PCMS

PCMS Group was proud to have climbed the tables in the 2012 Sunday Times Profit Track 100 by 32 places from #44 in 2011 to #12 in 2012.  To establish the growth rates of UK companies, the Sunday Times Profit Track analysed over 4 years’ accounts, with PCMS showing growth of an impressive 96%.

The Profit Track demonstrates that despite such a challenging economic backdrop, businesses can still perform well and succeed if they adopt the right strategies. Richard Heap, of the Sunday Times, comments:

“This year’s Profit Track 100 research reveals the variety of strategies behind businesses’ profit growth, including overseas expansion, tighter cost control, buying rival firms, and launching new products or services”.

Here at PCMS our impressive growth has indeed been achieved by implementing tighter cost controls, improving efficiencies at all levels of the company and generating more new business that is complementary to existing business both within the UK and through international expansion.   Alongside our improved efficiencies we have invested resources in further improving our services and solutions portfolio to ensure that existing customers will continue to benefit from the leading-edge technology that has helped to build the business so successfully since its humble beginnings in 1982.

Importantly, PCMS has always been and continues to be an independent, family run company that has proven it is possible to achieve continued success in a challenging economy.

Richard Goodall

Group Sales and Marketing Director

2011 continued to be a challenging year for retailers around the world, with the effects of the global recession still reverberating through our economies, it forced us to address efficiencies at every level of our organisations.   Here at PCMS Group, we invested heavily in our product suites, managed services, infrastructure and personnel, to provide a range of leading-edge technology solutions and services that enable us to help our customers maximise the performance of their business.

The team at PCMS has never been stronger which was reflected in our performance throughout 2011.  We are delighted to have welcomed a number of new clients from around the world across multiple retail sectors including Department Stores, Convenience, Fashion, Grocery, Books, Hospitality and Electrical Hardware.   Our successes have been recognised with our first appearance in the  Sunday Times Profit Track 100, continuing success in the RIS 2011 LeaderBoard and being named for the first time on the MSPMentor 100 list of the world’s top 100 managed service providers.

We held our first Global Software User Group in New York following this year’s NRF ‘Retail’s Big Show’ in January.  This was a prime opportunity for our customers to meet in one place and discuss the big issues in global retail, as well as updating eachother on their current IT projects.  The user group also enabled us to keep our customers informed on what PCMS is doing to ensure our technology remains at the forefront of retail solutions.  The user group was well received with customers from around the world including the UK, USA, Italy, Germany, South Africa and Australia joining us – many thanks go to all of our customers and partners who joined us for making the first meeting such a success.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our users and partners from around the world for their support in providing references and introductions which have contributed significantly to our continued success.

Richard Goodall

Group Sales and Marketing Director

Staff at PCMS Group are giving back to the local community this Christmas by assisting with the Coventry Open Christmas appeal run by charity Grab and Go.  PCMS staff have volunteered to spend  Christmas Eve and Christmas Day handing out boxed parcels of food, bedding and clothes, with a team from our Coventry based call centre at the heart of it.

PCMS  call centre telesales agent Carly Smith comments:  ‘I am involved with a number of charities outside of work.  When I saw Grab and Go needed volunteers I was keen to help out.  I mentioned it to some of the other agents and was delighted at how many came forward offering their support.  At such a busy time of year I am touched at how many people have given up their free time to support Grab and Go.’

The PCMS call centre has also begun to sell raffle tickets  to raise funds for this deserving cause with a number of great prizes on offer for those that buy tickets.   The call centre has also become a hub for the collection of donations of clothing, bedding, toiletries and food for those in need or without homes over the coming festive period.

Heather Ramon, customer call centre operations manager comments ‘I wanted to help out but prior commitments mean I am struggling for time, I am pleased with the list of key items which have been displayed around the building, I hadn’t realised the charity would need packs of new underwear but it makes sense this would be a key need.  By having the list I can donate some much needed items and know they will go to good use over Christmas.  I am incredibly proud of the efforts of everyone at PCMS and in the call centre, it reflects what a massive team spirit we have.’

PCMS would like to thank our staff for giving up their time to help such a deserving cause. For more information on the Coventry Open Christmas Appeal – or if you would like to help or donate, visit http://www.coventryopenchristmas.co.uk/

Heidi Coles

Business Development Executive

Our first Charitable Activities Week at PCMS Coventry last week was a huge success and we are pleased to announce that thanks to the great generosity of all staff at Head Office in Coventry we raised over £1500 for Children in Need! Thank you to everyone who participated in last week’s Children In Need activities and to all those who dug deep and contributed to the total.

Along with several other activities, a daily raffle raised over £275 as did the combined total from the Pudsey Picnic (cake sale) and the ‘Tuck Shop’ – we are obviously a hungry lot at PCMS!  Brave staff were waxed on Wednesday, a climbing wall was set up for intrepid climbers on Friday and our Legal and Procurement teams auctioned off a ‘Serenade’ to the highest bidder, raising an astounding £460 for the performance alone.

Footage of the ‘PCMS Serenaders’ can be seen here – a great effort in aid of a fantastic cause.

Thank you to all at PCMS who helped to raise such a large total to go towards Children in Need.

