Iconic High Street Retail Group | Case Study

White high street retail store icon on crimson background

When a chain of 167 high street retail stores found its Brother MPS (Managed Print Services) was coming to an end in 2017, a fresh print audit made sure the service was still the best possible solution for the business.

The challenge

The retail sector is highly competitive, and brands constantly strive to operate as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. To support this objective, Brother carried out a full audit of the group’s print function to uncover any potential gains.

The solution

A three-year Managed Print Service contract with new high-capacity, multifunctional colour printers installed across the network of 167 stores.

The results

Print costs cut by 45%
75% fewer toner replacements
99.98% uptime
50% fewer service calls
100% score against Service Level Agreement
Cartridge recycling has helped save at least 433 trees every year
Faster printing with sharper detail and richer colours

“Brother’s print service lowered print costs and provided reliability.”

IT Systems Manager

Print audit uncovers further efficiency opportunities

Each store had at least two printers used for printing promotional materials, customer order copies, staff procedures and more. Brother’s print audit found that the existing mono printers were still fit for purpose, but growing colour print volumes meant higher-capacity printers could achieve significant cost savings and operational benefits. Space constraints meant a full assessment of all stores was needed to make sure any new printers would fit before designing a bespoke new MPS.

Each store had a Brother HL-5470DW workgroup mono laser printer installed by the till for printing mono customer documents, with a Brother MFC‑L8900CDW wireless colour laser printer in the back office for producing reports and Point of Sale materials. This newer model had higher-capacity toners, which needed replacing less often, meaning less downtime and increased productivity.

New MPS cuts costs, saves time and helps the environment

All 167 new devices were installed in just four weeks, avoiding any key trading dates to minimise disruption. The new system cut print costs by 45%, with 75% fewer toner replacements and 50% fewer service calls. Regular review meetings ensured all the chain’s objectives continued to be met.

Brother recycles all the group’s used print cartridges and for every cartridge that is recycled, makes a contribution to the Cool Earth rainforest charity, which has helped save at least 433 trees every year.

“Essential to our smooth running”

“Brother printers are essential to keeping our stores running smoothly and have always been favoured by our staff. Having a Brother MPS has given head office a complete overview of how our printers are being used in every store, helping us cut our print costs and resulting in fewer fault support issues. There is also a reliable recycling service for old supplies, which helps support our environmental policy. The service delivery is great, and our service delivery manager is always around when we need him.” IT Systems Manager.

Find out more about Managed Print Services.

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