Comet has completed its Chip and PIN roll-out and achieved accreditation from its credit card acquirer ahead of the Christmas rush.
The 18-month project - covering almost 2,500 tills across Comet's 247 stores - was completed last month, with the help of long-standing supplier Progressive Computer Systems Limited (PCSL).
Comet project manager Richard Walton said: 'We were keen to have completed roll-out by October - the beginning of our peak trading period.'
As an inducement to make the switch, large vendors such as Comet were offered support from the credit card acquirers.
'We are considered one of the higher-risk retailers, so the card acquirers afforded us lots of support to enable us to complete the project within a timely manner,' said Walton.
He said during roll-out, the retailer encountered 'the odd challenge, which we overcame with PCSL'. He explained that the 'accreditation process (with acquirer Barclaycard Merchant Services) took longer than expected'.
Comet is yet to perform its post-implementation review, but early indications suggest one third of its customers use Chip and PIN when paying for goods. The number of customers using Chip and PIN will be affected by the rate at which banks have issued cards, said Walton.
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