Convenience store operator and newsagent Martin McColl is to invest £19 million in a company-wide point-of-sale (PoS) system in the largest IT project it has undertaken to date.

It has chosen Torex to provide its Power-POS For Convenience system for its 1,300 store estate, as well as hardware and support services for the next eight years.

The deal follows a review of Martin McColl’s in-store systems and PoS strategy and supports the retailer’s ambitions for organic and acquisitive growth. It expects the implementation to increase productivity in stores and improve the overall customer experience.

Martin McColl general manager for IT Neil Hodge told Retail Week that the retailer’s existing EPoS system was installed in 1994. The hardware it runs on has become more difficult to support and it could not provide all the functionality that Martin McColl now wants.

In addition to core EPoS and back office functionality, the system will integrate with a new digital CCTV system, which Torex will also install. This will allow Martin McColl to detect suspicious transactions and capture digital video of the incident automatically. Head office and remote users can access the video system in real time to view what is happening in each store.

In addition, online account management for customers who receive a newspaper delivery is in development and this would also be integrated into the PoS system. Customers have to visit stores at the moment to pay their newspaper bills. The retailer is planning to offer online payment as well as the ability to confirm holiday periods and change orders.

The roll-out of the system will begin in June and should be finished in early 2009. Store managers will be trained to use the system the week before it is introduced to their store and they will also be supported by an e-learning system, which will be available through both the tills and back-office PCs.