s new wholesale management system.

The upgrade, which will ensure all stores are using asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) broadband, will deliver cost savings for Poundland by streamlining processes and simplifying their data input.

The solution from Vodat will use multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) to direct data from the existing network to cloud. Thanks to the expertise of Vodat’s project management team in the retail sector, the upgrade of the legacy systems in the 99p Stores will cause minimal disruption to operations in store, meaning neither loss of service nor revenue during implementation.

Matthew Sparks, Head of IT Services at Poundland, said, “This is an exciting time for Poundland as we move ahead with our store estate expansion. But our expansion doesn’t just stop in-store; as part of the acquisition, we also gained a 300,000 square foot distribution centre in Northampton in which Vodat has upgraded the existing fibre connection and split off raw internet connectivity to allow access into our back office systems.”

“Consolidating and integrating our network will make data transfer much quicker, which will improve how we use data to drive further revenues. Vodat’s solution will be instrumental in helping us achieve this,” he concluded.

Paul Leybourne, Head of Sales at Vodat International, said, “Having worked with both Poundland and 99p Stores previously, we had a solid understanding of their businesses and, therefore the specific business requirements the network integration needed to provide. The new system will provide Poundland with a ‘one-stop-shop’ approach to network management, and will support the brand as it continues to realise its expansion plans.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Reporter .