AM/PM is extremely pleased to announce that it was named the 2009 North American POSitouch Dealer of Year at the annual POSitouch dealer meeting held in Rhode Island. This coveted award is a recognition of the POSitouch dealer that demonstrates the best overall sales, service and support capabilities throughout the year.

From a product knowledge standpoint, AM/PM has been working with POSitouch software for over 20 years and has been an elite dealer and ranked in the top five performing dealers, based on sales volume, for the majority of those years.

AM/PM has over 6,000 lanes of POSitouch installed in 1,800 + locations across Canada.

The POSitouch product is installed in over 20,000 locations worldwide.

Author / Source:
NCR Corporation

NCR blockbuster kiosk

DULUTH, Ga. – NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR ) today launched its first outdoor DVD-rental kiosk, the NCR SelfServ Entertainment 2381. Able to hold as many as 950 DVDs, this weather-protected outdoor kiosk is the most secure and highest-capacity outdoor DVD-rental kiosk in the industry. Through its new outdoor kiosk, NCR will be able to extend its deployment of BLOCKBUSTER Express™-branded DVD-rental kiosks to more convenience store and smaller-footprint, 24-hour retail locations.

Beyond its BLOCKBUSTER Express deployment, the SelfServ Entertainment 2381 can be used by retailers and operators to automate cased rental and packaged sell-through of media titles in a 24-hour, outdoor setting.

Consumers can rent new release and classic DVD titles from BLOCKBUSTER Express kiosks for $1 per night at conveniently located retail locations, including grocery stores, convenience stores and other retailers.

©2009 NCR Corporation.

For further information on this subject, please see the full text NCR article

PCI Security Standards Council Information Supplement: Skimming Prevention – Best Practices for Merchants
PIN Transaction Security Program Requirements and PCI Data Security Standard
Date: August 2009
Author: PCI SSC PIN Transaction Security Working Group

Skimming is the unauthorized capture and transfer of payment data to another source, for fraudulent purposes. PCI SSC created this document to assist and educate merchants regarding security best practices associated with skimming attacks.

This document contains a non-exhaustive list of security guidelines that can help merchants to:
• Be aware of the risks relating to skimming.
• Be aware of the vulnerabilities inherent the use of point-of-sale terminals and terminal infrastructure.
• Be aware of the vulnerabilities associated with staff that has access to consumer payment devices.
• Prevent or deter criminal attacks against point-of-sale terminals and terminal infrastructure.
• Identify any compromised terminals as soon as possible and notify the appropriate agencies to respond and minimize the impact of a successful attack.

Best practices and security guidelines for the prevention of skimming are based on successfully established countermeasures as identified by the merchant community, and known criminal activity as observed and investigated by the payment industry and law enforcement.

Guidelines and best practices fall within three major areas.
• Merchant Physical Location and Security: Many merchants have realized the benefits of operational and physical security countermeasures that not only provide a consistent brand image and transparent consumer experience, but also have the necessary physical security and operational controls required to support their retail locations and POS environment.
• Terminals and Terminal Infrastructure Security: Leveraging PCI SSC standards and approved devices should be considered a core component of any terminal security effort. Merchants should make every effort to leverage and use the controls, standards, and devices, already established by PCI SSC for the protection of devices and data at the point of sale. The guidelines and recommended practices we provide complement those standards.
• Staff and Service Access to Payment Devices: Employee and staff conduct should be a critical concern to all merchants, specifically in the processing of payment data and services.

For more details, please download and review this PCI SCC information supplement.
PCI Skimming Prevention Best Practices

Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS)

SOURCE: PCI Security Standards Council, LLC.

PA-DSS is the Council-managed program formerly under the supervision of the Visa Inc. program known as the Payment Application Best Practices (PABP). The goal of PA-DSS is to help software vendors and others develop secure payment applications that do not store prohibited data, such as full magnetic stripe, CVV2 or PIN data, and ensure their payment applications support compliance with the PCI DSS.

Payment applications that are sold, distributed or licensed to third parties are subject to the PA-DSS requirements. In-house payment applications developed by merchants or service providers that are not sold to a third party are not subject to the PA-DSS requirements, but must still be secured in accordance with the PCI DSS.

Listing of PCI Security Standards Counsel Validated Payment Applications

Copyright © 2006 — 2009 PCI Security Standards Council, LLC. All rights reserved.

PA-DSS validated products featured by AM/PM

Point of Sale Software

Locsoftware
SMS: Version 3.1.0.3

RDC
POSitouch: Version 5.3

Retalix
Retalix Fuel: Versions 1012, 1014, 1016, 1017, 1010, 1020, 8903, 8904, 9901
StorePoint: Versions 225, 227, 7001, 7002, 7904, R4.0, 7003, 7004, 8001, 8002, 8003, 8004, 8901, 8902, 8903, 8904, 9001, 9901

Payment Software

AJB Software
FiPay: Version 4

Tender Retail
Merchant Connect Multi (MCM) for Windows: Version 3.3.1

Hardware
Allied Electronics
NextGen: Version N50
Station Site Controller (SSC): Version A50

The information provided herein is provided “AS IS” with no warranties, expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose and/or non-infringement.

