Finding clothes which are both fashionable and flattering is often considered something of a Holy Grail for larger-sized women. However, one international retailer which is leading the way is the German-owned chain of Ulla Popken.

So successful has the store been since its launch by Friedrich and Ulla Popken in 1987, that it now has branches in six European countries, including Germany, Switzerland and The Netherlands. In addition to the shops, there's also a flourishing mail-order service, not to mention a handful of business-to-business co-operation ventures.

With such a major operation, Ulla Popken required a well organised merchandise information system, while reliable hardware and software were also an absolute must. That is why the company recently initiated an extensive project to introduce a new merchandise information system. At the same time, all cash registers were to be replaced with more powerful EPoS terminals which would be able to support the new software. After extensive testing, the company's staff and IT experts agreed that Epson's touchscreen SR-600 was the ideal choice.

"We took to the SR-600 very quickly. It is simple to operate, has a practical, non-glare screen, a robust surface and is easy to keep clean as everything is nicely rounded. Last but not least, we went for its compact look," said Ms Kliege, a store manager who was involved in the original trial.

"The system is very reliable and delivers the level of performance we need to operate our new FuturERS management software from Futura," added Bernd Neumann, who is in charge of organisation/item flow management and IT at the fashion retailer.

All Epson SR-600 terminals - more than 260 in total - are linked with the Ulla Popken head office in Rastede via a router so that sales data can be sent straight from the branches. In the other direction, head office can alter system settings, ensuring that selected sales promotions can be precisely controlled. Whereas, in the past, sales staff used to enter reduced prices by hand, today's terminals can be set to grant the discount automatically when the article is scanned.

Weingarten-based IT company, Mensch and Computer Systemhaus AG (Meco) was responsible for the roll-out across all the branches - from scheduling, project management down to delivery of the functioning system, in close consultation with the IT department at Ulla Popken. Meco also organised training sessions for team leaders and staff, which were specially tailored to daily sales activities at Ulla Popken. Thanks to the Epson SR-600's easy operation, staff quickly became familiar with the system and it has been accepted quickly by the entire sales team.

For further information contact
John James, Futura Tel: 01635 551246.