IBM UK Ltd has entered the pub trade via a marketing deal with Checkout Computer Systems Ltd, which manufactures point-of-sales systems that may eventually compete with IBM’s own 4650 range. IBM has bought just under 10% – roughly equivalent to 1m shares – in Dunstable-based Checkout, which currently claims a 15% slice of the UK point-of-sale and electronic cash register market for the food and drinks business. Together they hope to treble that slice within three years. IBM, which said it has no intention of buying out Checkout entirely, will also provide training, support, and consultancy to its newly acquired customers in the food and drinks business. According to IBM, the Checkout system complements its larger custom 4650 Restaurant System, aimed at international fast-food chains such as Burger King. Manager of IBM’s UK Retail Business Division Noel Rees said that though the packaged product may well compete with IBM’s larger custom 4650 in the future, his company liked to foster internal competition. Checkout’s systems provide IBM with a low-end packaged hospitality – funny how Americans expect you to pay for hospitality – offering and access to Checkout’s big clients such as Bass and Chef & Brewer. Checkout hopes to benefit from IBM’s vast marketing and engineering resources. The flagship product is the Touch Control System, launched 18 months ago. Some 600 systems and 2,000 terminals have been sold already. The system comprises Checkout’s own terminals, with touch-sensitive screens, which are linked to a PS/2 back-office system via Checkout’s proprietary Black Box network product. The entire system runs under MS-DOS and applications software is written in Microsoft Corp’s FoxPro proprietary language. The Touch Control System costs UKP1,900. Applications are now being written to run on the AS/400. An entry-level three-till system, with no extras, costs UKP5,000. A top-of-the-range three-till system costs between UKP10,000 and UKP12,000.