SOURCE: StoreNext Retail Technologies LLC Press Release

New Agreement with Evolution Robotics Retail Integrates Leading Bottom-of-Basket Recognition System with StoreNext’s ISS45, ScanMaster and Retalix StoreLine POS

DALLAS – July 9, 2009 – StoreNext Retail Technologies LLC and Evolution Robotics Retail (ERR) have signed an agreement for StoreNext to distribute ERR’s LaneHawk™ system through StoreNext’s nationwide reseller network. StoreNext, a subsidiary of Retalix® (NASDAQ – GS : RTLX), will integrate LaneHawk into its ISS45™ and ScanMaster® POS solutions, while Retalix® will offer LaneHawk with its StoreLine POS, enabling grocers of all sizes to eliminate most losses from bottom-of-basket shrink.

LaneHawk combines video with patented object recognition technology to detect and identify items left in the bottom of checkout baskets during checkout. Unnoticed by cashiers, such items cause losses averaging $3,500 per lane each year, according to data from ERR. LaneHawk alerts cashiers and automatically enters bottom-of-basket items into the shopper’s order, reducing shrink. Since items do not need to be removed from the basket for scanning, checkout speed and shopper service is enhanced while doing away with cashier injuries from lifting heavy items from the bottom of the basket.

StoreNext, the leading supplier of retail technology to independent grocers and regional chains, will now add LaneHawk to its portfolio of fully-integrated solutions. StoreNext provides independent grocers and regional chains with tailored technology solutions and local support, and the addition of LaneHawk enables Evolution Robotics Retail to extend its leadership to a new and untapped market.

“The combination of LaneHawk with StoreNext’s ISS45 and ScanMaster solutions will provide a wide range of grocers with a real-time loss prevention solution at the point-of-sale,” said Mark Belfiglio, vice president of sales and marketing at Evolution Robotics Retail. “Adding these new channels gives our company new ways to serve our customers and the means to help grocers stay profitable.”

“Timing could not be better for this exciting opportunity,” said Ray Carlin, StoreNext’s president and CEO. “There’s keen interest in the industry on loss-prevention and the LaneHawk solution helps stop bottom-of-basket shrink with an ROI of 12 months or less.”

About Evolution Robotics RetailEvolution Robotics Retail, Inc. is based in Pasadena, CA, and develops intelligent products and solutions for the retail industry based on ViPR®, its visual pattern recognition technology. The company’s flagship product is LaneHawk™, a retail loss prevention solution that helps turn bottom-of-the basket (BOB) losses into profits in real time. ViPR, the technology behind LaneHawk, is installed in over 2 million machines worldwide.
Web site: www.evoretail.com

About StoreNext
StoreNext Retail Technologies LLC is the No. 1 supplier of retail technology to independent grocers and regional chains. Based in Plano, Texas, StoreNext is a subsidiary of Retalix Ltd. (NASDAQ: RTLX) and markets POS hardware, Retalix’s ISS45 and ScanMaster POS software, Retalix Store and Retalix HQ, as well as Internet Connected Services for managing stores via Web-enabled applications. StoreNext is the IT company that’s dedicated to meeting the needs of this wholesaler-served market with packaged solutions that were previously available, affordable or practical only for large chains.
Web site: www.storenext.com

About RetalixRetalix® (NASDAQ – GS: RTLX) is a leading provider of software solutions to retailers and distributors worldwide. The Company’s product and services help its customers automate and synchronize essential retail and supply chain operations, encompassing stores, headquarters and warehouses. Specializing in the food industry, Retalix serves customers in more than 50 countries.
Web site: www.retalix.com

supermarket industry news

SOURCE: PROGRESSIVE GROCER – full text online article here

Self-Service Transactions to Hit More Than $775 Billion in 2009
June 30, 2009

North American consumers continue to embrace self-service technology, as transactions at self-service kiosks will surpass $775 billion in 2009, according to a new research study conducted by IHL Group.

The study also forecasts the number to grow to over $1.6 trillion by 2013.

“We expect continued double-digit growth in the revenue generated by self-service transactions, particularly as retailers, restaurants and transportation authorities offer more devices in more locations,” said Lee Holman, lead retail analyst of the IHL Group, a Franklin, Tenn.-based analyst firm and consultancy that serves retailers and retail technology vendors.

“Most consumers have adapted to self-service as a way of life,” added Holman. “The current recession is actually increasing the acceptance of the technologies, as they are a hedge against increasing labor expenses during a tough economic climate. They allow companies to schedule their workforce for high-volume periods without sacrificing service during non-peak times.”

