Majestic Wine has invested a six-figure sum connecting its 115 UK stores to a broadband network, ahead of the move to Chip & PIN.
Majestic IT director Jim Bendon described the network as 'strategic to the development of Majestic's business'. Immediate benefits should include faster payment authorisations and improved service, with faster access to e-mail and real-time stock information.
Transaction Network Services (TNS) won a contract to implement and maintain the network until May 2007. It is based on Internet protocol, and runs over an asynchronous digital subscriber line (ADSL).
TNS vice president for the UK Alan Stephenson-Brown said greater security was needed with the imminent move to Chip & PIN.
He added: 'Majestic is pioneering the use of ADSL for card authorisation routing. I expect to see other retailers go down this route.'
The project is in the pilot stage, but is expected to expand to a level where the ADSL-based network will route more than 1 million payments a year between Majestic and the UK credit card companies acting as acquirers.
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