The market-leading POS software called SAP Point-of-Sale by GK helps the micro-retailer Valora fulfill its ambitious growth plans
Regensdorf / Walldorf / Schöneck — 23 February 2012 — The Swiss business group Valora is equipping its kiosks and other small-outlet stores with the leading till and store software, SAP Point-of-Sale by GK, in the German-speaking world and Luxembourg. This software not only handles classic till operations, but also many processes linked to accounting, loyalty & promotions, digital signage and store management. SAP Point-of-Sale by GK will allow Valora to integrate all its store processes in its central SAP system, optimize its range of services at sales outlets and increase the efficiency of its operations. Valora has many sales outlets and is the leading micro-retailer in the German-speaking world.
The Valora kiosk and train station bookstores in Switzerland, Germany and Luxembourg stock newspapers and magazines, tobacco products, food and non-food goods and provide services as standard features. The company operates approx. 1200 sales outlets in its home country, Switzerland; its brands there include k kiosk, avec., Press & Books and Caffè Spettacolo. After taking over the Lekkerland subsidiary, Convenience Concept, in January 2012 (subject to approval by the German anti-trust authorities), Valora now has 1500 outlets in Germany operating under the k kiosk, CIGO and ServiceStore DB brands. Valora needs software so that it can operate its sales outlets efficiently from a central location; this is the only way that it will be able to survive and continue to grow with its small retail stores spread over such a large area. But there is another important issue: The new software has to link up with the SAP systems and components seamlessly. SAP Point-of-Sale is exactly designed to meet this kind of situation.
«The POS software from SAP enables us to manage as many sales outlets as we need from a central office – regardless of whether they are located in Germany, Switzerland or another country,» says Markus Guggenbühler, CIO at Valora. «This is extremely important for our growth strategy. One of our goals is to expand as a European micro-retailer through inorganic growth. Having this POS software, which we can adapt to new conditions and requirements at any time, we are helping the retail sector to reach its goals.» Enterprise headquarters will become the service provider for the stores. It will make available all the functions required at local stores and information without any time delay. This not only means reduced maintenance costs, but also savings in the hardware that is required.
The «Valora 4 Growth» strategy aims to achieve annual growth in sales of about 10 percent, increase operating results by approx. 15 percent per annum and therefore up the EBIT margin to 3 or 4 percent by 2015. This is a clear statement in the eyes of Stephan Sieber, Sales Director, SAP (Schweiz) AG: «You can only set these kinds of goals if you’re certain that you can meet them. Valora has shown that it knows how to set up the correct infrastructure to achieve its ambitious goals. In opting for the SAP Point-of-Sale by GK, Valora has demonstrated that it’s relying on a combination of innovation and proven systems for its till software.»
SAP Point-of-Sale by GK is the market-leading till and store software, which SAP has migrated to SAP software standards in conjunction with GK SOFTWARE AG, which is based in Saxony. This software has many advantages: It is not only flexible and efficient, but also has a broad range of functions available in the standard package. For example, it allows cashiers to immediately check whether empties vouchers are genuine or not at any till. The POS software also supports many kinds of customer loyalty features: It is possible, for example, to grant customers a discount for their next shopping spree based on the goods that they have bought and send coupons to the customer’s cell phone. Special conditions and special rates, freely configurable discounts or support for almost any number of different promotions illustrate just a few more of the possibilities provided by SAP Point-of Sale by GK.
The central component in SAP Point-of-Sale by GK runs on SAP NetWeaver, the technical platform of the SAP architecture. The till software is connected to the ERP system via the SAP NetWeaver Process Integration program. Data is automatically shared between enterprise headquarters and individual sales outlets. And the SAP Solution Manager also provides an overview of what is happening in all the systems. This means that operators can intervene immediately at any time if unexpected developments take place. SAP Point-of-Sale by GK supports a broad spectrum of hardware equipment in stores: ranging from a two-line display to the classic combination of keyboard and screen and even touch devices.
Information about Valora
Valora is a retail company trading in consumer goods; it specializes in micro-retail outlets and operates in selected niche markets. The Valora Retail division operates kiosks across Europe and other micro-retail outlets at locations used by large numbers of people. They include kiosks, convenience sales outlets and catering facilities in the Swiss, German, Luxembourg and Austrian markets. Valora is the market leader for micro-retail outlets, at locations used by large numbers of people and with standardized formats in the German-speaking world. Valora is the second-largest micro-retailer in Europe. You can obtain more information by visiting www.valora.com.
Information on SAP
SAP AG is the market leader for corporate software and it enables corporations of any size or in any sector to operate their business profitably, adapt continually and grow in a sustainable way. SAP enables people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business information more effectively than their rivals – regardless of whether this is in the back-office area or on the management board floor, in warehouses or at shelves in stores, or on a desktop or a mobile terminal. More than 183,000 customers (including Sybase customers) rely on SAP applications and services in order to meet their goals more easily. You can obtain more information by visiting www.sap.ch or www.sap.de.
