Anglian Country Inns reaps rewards with Zonal technology

Featuring a range of award winning pubs, from high end gastro to family friendly and high street venues in Norfolk and Hertfordshire, Anglian relies on its Aztec EPoS system to give clear, real-time visibility of its business.

Managing director James Nye said: “Despite being a small operator, we have an eclectic mix of pubs, with food at the heart of each business.  Despite these challenges, Zonal has worked with us to introduce an EPoS system that has the flexibility to work across each site.   We are already reaping the financial rewards of our investment with 2% increase on wet margin, tighter stock controls and costings and improved staff scheduling.”

The Aztec system sits as the centre of the business, from which Anglian is building an integrated single management system.  To date, the company uses Zonal’s back office systems such as purchasing and time and attendance.

Zonal’s Purchase to Pay solution, Acquire  gives multi-site businesses such as Anglian, tighter control of their stock control, ordering and the price they pay for goods.

With the Aztec module, Time and Attendance, it’s much easier to manage staff information and create rotas that meet the different needs of each site.  James explained: “We introduced Time and Attendance just over a year ago and it integrates really well with our labour management software S4. Rather than basing our decisions on a hunch, we now have accurate data to ensure that we have the correct numbers of staff at the right time, which ultimately improves the quality of service we give our customers and drives loyalty.

“The need for paperwork has been severely reduced and although there is more process for our managers to follow, it saves time and improves efficiency.  Because the data is more accurate, it helps them do a better a job, freeing them up to focus on our guests.”

So what’s next for Anglian?  Having reaped the benefits of an EPoS solution, Anglian is now working with Zonal to develop an integrated loyalty programme.  They are also looking at ways in which they can combine their training and HR, so that everything is synchronized.  “We see loyalty as a key motivator to drive business, as consumers increasingly expect to be rewarded with relevant and personal offers for their ongoing custom.  Having a single customer view, which EPoS gives us, enables us to tailor our deals to meet individual needs.

“Working with Zonal has been a rewarding experience and nothing is too much trouble.  Having the singular EPoS platform on which we can build is a very good solution.  Whatever your size, even if you’re just starting out, I would recommend investing in a quality EPoS system, as it’s the very heart of your business and you are more likely to succeed in the long-term than if you try to get by without one,”