Get yourself connected

WHEN one of the UK’s most prestigious shopping centres demands a multimedia communication system that will increase profitability and efficiency and suit the needs of tenants and management, it’s time to pull out all the stops.

Birmingham’s Bullring is the largest retailled city centre regeneration scheme in Europe. Serving a population of 4.3 million
with a potential spending power of £4.1 billion per annum, the Bullring provides 110,000sq m of prime retail space, comprising over 150 shops, two department stores and 18 cafes and restaurants.

The Bullring’s developer, The Birmingham Alliance, is a partnership
between three of the UK’s largest property development and investment companies: Hammerson plc, Land Securities Group plc and Henderson Global Investors Ltd. The Birmingham Alliance wanted to develop a cutting edge multimedia communication system that offered retail tenants and centre management the very best technology befitting the vision for the Bullring as a world-class shopping destination.

The Alliance wanted to create not just the UK’s most exciting retail space, in terms of architectural innovation, open squares, performance spaces and boulevards, but also the most technologically advanced.

“We wanted a new benchmark in service levels we provide to Bullring’s retailers. A key element in this new partnership approach was to actively support its ability to increase efficiency and profitability and one of the main tools for doing so was the level of technology we made available,” says Andrew Thomson, a member of The Birmingham Alliance technology steering group.

Working with Cisco Systems and strategic infrastructure supplier Redstone, The Birmingham Alliance developed and installed a Cisco Unified Communications solution throughout the complex which supports Cisco wireless technology. Able to deliver 100Mbps to 165 retailers, the Ciscobased IP network also supports the Bullring management team with IP telephony and a range of other network services, and offers more than 28 public points of presence.

The system was designed, implemented and managed by Redstone. The result has been the creation of an e-enabled intelligent, connected shopping centre, offering both wired and wireless connectivity for voice, video and data, with additional scope for value-added services and facilities.

The network enables a continuously expanding suite of innovative retailer amenities, visitor services, and staff applications by providing a higher level of connectivity between all the stakeholders.

“The Bullring is a very high profile project, and we required a networking system of similarly high calibre which could reflect the values of the project as a whole,” says Ben Darji, Bullring’s network manager.

Shoppers can also interact with Bullring’s technology via 29 in-mall touch-screen kiosks to obtain information about shops, latest offers, job opportunities and public transport updates.

With a thin-client web terminal installed in every retail unit, the converged network offers retail tenants broadband intranet connection as standard, as well as immediate access to a wide range of additional IP facilities and services. Although retailers have used this type of technology before, Bullring is one of the only shopping centres to treat all 165 retail units as a single entity, to create a comprehensive IP network covering an entire retail centre. The network is a plug-and-play solution which is already in place. All the retailers need to do is decide which services they want. They do not have to install cables or manage the network and having a Bullring-wide IP network means that tenants can be offered IP-enabled services on an ad hoc, price-per-port basis. This makes it viable for every Bullring tenant to access the very latest IP-enabled services, even those with limited budgets and resources.

“The Cisco IP network offers Bullring tenants and customers a level of connectivity and interactivity they have never had before in a retail environment. It supports tenants in realising increased efficiency and profitability and it helps ensure the most exciting retail experience for customers.We see it as a role model for other retail centres.” Darji explains.