Moss Bros

Vialtus Solutions implemented a VPN and ADSL solution for Moss Bros to enable:

• Real-time sales updates.
• Stock enquiries across the business in real time.
• E-mail into stores to allow efficient communication with head office and the warehouse.
• Reduced transaction times at the point of sale.

MOSS BROS BACKGROUND
Established in 1851 and now with 150 stores located across the UK, Moss Bros is one of the leading names on the high street for men’s formal clothing and occasional wear hire. Moss Bros also operates the UK franchises for the Hugo Boss and Canali brands, as well as several other recognised names, such as Cecil Gee and Moss Direct.

UPDATING CONNECTIVITY
With 150 sites that needed to communicate and over 350 phone lines installed, Moss Bros needed an efficient network to connect all branches to each other and to the warehouse. Dave Evans, IT Technical Projects Manager, explains, “We were already installing a new EPoS system and needed to make the most of the benefits this would bring to the company. One of the key things we wanted to update was our dial connection. In order to utilise an efficient and secure data network that would allow faster transactions and enable us to view information in real time, we needed to switch to IP.”

REFRESHING IT
Moss Bros invited providers to submit a tender. “Following submissions from several providers, Vialtus Solutions was able to provide the best solution at the most competitive price,” adds Evans. “We were already a customer of Vialtus, and had been for a number of years, so we knew that they were a reliable partner, we had a good experience of working with them. The solution that the team at Vialtus came up with was exactly what we were looking for and really fitted the requirements of the business.” Vialtus Solutions implemented a VPN solution with ADSL connection into the Moss Bros branches, two independent routed Leased Lines which connect into the payment gateway and a Leased Line with failover into head office. Voice services comprising of line rental and calls are also included within the Vialtus solution to enable Moss Bros to reduce costs and consolidate services to just one provider. “The solution that we have from Vialtus provides an efficient network for stores to communicate. We have a much faster Internet connection thanks to the ADSL, and the Leased Lines provide us with an extremely reliable connection. We have the piece of mind that should an issue occur, an automatic back-up will kick in, meaning reduced downtime for the stores and our service to customers will not be affected.”

CASHING IN
The benefits of implementing the Vialtus solution to Moss Bros have been numerous. Evans adds, “One of the key advantages of the new solution is the ability to access real time sales updates and stock enquiries across the business, which obviously allows us to offer a better service to customers.” Having e-mail access in each of the Moss Bros stores allows quick and easy communication between branches, the warehouse and head office. “One of our main objectives when updating our IT system was to have an efficient and cost effective network for communications. The ADSL connection and e-mail access allows this to happen, as well as providing other benefits such as increasing the speed of our payment systems. Credit card transactions are now five to six times quicker than previously, therefore reducing the amount of time a customer has to wait at the point of sale.” “Vialtus Solutions has provided a flexible solution, and as a long standing customer we have an excellent relationship with them,” concludes Evans. Moss Bros is currently working with Vialtus to assess the solution and identify how the solution can be updated further.