In the market study, “2009 North American Self-Service Kiosks,” IHL examined the increasing use of six types of self-service kiosks where payment is accepted: self-checkout systems, ticketing kiosks, check-in kiosks, food ordering, postal and other retail kiosks.

The report covers self-service kiosks in the United States and Canada, detailing the number and type of kiosks shipped historically, and provides forecasts for each type of kiosk — both in terms of units shipped and revenue transacted. Additionally, the report highlights best practices and best-in-class machines for each class of kiosk, according to the company.

© 2008 Nielsen Business Media, Inc.

By Glenn Kauth | Publication Date: Monday, 06 July 2009

In one of the latest acts of what planning lawyers call the “store wars,” the City of Owen Sound [Ontario, Canada] has rejected Wal-Mart’s bid to expand its location there with its so-called Supercentre grocery offerings.

The decision follows bids to halt similar proposals in other cities, including Thunder Bay and Woodstock [Ontario, Canada]. In Thunder Bay, city council recently approved the expansion over protests from an environmental group, while in Woodstock, the issue went to the Ontario Municipal Board, which last year approved the retailer’s plans.

In Owen Sound, local politicians based their rejection of what was a 39,000-square-foot addition to its store on the need to protect the city’s downtown. In particular, they worried about the impact on a grocery store owned by Metro Ontario Inc.

“Allowing the expansion will increase the risk that the downtown store will close,” according to minutes of a city council meeting where a Metro executive gave dire warnings about the impact of Wal-Mart’s plans.

Such battles aren’t new, of course. Residents in Guelph, along with the city council there, fought against a Wal-Mart store for years until a compromise a few years ago finally allowed the retailer to proceed.

But Eric Gillespie, a Toronto lawyer who was part of the battle against the Guelph location, suspects the scales have tipped at least somewhat against big-box development proposals. As a result, while Wal-Mart isn’t appealing Owen Sound’s decision, he feels the city would have a better chance of defending it before the Ontario Municipal Board due to changes to the Planning Act in 2007.

“Under the current Planning Act, more weight has been given to the decisions of municipal councils. So, it is reasonable to think that, just as in the Leslieville case, . . . the City of Owen Sound denial might also well be upheld,” he says, referring to the recent battle between the City of Toronto and a developer over a proposed big-box project near its east-end industrial lands.

In Owen Sound’s case, councillors based their decision in part on the city’s official plan, which emphasizes maintaining the viability of the downtown.

“There certainly seems to be more of a trend where councils are giving greater consideration to their existing businesses without automatically saying all new development is good,” says Gillespie, who also fought against the Leslieville proposal on behalf of two community groups.

Wal-Mart, however, denies it’s meeting more opposition. “As a company, we’re still growing. We’re seeing a huge welcome mat in most communities,” says company spokesman Kevin Groh, who points out that Wal-Mart has 25 to 30 projects in the works in “Ontario and beyond.”

As in Owen Sound, the issue over a Wal-Mart grocery expansion in Woodstock centered on alleged threats to downtown businesses as well as claims that allowing it to go ahead near a competitor’s planned store would create too much retail capacity.

But last year, the OMB rejected those arguments, ruling instead that opponents produced too little evidence that the Wal-Mart would jeopardize another grocery store downtown. In doing so, it noted that in order to prove a competing store’s risk of closure, it would need to provide financial information as well as hear testimony from one of its operators.

Click here to read the entire article

© Canadian Lawyer Magazine Inc., 2009

Source:
Department of Finance
Canada

Chapter 3- Action to Support Businesses and Communities

Highlights – Tax and Tariff Relief to Stimulate Business Investment

Capital Cost Allowance
The capital cost allowance (CCA) system determines how much of the cost of a capital asset a business may deduct each year for tax purposes. The Government’s approach has generally been to set CCA rates so that the deduction for capital costs is spread over the useful life of the asset. This ensures neutral tax treatment for different types of assets so that investment is allocated to its most productive use. Budget 2009 proposes temporary increases in CCA rates for computers, and machinery and equipment used in manufacturing or processing, to provide economic stimulus and assist Canadian businesses during this challenging economic period.

Providing Assistance to Businesses in All Sectors to Invest in Computers
Budget 2009 proposes a temporary 100-per-cent CCA rate for computer hardware and systems software acquired after January 27, 2009 and before February 1, 2011. In addition, the rule that restricts CCA deductions to one-half of the CCA write-off otherwise available in the first year will not apply to these computers.

This temporary measure will allow taxpayers to fully expense their investment in computers in one year. The measure will provide stimulus by assisting businesses to increase or accelerate investment in computers. It will also contribute to boosting Canada’s productivity through the faster adoption of newer technology. Businesses in all sectors of the economy, including the service sector, will benefit from this incentive.