Melinda Richardson

Marketing Assistant

The past week has been our annual Charitable Activities Week here at PCMS, with staff from all around the business organising events with the aim of raising money for a worthy cause and having some fun in the run up to the festive period.  This year we have chosen to donate all of the proceeds from our activities to the BBC Children in Need fund.

Throughout the week, staff at the Coventry head office have thrown themselves into varying activities, our brave Client Services team had their legs waxed for cash on ‘Waxing Wednesday’, raising a fantastic £103.  PCMS staff also baked cakes for charity, with a homemade cake sale on Tuesday raising a fantastic £145.70.  Other events have included a daily draw, a Quiz, ‘Extreme Logo’ competitions to see who could take a picture of our brand in the most interesting location.  Today, PCMS staff will brave the ‘Climbing Wall Challenge’ and later in the afternoon our Legal and Procurement departments are going to stage a short musical production in the form of a serenade auctioned to the highest bidder.

The final totals raised are yet to be calculated, but we are hopeful that we will be able to make a good contribution towards the BBC Children in Need fund. Children in Need is a great cause supporting projects in the UK which focus on children and young people who are disadvantaged.  Their vision is that every child in the UK has a childhood which is:

• Safe
• Happy and Secure
• Allows them the chance to reach their potential

Melinda Richardson

Marketing Assistant

This year was PCMS’s second time at Palmer and Harvey’s Pro-Retail expo, which was held at the International Centre in Telford on 10^th and 11^th May. The event ran over two days and was a fantastic opportunity for anyone who works in the convenience retail industry to see a showcase of established and new products and services. It was also a fantastic opportunity for myself and my colleagues at PCMS to meet entrepreneurs and independent retailers and discuss their experiences running their own businesses. In return we were able to show how the latest technology we provide has been designed with their businesses in mind, to make life simpler and improve profit margins.

On the PCMS stand, we showcased our latest EPoS technology for the convenience industry, BeanStore for Convenience, which has been selected by Palmer and Harvey and their symbol brand ‘Mace’. Over the two days, my colleagues and I spoke to hundreds of entrepreneurs and retailers about what BeanStore can offer to their stores and the feedback on our demonstrations proved to be extremely positive.

The big attraction to Pro Retail 11 was certainly Mary Portas ‘Queen of Shops’, who was there to give her views on best practice for independent retailers. Mary proved to be a great draw for thousands of visitors to the event, who all seemed to be very excited to have the rare opportunity to gain advice from one of the best known retail gurus in the business.

The Pro-Retail Gala, held at the close of the expo on Tuesday gave 1,600 exhibitors and attendees a fantastic show, a party that ended with a live band and a free funfair so large that local residents were queuing outside the event seeing if they could come in – a great way to end a busy day talking shop!

Rob Lenane

Convenience Sales Consultant

There is a vacancy in our Coventry Head Office for an IT Project Manager on the IT Services Change Team

OVERALL PURPOSE OF JOB

To take ownership and accountability for the management and successful delivery of IT Projects within the PCMS IT Services Department:

SCOPE OF THE JOB

Business Environment

The role will be based out of PCMS House, Coventry with occasional travel to customer and business partner sites. You will manage the Technical Matrix Teams within project environments.

As a member of the IT Managed Services Change Team, you will take leadership for the delivery of Technical IT Projects within PCMS and its Customer Base. You will from time to time also be accountable and take responsibility for delivering non IT and business related projects.

You will act as the key point of contact and represent the IT Services Change Team underpinned by the use of Prince2 and Agile project delivery methodologies.

You will be accountable for the full project life cycle from concept to reality and will report and be measured upon the 3 core project success factors:

1. Time
2. Quality
3. Cost

You will act as the conduit working with all PCMS IT Services Teams, the wider PCMS departments and customer base to aid the definition and delivery of business and customer strategy via Programme and Project level workstreams.

Financial Performance

Accountable for project budgets ensuring accuracy and value for business.

You will provide accurate cost of ownership and investment to support PCMS & Customer projects and technical roadmaps.

You will support the IT Service Support Manager during new business tendering processes.

For a full job description and application details please contact the PCMS HR Dept on 02476 694455 or email hradmin@pcmsgroup.com

Everyone at PCMS is very busy today preparing for tomorrow’s Comic Relief event. Our contact centre is staying open until midnight tomorrow to take donations over the phone. This is the fifth time that PCMS has donated its contact centre for the cause but the event is about more than just taking calls.

Comic Relief night is looked forward to by everyone at PCMS; members of staff from all over the business, from all divisions and levels dress up in fancy dress and donate their friday night for this great cause. Local businesses and customers are fantastic in supporting our teams through donations of refreshments or prizes for a fundraising raffle held on the night. Prizes are given out to the volunteer who takes the highest amount in donations, who takes the single largest donation and who is the busiest by taking the most calls. Competition can be fierce with many a red nose being flung around, but it’s all in good spirit and a great teambuilding experience (we get Krispy Kreme doughnuts too).

Some of our Comic Relief volunteers are from outside of PCMS and we are so grateful to everyone who gives up their time to help this very worthy cause – we hope they all enjoy it as much as our staff do!

Tomorrow is ‘Clash for Cash’ bad taste clothes day – all staff will pay a pound to witness their colleagues in an array of ‘tasteful’ attire – what a bargain… we’re all hoping we beat last time’s amount raised.

Melinda Richardson

Marketing Assistant