Ministry of Sound goes live with complete bar management solution at exclusive new Harrogate minibar

  • Davidson-Richards implements solution in just three months, ahead of opening night
  • Intelligent customer database and hospitality module ensure minibar is members only venue with targeted promotion nights
  • Eight state-of-the-art touch-screen tills provide fast, efficient service

Davidson-Richards, the UK's number one provider of the Microsoft Retail Management Solution (RMS), has announced that Ministry of Sound, the international media and entertainment company, has gone live with a complete retail management system at its exclusive new minibar in Harrogate. Davidson-Richards implemented the solution based on Microsoft RMS, along with the powerful RMSynergy hospitality and promotions modules, in just three months to meet the Ministry of Sound’s opening night deadline. For the first time, the end-to-end solution enables Ministry of Sound to develop an intelligent customer database to make the bar an exclusive, members only venue. It will also help the company reward loyal customers and tailor promotions according to individual customer requirements.  

Davidson-Richards carried out bespoke work on the Microsoft RMS, to support the installation of eight state-of-the-art touch screen tills. This ensures that customers at the 700-capacity venue receive fast, efficient service. Additional built-in functionality allows managers to monitor exactly what each staff member is selling in order to offer a commission-based incentive - the first of its kind in a Ministry of Sound bar.

"The EPoS system that we use in our London club has presented a number of reporting problems over the last year," commented James Bacchus, Head of Operations at Ministry of Sound. "Due to the minibar being the first of its kind for Ministry, we wanted a solution that we could rely on. We were already using Microsoft for our finance system and felt that integrating this with a Microsoft EPoS system would be a very positive move.

"After considering a range of potential suppliers, we selected Davidson-Richards because it really listened to what we wanted to achieve from our new EPoS system and was able to provide us with crucial support right up to our opening night. We’re now thinking about expanding our Minibar chain throughout the UK," added James Bacchus.

Keith Bateman, Retail Director at Davidson-Richards said: "This implementation is significant for Davidson-Richards as it shows just how skilled our consultants and developers are when it comes to deploying Microsoft RMS-based solutions for different retail environments. This latest project demonstrates our flexibility as we now work with a range of companies from the garden centre sector right through to the hospitality industry. Ministry of Sound has a great reputation in the entertainment industry and we are delighted that it selected us to help establish the new minibar project, and look forward to working with the company in the future."

Davidson-Richards has provided the new Ministry of Sound minibar with Microsoft RMS and the RMSynergy hospitality, promotions, customer loyalty, membership and customer price matrix modules. YesPay Electronic Funds Transfer technology was also supplied, along with eight touch screen DigiPos EPoS tills.

About Microsoft Retail Management System (RMS):
Microsoft’s Retail Management System (RMS) is an easy-to-use, affordable solution to help retailers automate their stores. It combines proven PoS and back-office features with multi-store retail management and Windows' ease-of-use in one complete shrink-wrapped software package. Built for the most demanding retail needs, RMS enhances efficiency at the point of sale while providing crucial data for stock management and relationship marketing. Breakthrough features make RMS dramatically easier to set up, process transactions, and manage with. Its software suite allows retailers to grow from a single store to a large chain without integration or brand conversion headaches.

About Ministry of Sound:
Ministry of Sound opened as a club in London in 1991 and has since established a cult following among dance music lovers worldwide. Since clubbing has developed from an underground movement to a mainstream activity influencing the music preferences, style and attitudes of young people, Ministry of Sound has emerged as the unifier of this culture and is now an internationally recognised youth brand.

Ministry of Sound employs in the region of 100 staff across a range of synergistic businesses including recordings, licensing, digital, promotions, touring and media ensuring the brand's representation on news-stands, radio stations and in record and clothing stores around the globe. More information can be found at www.ministryofsound.com . For more information about Minibar visit www.ministryofsound.com/sites/minibar/

About Davidson-Richards:
Davidson-Richards Ltd is a leading provider of IT Solutions, specialising in the application of EPoS/retail solutions coupled with financial accounting, commercial and manufacturing. It provides total solutions including consultancy and specification, applications, hardware, networks, communications, development, implementation and support services. Davidson-Richards has been involved in the retail marketplace for over 18 years and is the UK’s leading and longest established Partner for the Microsoft Retail Management System (RMS). Davidson-Richards is also the first UK RMS partner to secure the highly-regarded Enterprise Partner Standard accreditation from UK Microsoft distributor PC-PoS and was named the UK RMS Reseller of the Year in 2004, plus the Microsoft RMS Partner of the Year 2006 - International Award. Davidson-Richards is a Pegasus Gold Certified Partner, a level achieved by only 12 of over 200 resellers in the UK, for the Pegasus range of Accounting and Manufacturing products: Opera II and Operations II. For more information, please visit www.davrich.co.uk.

Contact information:

Louise Sambells
IBA - PR for Davidson-Richards
Tel: 01780 721 433
Email: lsambells@iba-europe.com

Jo Bateman
Davidson-Richards
Tel: 01332 383 231
Email: job@davrich.co.uk

James Bacchus
Ministry of Sound
Tel: 020 7740 8730
Email: Jbacchus@ministryofsound.com
    

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