Using an upgraded retail solution from March Networks, Virginia-based convenience store chain Quik-E Foods has been able to not only improve operations at its stores and automated car washes, but also migrate from analog to IP video in stages to control costs. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARCH NETWORKS

In just a short time since beginning its upgrade to a new retail system from Ottawa-based March Networks, Quik-E Foods, headquartered in Lynchburg, Va., has already experienced operational improvements for its 12 convenience stores and five automated car washes. The system also has helped the company resolve some serious incidents.

“We caught a cashier who was pausing transactions and then pocketing the money once customers left the store. The scam was adding up to more than $6,000 in losses,” said Todd Burgess, vice president of Quik-E Foods. “With the deep POS integration and search tools in our March Networks solution, those transactions showed up as voids, and we also had the video evidence to verify what was happening. There wasn’t a need to search for hours and hours. It was instant."

Quik-E Foods is working with Integrated Technology Group of Forest, Va., to swap out its existing March Networks NVRs to the company’s 8000 Series Hybrid NVRs, which support as many as 32 IP cameras or hybrid/IP configurations. This will allow Quik-E Foods to transition from what has been an entirely analog system to IP cost-effectively and at its own pace.

At the same time, the family-run convenience store chain is also upgrading to March Networks’ Searchlight for Retail software. In addition to allowing retailers to quickly investigate suspect transactions with associated video, the software also can generate automated reports for monitoring operations to make sure stores open on time, shelves are stocked and employees are dressed as required.

The March Networks Cloud mobile service provides the Quik-E Foods team access to live and recorded video on their smartphones or tablets from anywhere. The solution’s backward compatibility will allow the IT team to review video for all of the chain’s locations regardless of the technology installed or what stage of the upgrade a location is in.

In 2013, 60 mph winds tore through the Lynchburg area, creating massive power outages and forcing Quik-E to rely on generators for power. This tested the reliability of the March Networks recorders, which lived up to Quik-E Foods’ expectations.

“When the power was restored, all of my recorders came back up,” Burgess said. “The thing that most impresses me about March Networks technology is that it’s a piece of equipment that’s extremely reliable. I never have to fool with it.”

Overall, Quik-E Foods is a great example of how March Networks solutions can help a business grow, particularly a business with multiple sites to manage, said Net Payne, chief marketing officer for March Networks.

“Quik-E Foods is a long-time customer who proves how a growing business can rely on our complete retail solutions to provide a real competitive advantage,” he said. “They have used the technology to improve their operational efficiency, ensure security for their customers and staff, and protect their profitability. In addition, they have continued to add new, advanced capabilities without ever having to abandon existing recorder and camera investments.”