Bowie Castlebank

Staying agile with a connected business

In the fast-moving photo processing market you don’t stay ahead by standing still. To remain competitive Bowie Castlebank needs to react quickly to meet the changing demands of customers.

However, limited communications between the company’s head office and 350 shops nationwide meant that obtaining sales figures and keeping employees up-to-date was slow and ineffective.

ntl:Telewest Business provided the answer with a fully-managed Internet Protocol (IP)-enabled network that connects Bowie Castlebank sites – improving employee communications and enabling the company to stay agile.

Making employees feel part of the family

Originally established in 1865 as a dye works, Bowie Castlebank moved into photo processing in the 1980s, becoming the UK’s leading independent retailer in this market. Well-known for the Klick Photopoint, Max Spielmann and SupaSnaps brands, the company employs 2,000 staff and has more than 300 retail outlets across the country. Our Next Generation Network enables the speedy transfer of sales information between these sites, allowing the company to better understand the market, and formulate winning strategies to help it retain and grow its leadership position.

Keeping on top in a competitive market

Previously, a lack of connectivity between retail outlets and the head office had caused problems. Sales data was retrieved from tills overnight using a dial-up modem – a process that was slow and often fraught with difficulties. "As we weren’t able to analyse the sales data as quickly as we would have liked we were always a day or two behind in reacting to changes in the market," explains Colin Healy, IT Manager at Bowie Castlebank.

Keeping staff up-to-date was also a challenge. "We were sending paper communications to employees at 350 stores, so our postage costs were huge," says Colin. "Given the aggressiveness of our market we need to be able to adapt the range and pricing of our services very quickly. We felt that linking up all of our sites on a communications network would help us achieve that."

Partnership for change

Following a tender process our advanced IPVPN network was selected. "ntl:Telewest Business came back with incredibly competitive pricing, and the best tailored solution for us," explains Colin.

As the company needed everything in place long before the all-important summer season we needed to work to a tight schedule. Our proactive team met the challenge and in just six weeks 332 shops were connected to the network – at a rate of approximately 10 stores each day.

Colin feels that the collaborative relationship he enjoyed with our implementation experts was key. "I was in daily contact with our project manager and received a very good level of service," he says. "We needed a team that would react to our needs and requirements fast – and ntl:Telewest Business delivered on that."

Improving communications, enhancing market insight

Now, instead of four hours it only takes four minutes to gather sales data from tills around the country. "We can provide reports on the same day, so managers can come up with appropriate strategies for the next day’s trading," says Colin. "We can also update promotional information on tills instantly, as well as targeting specific regions and sites with different offers."

A PC has now been installed in every retail outlet so that employees can send and receive emails over the high-speed network. And an online training package means that staff have access to the latest product information, without a trainer having to visit each store. The network has also brought about an important cultural change. "The majority of staff I’ve been speaking to feel very excited because they now know what’s going on at head office," comments Colin. "It’s given the organisation more of a family feel."

What it has made possible

Increased visibility of information – both for managers and employees – is resulting in efficiency improvements that ultimately deliver a better service to customers, and keep Bowie Castlebank ahead of the competition. The cutting-edge network is also helping to reduce turnaround times. For example, instead of being burned to CD and delivered by van, images for use on photo gifts are now transmitted directly from the shops to central production facilities, ensuring that customers receive their products faster than before.

Colin believes that the sophisticated infrastructure we’ve provided will give lasting support for Bowie Castlebank’s communications. "We’re not currently using technologies such as IP Telephony over the network," he concludes. "However, the great thing about the ntl:Telewest Business IPVPN is that we have the opportunity to do that cost-effectively in future, if required."