PXtech takes to the track for charity

 

A speedy team of PXtech employees have laced up their running shoes to raise money for charity at the annual Derby 10k.

Racing the Cooper-Parry business challenge event, the PXtech team raised funds for Sporting Futures, a local charity that helps young people in disadvantaged areas of Derbyshire to engage in their local communities via sport.

First PXtech runner across the finishing line was software developer Kerry White, who clocked in an impressive 47 minutes.

Speaking of the race, technical director Adrian Howlett said, “It was a fantastic day and the whole team pulled together to put in a sterling performance. It’s very rewarding to support a local charity and we’ll definitely look forward to entering a team next year.” 

The sell-out event, now in its twelfth year, took place on Sunday 28 April, and is Derby’s largest road race.

Team PXtech (pictured from left to right) are Adrian Howlett, Mark Lindsay, Kamran Akhtar, Nick Shardlow, Kerry White and Colin Jackson.

How much do your ‘sweethearts’ cost you?

Most of us will be familiar with spending money (sometimes a little too much!) on our loved ones. But from a business perspective, have you ever considered how much ‘sweethearts’ are costing you on a daily basis?

Sweethearting - a term coined to explain the process of staff members giving away free goods to friends and family at till points, is fast becoming a trend that retailers could really do without. Say, for example, one of your employees gives away goods to the value of £10 a week. That’s £520 a year. Now imagine that happens in each of your ten stores - £5,200. Not to mention the chance that if one employee is doing it successfully, it can quickly spread.

Although often seen by employees as a ‘perk of the job’ such theft may leave retailers feeling frustrated and out of pocket. However, having the right EPoS solution in place can help, as PXtech MD Richard Dorf explained to the Independent last week.

Richard said: “The personal nature of these thefts leaves retailers feeling helpless but having the right technology in place can catch the culprits. By linking each till with CCTV the proprietor can pinpoint the specific “sweetheart” down to an individual transaction. This was once a technology reserved exclusively for the big corporate chains. But these days cheap cameras and efficient but affordable software means anyone can be caught.”

And it’s not just the financial repercussions of theft that have to be considered, but the effect on customer service too. Richard added: “Classic scenario - one restaurant outlet had a store that increased daily turnover by £400 a day (about 20%) by removing staff operating a fraud.  Why? Not because they were necessarily stealing £400 a day, but whilst they were busy working the scam they weren’t looking after customers, upselling or cross- selling.”

Richard’s comments on the topic have appeared in the Blog section of the Independent, which you can read in full here.

Is it easy to be green?

Economic working is top of the agenda for most businesses these days – not just for the benefit of the environment, but as a way to cut down on costs too.

So when Retail Systems ran a feature on green retailing, we knew our client Pistachios in the Park would be the perfect fit. With a chain of cafes based in local parks throughout London, Pistachios in the Park is committed to selling locally and ethically produced produce – making them the perfect advocates for green retailing.

Aysin Djemil, operations manager at Pistachios, said in the feature: “Ethics and fair trade are very important. Lots of consumers are looking to buy organic, fair trade and equal opportunities products. And although Pistachios came from humble origins, we stipulated that whoever we go into business with must be ethical.”

They may have started from humble beginnings, but Pistachios’ success meant they soon enlisted the help of PXtech to remotely implement a company-wide sales drive and oversee brand management, while responding to local needs in real time across multiple locations.

PXtech Managing Director Richard Dorf added: “PXtech’s scalable solutions enable a family run business such as Pistachios in the Park to use tools which offer a level of insight previously only available to large corporates.”

Maybe it is easy to be green – so long as you have the right tools at your disposal!

If you would like to read the feature in full, please click here.

A busy Christmas and a happy New Year in the press for PXtech

December is a busy month for everyone – but aside from Christmas and end of year meetings, PXtech was also keeping busy in the press. Managing Director Richard Dorf kicked off proceedings by sharing his predictions for the hospitality sector as we head into 2013, with his article appearing in influential trade title Retail Technology.

 

Richard explained that whilst the dawn of a new year is an exciting time for any business, it is also important to remember that a fresh start often comes complete with fresh new challenges. He cited efficiency, delivery and strong in-house controls as his tips for success in 2013, and explained how effective EPoS solutions can vastly improve all-important profit margins.

 

In the article he concluded: “2013 will, without a doubt, pose a number of challenges to the hospitality and foodservice retailing sector – but with the right technology to hand these challenges can be met with efficiency and professionalism, and ultimately help to protect the all-important profit margins which are so integral to overall business success.” You can read the article in full here.

