High-tech security for Supermarket

One of the largest food supplying companies in the world hired security system integrator in order to set up loss prevention systems within the unique shopping environment, especially after they expanded their presence of hypermarkets in various countries across three continents. The newly hired security company gladly accepted the challenge, and worked diligently in order to produce one of the most secure hypermarkets equipped with high-tech and up to date system of video security surveillance.

The food supplying company itself was created about fifty years ago. It has continued to develop form only a single supermarket in France to more than eleven thousand stores in more than twenty five countries across the entire world. Their operations and dealings range from basic convenience stores to sophisticated supermarkets and a variety of other resources. However, what they are really known for and became associated with is the hypermarket facilities.

All what a hypermarket is; is basically a super-sized supermarket that normally stocks well over seventy thousand items and has a sales landscape as large as two hundred thousand square feet or close to twenty thousand square meters roughly. The concept of these stores was first introduced in Europe about fifty five years ago, south of Paris witnessed the opening of the first of these stores. Eventually the trend became popular and Carrefour hypermarkets began to emerge all across the European countries. Later on, more stores opened in Latin America, Asia and the South Pacific especially after they became part of daily life for many western Europeans and consumers began to depend more and more on their services.

On the other hand about fifteen years ago no one in Romania had yet seen a hypermarket in their homeland. The executives and administrators of the hypermarket rapidly recognized this and started addressing the issue instantly. The executives of the company quickly came up with a plan to establish about two hypermarkets every year in every Romanian city that has a population of close to or greater than three hundred thousand individuals.

A chance to catch

Loss prevention is certainly a crucial part of any retail endeavor. A balance sheet can quickly be transformed from black to red through the menacing incidents of Shoplifting and employee theft, not to mention internal shrinkage as well. According to an administrator who is in charge of conducting annual retail theft report on a yearly basis, these are severe crimes that not only take a toll on suppliers bottom-line profits, but also damage the economy, which eventually end up costing consumers higher prices at the cash register and causing a loss of jobs when suppliers are forced to close their shops or even declare bankruptcy.

This dilemma impacts merchants everywhere in Europe sucking as much as twenty eight billion Euros on a yearly basis from shopkeepers' reserves. Romania is hit worse by this problem.

The new hypermarkets would demand the toughest and strictest security measures available if the company's expansion into the eastern European nation was to succeed. The security manager of the company in charge of protecting the company's merchandise, workers and patrons at all of the new stores throughout the country, was very aware of this reality.

The most immediate challenge pertaining to him was to locate an installer and supplier capable of handling such a large scale, vastly located assignment. However he demanded more than that. Due to the fact that this particular company was a newcomer to the region, he needed an established organization that he could depend on.

Due to the fact that Romania was so far from their home base in France, the administrator of the company wanted to make sure that if there was a problem, someone would be there to take care of it.

About this time, the Managing Director of a famous retail solutions company got news about the company's plans to expand their business chain into Romania. He immediately contacted them to see if his company could offer any assistance to them.

This security company happened to be the largest security system integrator in Romania, which is similar to the status of the retail company which is also one of the largest retailers in the world. This was particularly a strong indicator that those two companies would make good friends with one another.

The equipment of the security company was another feature to indicate its superiority. Due to the fact that the company was the Tyco Fire & Security's distributor for the area, it had the technological capability to deal with the matters associated with the security issues of the hypermarket. The administrator of the hypermarket company extensively tested the products in the integration company's showroom and was delighted with the performance and quality.

The manager of the security company rapidly assembled a team of top experts, and together they started to layout a security system designed according to the specifications of the hypermarket.

Carrying out the plan

One of the first hypermarkets to receive the updated security plan was located in Bucharest right where the Bucharest-Pitesti highway stars, it was predicted to fully open in a couple of months. This particular hypermarket would feature a floor area of about ten thousand square meters filled with fifty thousand pieces of merchandise. More than fifty cash registers would be located at the checkout and another six thousand square meters of commercial gallery space where about thirty smaller shops would be located.

It is more than obvious that there was a lot to observe and survey, especially due to the fact that the unprecedented temptation such a vast selection of goods posed to the predicted shoplifter who was not used to these types of markets.

The security company's team addressed the difficulties and challenges with a number of security technologies including a VM96 matrix switcher system, two video systems, 18 programmable dome cameras, multiplexers, as well as an analog video recorder.

The day that that particular hypermarket opened its doors for business, it was more than obvious that it was one of the most secure hypermarkets in the company's entire history. The managers of the store had full video coverage of everything in the store, from the commercial areas to the warehouses, exactly as he had envisioned and demeaned.

The security staff had an advantage point over the entire hypermarket with high ceilings and display aisles. It's ideal for warehouses or buildings like a hypermarket, serving as a motorized perch for domes that noiselessly move along its tracks the same way a train does; only inverted, to close in on wherever the action is.

The security company's technical manager for the project later explained that the SensorRail enhances the roving perspective that the SpeedDome Optimas provides. When they are set up to function together, they expand the capability  to cover broad expanses of retail space well over what one can control with a solitary dome camera.

