Dreams enlists cameras to keep its stores secure

Bed retailer Dreams has invested in a Web-based security system to cut down on theft and document customer visits.

The retailer's open-plan warehouses were relatively secure when it was only selling furniture, but that changed when the range was expanded to pillows, duvets and sheets late last year.

In April, the company installed surveillance cameras in several stores with the help of surveillance company Absolute Networks. The plan is to introduce them to all stores before the Christmas rush.

The Pixord cameras, supplied by Gardiner Security, film the store doorways.

The system can distinguish between an empty doorway and one where a customer enters or leaves, and unnecessary footage is discarded.

Dreams IT project manager Claire Harrison said a key benefit of the system is that it also records footfall data.

Hooking the system to the Navision financial application, which is being rolled out at Dreams, allows local managers to compare sales data with customer visits without having to visit a store. 'We didn't know much about that sort of thing before,' she explained.