 

And we’re pleased to say that 2013 got off to a great start for PXtech, with Richard again sharing his knowledge with the hospitality press – this time for the January edition of Bar Magazine. In this article Richard explained how CCTV-linked BI tools can tackle industry fraud in the pub and bar sector – citing access to real-time data as the most effective component when combatting staff fraud and theft.

 

The online edition of Bar Magazine is available to read here, with Richard’s comments featuring on pages 57-58. Stay tuned for more news on PXtech in the press during 2013!

BBC calls on PXtech for Autumn Statement analysis

When the BBC was looking for insight from a leading business on what George Osbourne’s much-anticipated Autumn Statement really means for UK plc, who did they call on? PXtech of course – and as a successful, innovative UK business trading both at home and abroad, we were ideally placed to offer informed analysis.

With three areas key to a full recovery – competitiveness, capital and confidence – we argued that although the Statement held some positives for business, such as the business bank and more investment in linking with universities, which is so crucial for continued innovation, the Chancellor did not go far enough to get the economy truly kicked started again.

As the BBC says - if only the Chancellor had access to the kind of real-time, business-critical data that we supply for our customers, he would be able to make truly effective decisions and deliver the gamechanger the economy needs!

You can catch the interview on the BBC iPlayer – simply follow this link (clip available until 6.30pm tonight): http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01p4h3g/?t=15m26s

PXtech at the Palace

Every once in a while you have a day that you know you’ll never forget – in a good way!  PXtech experienced one of these earlier this week, when we joined fellow Queen’s Award winners for a champagne reception at Buckingham Palace, hosted by HM The Queen.

It’s been quite a year for PXtech, with several international deals secured with globally-renowned companies, and numerous award shortlistings and wins – the most prestigious of which being our Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2012, for International Trade.  And what better way for our 2012 to draw to a close than with an invitation to such an exclusive event?

The relaxed, informal reception saw senior royals mingling with guests in the splendid setting of the ballroom.  We enjoyed a good chat with Prince Philip who was particularly entertaining and clearly up to speed with technology as he talked about the trials and tribulations of downloading to iPads and kindles.

It was very encouraging to see so many technology companies present, demonstrating how prominent a role technology is playing in British business success. It was also great to meet fellow winners from across the East Midlands and share in the achievements of our region’s companies both at home and abroad.

Having spent the event mingling with the great and the good, the quote of the night actually came later that evening from technical director Adrian Howlett who, whilst pondering the menu ahead of what proved to be an interesting meal of vegetarian nouvelle cuisine, commented: “I think I’ll avoid the cheese - I have already had plenty of that at the Palace.… hmm, you don’t get to say that very often.”

Quite.

PXtech receives prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise

Leading business intelligence software provider PXtech has been presented with one of the UK’s most prestigious business awards as its global success was formally recognised by the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2012.

Derby-based PXtech received the International Trade award from HM Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire in recognition of the company’s outstanding global trade success which has been cemented in the last 12 months with several significant international wins including a global deal with restaurant chain SUBWAY.

HM Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire comments: “The Queen’s Award for Enterprise recognises the very best in British business and PXtech is an example of why Britain has such a strong reputation across the world for its innovation and drive.

“It is fantastic to see UK firms refusing to let the economic downturn stifle their growth and ambition and I look forward to seeing PXtech continue in its rapid expansion.”

PXtech managing director, Richard Dorf adds: “The Queen’s Award for Enterprise is a highly prestigious accolade and it is a real honour to receive formal acknowledgement of our successes.

“As a company we have achieved strong growth by actively engaging and investing in foreign markets, a strategy which has helped PXtech to become a truly global operator. We now work with household names all over the world, serving over 30,000 business locations in more than 50 countries – figures which are continuing to rise at a rapid rate.

“This award is testament to the expertise and dedication of our team, and I look forward to continuing in our development of new, innovative solutions tailored for our clients' individual needs, and flying the flag for British business abroad.”

PXtech is a market-leader in developing innovative information technology solutions to provide business intelligence and support systems for the hospitality, retail and education sectors, as well as providing a range of integrated in-store solutions including EPoS and CCTV.

The company’s unique tools allow remote monitoring of live sales data, financial controls and other key business indicators, enabling clients easy access to their information from any internet location, reducing costs and improving efficiency.

PXtech has rapidly expanded into new markets across North America and Europe.  Its export sales have increased over the last five years and overseas earnings growth stands at an impressive 1633%.

PXtech management will be formally presented to HM The Queen at a Buckingham Palace reception at next month.