TESCO GET PORTABLE

Tesco was founded in 1924. Over the last seventy years, as the food retailing market has changed, the company has grown and developed, responding to new opportunities and pioneering many innovations. Today Tesco is Britain's leading food retailer.

It is vital to Tesco that every aspect of its operation is controlled or monitored by IT - stock, distribution, payroll, accounts and so on. For example, when an item has its barcode read at the checkout, the system not only logs the price onto the till, but also logs the financial transaction between Tesco and the customer and the fact that the stock has been reduced by one item. IT is so critical to the operation that last year Tesco spent approximately £133 million on IT (approx. 1.4% of turnover).

The Requirement

The Tesco Extra store in Peterborough has extremely high standards of customer service throughout the vast 94,450 sq. ft. shopping area, however one area was not as efficient as they'd have liked. When product pricing was reduced due to damaged packaging, or the product nearing its sell by date, a 'reduced' label was placed over the barcode which required the checkout attendant to peel off the label to scan the barcode then make a manual keyboard entry to confirm the price reduction.

This system slowed down progress through the checkout by the customer and was very frustrating for the checkout staff.

Tesco needed a solution that would allow them to print barcoded price reduction labels whilst standing by the product.

The Solution

Symbol and Toshiba TEC recommended a joint solution which allowed staff to check price information using Symbol's wireless mobile computers which are equipped with "micro radio" links to Toshiba TEC portable printers worn on the belt.

Using this solution, staff can scan-in a barcode, see the full selling price, set a discount price and print a yellow barcoded discount label which registers the reduced price when scanned at any of the store's 55 checkouts.

The wireless solution uses a frequency-hopping backbone with IEEE 802.11 compliant Symbol Air I/O 2 MB/x universal access points and PTC 960SLFH mobile comuters running Symbol's 'Air Vu' ANSI emulation application. The wireless network used the non-proprietary TCP/IP protocol to communicate with an in-store RS6000. The Toshiba TEC B-211 portable printers produce 2" custom labels with EAN 128 barcodes.

Benefits

Total accuracy - Checkout staff do not have any manual keyboard entries to make, cutting down on accidental keyboard errors that can result in loss of money to the company or to the customer.

Faster throughput time - Now that customers do not have to wait for the checkout attendants to peel off the reduction label, throughput at the checkout is significantly faster - a benefit for both the company and the customer.

John P. Garrett, Tesco New Technology Controller comments "Real time mobile communication is a major technology asset in a store of this scale. With the Symbol and Toshiba TEC solution we can be confident price reductions are implemented rapidly, giving Tesco customers the most efficient service at the checkout."

The Future

Peterborough is one of a number of Tesco stores currently being equipped with the solution with others to follow throughout Europe. Paul Reynolds, Toshiba TEC Barcode Sales Manager, concluded: "The solution created by Symbol and Toshiba TEC is very exciting. Working together, we have introduced a solution ideal for all retail outlets. We have already had interest from several other companies."