Case Studies
How Poundland powered its overseas expansion with SD WAN connectivity
Business Challenge
In 2018 Pepkor Europe, the owner of Europe’s largest value general merchandise retailer, wanted to launch the Dealz brand into Poland. They briefed VCG, which manages the Poundland store network in the United Kingdom, to design a store model that provided the agility, security and scalability needed to capitalise on growth opportunities in a cost-effective manner.
Poundland needed this store model to feature a digital network, that could be:
- Managed remotely from the UK
- Supported operationally critical systems e.g. EPoS, payments & in-store Wi-Fi
- Launched within a tight timeframe.
Solution
The resulting templated store model centred around a network built on SD-WAN connectivity using local fibre and protected by two Fortinet firewalls managed by VCG in the UK.
All operationally critical retail systems were hosted in the cloud with additional resilience for every store thanks to a back-up 4G router.
The three initial pilot stores in Swarzedz, Kalisz Kalinka and Pabianice were successful and now 60 new Dealz stores are now either live or in flight. The retailers ongoing Polish expansion is now firmly in a ‘business as usual’ phase and the proven templated model can be deployed anywhere in Europe with an internet connection.
Patrick Carney, VCG, said: “SD WAN has a lot more to offer retail, enabling fast and reliable access to cloud-based software anywhere with a fibre connection. This means that critical systems can be accessed securely from anywhere at any time. Cost is a sticking point at the moment for UK use, but we’re seeing a growing demand for SD WAN among businesses looking to expand overseas, where SD-WAN costs are not so high.”
Outcome
We needed a nimble store network solution that would enable Poundland to make the most of the compelling opportunities to expand in Poland. We also needed to manage the Dealz stores from the UK without compromising on mission-critical requirements, such as security.”
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