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BUSINESS PROFILE
Retail revolution
The future of station retailing is friendly and fun. AJC’s kiosks could help to
refresh stations up and down the country
Getting from A to B as fast and
as economically as possible
may be the core of what rail
customers want. But it’s
certainly not all they want. To really keep
them coming back you need to offer
a complete experience that starts well
before they even set foot on the train.
These days people increasingly expect
a one-stop service centre for a great many
more aspects of their lives. It’s no longer
enough for a phone to be just a phone, or
for a restaurant just to serve food. Have
you seen a garden centre recently that
doesn’t have its own tea-room?
Refurbishment is one answer but it’s
not always an easy one.
With the Olympics just at an end,
the Paralympics about to start, and the
music festivals in full swing, throughout
the country, maybe there’s a lesson to be
learnt from the event planners.
They know that no event worth its
salt can be without its retail outlets, its
food stalls, its shelters, restrooms, medical
centres and toilet facilities. So how do
they do it? They use temporary facilities
that provide customers with the total
environment experience they’re looking
for. The kiosks of today not only look
exciting and streamlined, they offer the
highest standards of inbuilt facilities plus
all the advantages of mobility, flexibility,
and affordability.
Thinking about how this approach
could run alongside the development of
rail refurbishment programmes, or be
built into them, Rail Professional decided
to talk to one kiosk company with a
long history, and a sound reputation
for delivering the goods with flair and
expertise – AJC Trailers and its sister
company AJC Retail Solutions.
How it works
AJC Trailers is a long-established,
family-run business. Founded in 1964, it
specialises in providing bespoke, quality,
catering solutions, and it was its success
in this area that led to the establishment
of its sister company, AJC Retail
Solutions. With an even broader remit,
AJC Retail Solutions provides a fully
joined-up service through from concept
to hand-over.
We spoke to the company’s managing
director, Jane Samsa to get some more
details about the service it provides.
‘Starting at the beginning may sound
simple, but it is the key to success. It all
starts with the design process. The design
and layout of your kiosk, whether it is a
retail outlet or an amenities facility, and
the selection of appropriate equipment,
are all critical in taking your ideas
forward to reality. They will all impact
on how well the kiosk can fulfil its
function. Our designers’ knowledge in
creating precise retail solutions, and the
customer’s knowledge of their particular
requirements, provide the foundation
to establishing a successful partnership
during the project.’
A Network Rail-approved supplier, the
company’s history and credit-rating mean
that customers can have confidence in
receiving a solid, reliable service which
utilises only the highest standards of
equipment, materials and manufacturing.
After an initial site visit to establish an indepth
understanding of each customer’s
needs, AJC will use its in-house design
expertise to submit preliminary drawings,
to review and amend these as required,
and then to present the finalised set of
3D drawings.
The company will handle all the
necessary submission of plans to local
authorities, and landlords and see to
all the associated administration and
compliances. It will also provide method
statements and risk assessments and at the
end of the project will supply all gas safe
and electrical equipment certificates.
Customers receive sound, friendly and
impartial assistance in the selection of the
best materials and equipment for the job,
and can feel confident in the company’s
state of the art manufacturing processes.
It provides quality support from start
to finish – from inception through to
delivery, handover and installation.
Samsa adds: ‘We support our customer
base with a full suite of spares, and
after-sales parts and equipment. Onsite
backup is not an issue because we
always select top-brand products with
optimum warranty support. In fact, we
have our own full-time service technician
to support all aspects of the business in
the event of possibilities such as on-site
power failure.’
Nosh and El Mexicana
AJC has a history of providing
competitive, innovative designs, across a
whole range of retail and service
Page 34 september 2012