The manger of the hypermarket said that they utilized it whenever something has looked suspicious. In several cases a group of organized teams come into the hypermarket and try to steal the merchandise. By simply maneuvering the dome along the track their movement, the security staff now have the ability to follow them all over the store.

Digital recording had not yet reached Eastern Europe when the construction of the first hypermarket in Romania took was initiated. It arrived about five and a half years later. Although it might look as a disadvantage, this delay in time was actually helpful since it allowed the general manager of the hypermarket company to see and observe seen the equipment in while it is in full operation. After his examination he later on he decided to install upgrade the store from analog video recorders to digital as soon as the system hit the stores.

Furthermore no one has to change tapes or check periodically to make sure that the system is recording simply because the system digitally records, displays and stores the visual footage from security cameras. Not to mention that images are generally higher in quality and more reliable in comparison with other security data. In addition to that, there are also complex search capabilities that can recover footage for a particular time and date or other criteria within only seconds, saving hours that would otherwise be spent going through the records. The manger of the hypermarket along with his security team have the ability to simply and easily set up a perimeter around certain areas, such as the place where employees make cash drops, so anyone who crosses into the premises sets off an alarm notification. Furthermore the security managers may also modify alarms to go off based on the speed, size or direction of a moving object. As an example, an individual entering the hypermarket through an exit door can set off an alarm that shows up on the security screen.

Subsequent to the terrific accomplishment at their first hypermarket in Romania, The manger of the hypermarket had this same security system, along with its companion product, deployed at the second hypermarket in the region which was a major commercial center for a larger number of consumers.

Furthermore The manger of the hypermarket along with his staff also had remote access to the system due to the fact that it could literally be set up on any PC and links to the units installed on the property. The manger of the hypermarket also can easily add each new hypermarket to network client as it completes construction, viewing and administering surveillance cameras at every store in the country, without leaving the comfort of his desk at the main office in the capital. In addition to that, if later on he chooses to go on the road, he can simply bring the network system along with him on a laptop and maintain the same access by simply plugging into any Internet connection available to him.

In order to guarantee further protection against shoplifting, the security and integration company prepared the cash registers and entrances at all of its  stores with Acousto magnetic electronic article surveillance (EAS) as an attempt to enhance loss prevention procedures. This news EAS assists in restraining shoplifting by tying together electronic article surveillance, video and point-of-sale systems, as well as delivering real-time intelligence to corporate office or the store.

The markets utilize a full range of product tags for theft deterrence and detection. If a patron tries to leave the store without the tag being removed Anti-shoplifting devices set off audible and visual alarms. This ultimately results in a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use, high-tech security system that gives the manger of the hypermarket and his workers video surveillance of any area within or near a hypermarket where an alarm notification has been set off.

A security official of the integration company who was in charge of the project also reported that they found the system very easy to install and integrate its equipment with the other security products.

The obvious success of this security system has since become the blueprint for all hypermarkets established in that country for years to come. Not to mention that Installations for each new store integrate the latest version of equipment available in the security market.

An official at the integration company expressed his admiration of the system since it is perfect for guarding the parking lots outside of the hypermarkets due to the fact that they enable whoever is managing the controls to view what's going on, even in poor lighting settings.

An outstanding achievement

In the present day, they hypermarket company has four hypermarkets in Romania. As expected, the merchandise turnover has exceeded the predictions. The various operations of the business as a whole were going so well that the hypermarket company decided to speed up the expansion process and open another four hypermarkets by the end of the coming year.

Just as the administrators of the hypermarket company have predicted security, has proven pivotal to the company's accomplishments. The various deployments of the security solutions at the first store alone paid for itself in the recovery of stolen merchandise within no more than seventeen months, aiding in catching an average of ten shoplifter wannabes on a daily basis.

The commercial center hypermarket that was established prior to the initial hypermarket has emerged as the third busiest of the company's hypermarkets in the entire world, meticulously examining the security company's integrated system with a constant, nearly unmatched torrent of foot traffic on a daily basis.

The managers of the hypermarket expressed that they were enormously pleased with how well our high-tech surveillance equipment is carrying out its tasks and fulfilling their expectations

On top of all of that, the mangers of the hypermarket along with their workers have recently realized that their security system does more than just stop shoplifters from stealing their merchandise. The hypermarket itself remains open until very late in the night, and the surveillance cameras outside have greatly assisted in deterring car theft and acts of violence that are more prone to happen in the night time than in the bright day light.

Furthermore the manger of the hypermarket report that the menus of control are extremely user friendly, which makes it very simple to operate and control and it absolutory does not require any previous knowledge to learn how to manage it.

The manger of the hypermarket company was convinced by all the saved merchandise, safer parking lots and cost-effective instruction and training processes that he made the right choice when he chose to install these security systems. As executives of the hypermarket company map out where in Romania the next hypermarkets will be, they are already conferring with the security integration company and Tyco Fire & Security about replicating their security deployments at every new property that they establish.

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