Background

Busy convenience store at the heart of local community

The family-run 2M’s convenience store in Yardley, Birmingham is popular business at the heart of the local community, valued by customers for the wide variety of essential groceries, branded and own-label products, fresh produce, and household goods. In a high footfall location, with a secondary school nearby, the store attracts a regular flow of customers and can become very busy at peak times. CCTV has long been an essential tool, helping to deter crime, reduce losses and manage overall safety and security for staff and customers. However, with the fifteen-year-old analogue system reaching the end of its life, business owner Kabir Hussein was struggling to find a suitable upgrade option despite contacting several vendors and installers. 

Challenges

Store profitability depends on efficient multi-tasking, and CCTV is key

Throughout the day, the store team includes a manager at the checkout and staff in the aisles, and all of them are kept busy. The 34-camera CCTV system is used continually by the manager to keep eye on any customer they are concerned about. If a shoplifting incident does occur, staff are able to challenge the would-be thief, to recover the item or to take payment. External cameras allow them to see which direction a thief heads, meaning they can be followed if necessary. However, this rapid response requires constant, real-time surveillance – and it has to be done while multi-tasking, talking to other customers, taking payments, taking calls, and managing the business. So easy, intuitive CCTV controls are essential.

The store is designed so that customers must follow the aisles along a single flowline, and managers know where shoplifting attempts are most likely to occur: at the ends of aisles, at cut-throughs, and by certain product displays. This familiarity allows them to track potentially suspicious movements, camera by camera.

For the system upgrade, Kabir Hussein wanted a replacement system that retained the same ‘classic CCTV’ user experience as his current system – something intuitive and robust, with familiar keyboard controls. After his enquiries to several suppliers went unanswered, Cheshirebased systems integrator CL Security responded, partnering with IDIS to demonstrate a solution with pin-sharp image capture and exactly the right user experience.

Solution

Single source IDIS DirectIP® solution provides everything needed for complete store coverage - with a special control feature added too!

IDIS offered the advantage of providing everything needed for the project from a single source, including: 28 5MP IR dome cameras, four 5MP bullet cameras with SD card failover; PoE switches; camera brackets, junction boxes and additional installation accessoriness; a 32-channel NVR recorder; two display monitors; and IDIS Center video management software (VMS).

The end-to-end, single source approach ensured a rapid and hassle-free deployment for CSL engineers thanks to DirectIP® true plug-and-play set up, which means seamless compatibility of all devices, and easy management of the entire system and use of features guaranteed to work from IDIS Center VMS instantly.

Following an on-site demonstration of the technology, Kabir Hussein was impressed with the crisp image quality captured by the HD 5MP cameras with no latency. IDIS and CL Security also responded to his request for an additional customised feature: adding a new control option to an ergonomic keyboard that allows video to be played back at the press of a single button. This adaptation replicated a feature on the old analogue system which made it easy to verify shoplifting attempts.

The installation went ahead, with the bullet cameras located externally, covering the entrance and store front, while the dome cameras provide comprehensive coverage of the whole store interior, aisles, and checkout. The entire system was installed without interruption to normal trading, thanks to true plug-and-play installation.

Results and Benefits

An up-to-date camera system making continuous surveillance easy

The upgraded network CCTV system delivered by IDIS and CL Security is as easy to use as the classic analogue solution it replaces yet offers a powerful and rich set of features and functions. It provides enhanced, high-definition coverage of the complete store and gives the reassurance of a full, easy-to-search video record of events. Above all, it’s the perfect solution for constant real-time monitoring.

The level of attempted thefts and nuisance activity has fallen, and regular customers have commented favourably on the upgraded system, noting the clear images on the HD spot-monitor at the checkout. Kabir Hussein uses the IDIS Mobile Plus app to check on the system real-time, and review footage, when he’s away from the store – and the app’s audio capability allows him to communicate with colleagues via the spot monitor’s speaker, to alert them to anything that needs attention.

The new video solution is also futureproof making easy to adapt and offers 2M’s great value, with a low maintenance burden, and no maintenance licenses or device connection costs.

“After extensive research in the market I was convinced that IDIS and CL Security had the best retail CCTV solution – easy to use, with great image quality. It’s now helping us in running our busy store efficiently, multi-tasking, and preventing thefts.“

Kabir Hussein
Owner,
2M’s Convenience Store