inspired solutions

Urban Outfi tters Case StudyLeading fashion outlet Urban Outfi tters champion APSU retail solution

Urban Outfi tters originated as a store called “The Free People’s Store”, which opened in 1970 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, focusing on “funky” fashion and household products. Later the owner, Richard Hayne, changed the name to Urban Outfi tters. Today, Urban has expanded their vintage, bohemian stores to over 140 worldwide with 10 new stores opened in Europe within the last two years.

More transactions, improved serviceUrban Outfi tters employs 900 staff, with the majority of those working in the stores needing access to the Point of Sale (POS) to serve their customers.

“Since I joined Urban Outfi tters in 2006, we’ve opened 10 new stores in Europe and we needed a slick, effective POS system that would fulfi ll our growing business needs. The POS we were using kept breaking down which meant more downtime, so I needed a solution to fi x this” says Amish Chitroda, IT Manager, Urban Outfi tters.

More control, better business“I wanted more control over our till systems. When our POS failed our staff couldn’t use the tills to take customer transactions and this impacted on sales. Our customer service was suffering and long periods of downtime weren’t acceptable, so I started looking for maintenance support as well as a new POS solution.”

Amish knew he needed an innovative POS solution that would not only meet the business needs of today, but was also for the future.

APSU POS solutionRob Sutherland, APSU Client Manager, invited Amish into APSU to talk about his business pain. “I roughly knew what I wanted and the improvements that needed to be made. APSU devised a workable solution using the IBM Sure POS 700. APSU also incorporated their own managed IT maintenance into the equation. This would save us employing more staff to fi x our IT problems and, in this economic climate, every penny counts” enthused Amish.

We defi nitely have more reliability and less down time. This means we can cope with higher levels of customer transactions and that’s a benefi t for any business.

Amish Chitroda IT Manager

Cirencester Coventry Warwick Newport

I did look at other resellers, but what I liked about APSU was that they were both fl exible and approachable.

Amish Chitroda IT Manager

“I did look at other resellers, but what I liked about APSU was that they were both fl exible and approachable and through their considerable retail based experience, were able to design an innovative solution aimed directly at our needs. The fact that they look after other high street retailers also gave me peace of mind.

The IBM Sure POS 700 was installed out of hours by APSU ensuring there was no impact on the business. When staff came in the next morning, they just simply started using the new POS with no problems at all.”

Return on Investment“We defi nitely have more reliability and less down time. This means we can cope with higher levels of customer transactions and that’s a benefi t for any business. With APSU managing our hardware, it takes a huge burden off the IT department and I can concentrate on more strategic initiatives, rather than the day-to-day running of the systems.

The futureWith the new POS in place, Urban can now begin to plan a “Touch Screen Project” next year. With improved customer service and their IT systems working in a more manageable way, there are no IT issues stopping Urban continuing to expand their global business.

About APSU ComputersBusiness and Technology Working TogetherAPSU is a provider of integrated IT systems and services to business. Through our understanding of business and technology, we help our customers meet their business challenges with innovative, comprehensively supported technical solutions.

• We help you address the challenges that affect yourIT infrastructure

• Provide cost-effective technology solutions

• Ensure that you are maximising your IT investments

Working with us will ensure that your IT systems are effective in helping you create and maintain a competitive edge.

For further informationcontact our sales team on 01285 862 100 or email info@apsu.com

I did look at other resellers, but I did look at other resellers, but I did look at other resellers, but I did look at other resellers, but

Cirencester Coventry Warwick Newport

and approachable.and approachable.and approachable.and approachable.