Star Pubs & Bars to roll out technology to improve AWP revenue
The pubco has seen a 15% increase in machine revenue after trialling the use of Remote Data Capture Boards (RDCs) in 450 pubs.
As a result, all machines in its 1,300-strong estate will be fitted with RDCs by the end of the year. The fitting of the RDCs will be financed by Star Pubs & Bars. Star said the technology has reduced machine downtime by approximately 50%, saved lessees time and driven up machine income by between £500 and £1,000 per year.
The devices use mobile technology to produce and send reports on machine performance as well as send out instant alerts flagging up any issues or problems.
Star Pubs & Bars trading director, Chris Jowsey, said: “This initiative has provided us with invaluable insight that we are able to share with our lessees into how often machines are operational and when hoppers require filling. It has also given us an important, detailed understanding of how machines trade in individual sites — and what we and our partners can do to drive performance in each of our pubs.”
The initiative has prompted Star Pubs & Bars to devolve hopper-filling res-ponsibilities to its machine suppliers, in a bid to reduce the time that machines are unable to accept notes because of a lack of coins in the hopper. Suppliers put £80,000 into machines in June alone as a result.
Jowsey added: “Hopper starvation is one of the biggest influencers of machine income, but getting staff to fill machines has always been a headache.
“Transferring this responsibility to suppliers increases revenue and frees up lessees’ time as they no longer need to plan cash flow for machines.”
RDCs were installed by Machine Insight2 in 600 machines earlier this year.