Reducing Taxes for Small Businesses
Canada’s federal income tax system supports the growth of small businesses through a lower tax rate on the first $400,000 of qualifying income earned by a Canadian-controlled private corporation. The lower tax rate helps these small businesses to retain more of their earnings for reinvestment and expansion, thereby helping to create jobs and promote economic growth in Canada.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has emphasized to the Government the economic importance of helping small and medium-sized businesses to grow. To further support the growth of small businesses, Budget 2009 proposes to increase the amount of small business income eligible for the reduced federal tax rate of 11 per cent to $500,000 from the current limit of $400,000, as of January 1, 2009.

For further information on Budget 2009, please visit the Department of Finance website

Source:
PCI Security Standards Council – AT A GLANCE – PCI DSS MYTHS

Myth 1 – One vendor and product will make us compliant

Many vendors offer an array of software and services for PCI compliance. No single vendor or product, however, fully addresses all 12 requirements of PCI DSS. When marketing focuses on one product’s capabilities and excludes positioning these with other requirements of PCI DSS, the resulting perception of a “silver bullet” might lead some to believe that the point product provides “compliance,” when it’s really implementing just one or a few pieces of the standard. The PCI Security Standards Council urges merchants and processors to avoid focusing on point products for PCI security and compliance. Instead of relying on a single product or vendor, you should implement a holistic security strategy that focuses on the “big picture” related to the intent of PCI DSS requirements.

Myth 2 – Outsourcing card processing makes us compliant

Outsourcing simplifies payment card processing but does not provide automatic compliance. Don’t forget to address policies and procedures for cardholder transactions and data processing. Your business must protect cardholder data when you receive it, and process charge backs and refunds. You must also ensure that providers’ applications and card payment terminals comply with respective PCI standards and do not store sensitive cardholder data. You should request a certificate of compliance annually from providers.

Myth 3 – PCI compliance is an IT project

The IT staff implements technical and operational aspects of PCI-related systems, but compliance to the payment brand’s programs is much more than a “project” with a beginning and end – it’s an ongoing process of assessment, remediation and reporting. PCI compliance is a business issue that is best addressed by a multi-disciplinary team. The risks of compromise are financial and reputational, so they affect the whole organization. Be sure your business addresses policies and procedures as they apply to the entire card payment acceptance and processing workflow.

Myth 4 – PCI will make us secure

Successful completion of a system scan or assesssment for PCI is but a snapshot in time. Security exploits are non-stop and get stronger every day, which is why PCI compliance efforts must be a continuous process of assessment and remediation to ensure safety of cardholder data.

>Myth 5 – PCI is unreasonable; it requires too much

Most aspects of the PCI DSS are already a common best practice for security. The standard also permits the option using compensating controls to meet some requirements. The standard provides significant detail, which benefits merchants and processors by not leaving them to wonder, “Where do I go from here?” This scope and flexibility leads some to view PCI DSS as an effective standard for securing all sensitive information.

Myth 6 – PCI requires us to hire a Qualified Security Assessor

Because most large merchants have complex IT environments, many hire a QSA to glean their specialized value for on-site security assessments required by PCI DSS. The QSA also makes it easier to develop and get approval for a compensating control. However, PCI DSS provides the option of doing an internal assessment with an officer sign-off if your acquirer and/or merchant bank agrees. Mid-sized and smaller merchants may use the Self-Assessment Questionnaire found on the PCI SSC Web site to assess themselves.

Myth 7 – We don’t take enough credit cards to be compliant

PCI compliance is required for any business that accepts payment cards – even if the quantity of transactions is just one.

Myth 8 – We completed a SAQ so we’re compliant

Technically, this is true for merchants who are not required to do on-site assessments for PCI DSS compliance – for that particular moment in time when the Self-Assessment Questionnaire and associated vulnerability scan (if applicable) is completed. After that moment, only a postbreach forensic analysis can prove PCI compliance. But a bad system change can make you non-compliant in an instant. True security of cardholder data requires non-stop assessment and remediation to ensure that likelihood of a breach is kept as low as possible.

Myth 9 – PCI makes us store cardholder data

Both PCI DSS and the payment card brands strongly discourage storage of cardholder data by merchants and processors. There is no need, nor is it allowed, to store data from the magnetic stripe on the back of a payment card. If merchants or processors have a business reason to store front-card information, such as name and account number, PCI DSS requires this data to be encrypted or made otherwise unreadable.

Myth 10 – PCI is too hard

Understanding and implementing the 12 requirements of PCI DSS can seem daunting, especially for merchants without security or a large IT department. However, PCI DSS mostly calls for good, basic security. Even if there was no requirement for PCI compliance, the best practices for security contained in the standard are steps that every business would want to take anyway to protect sensitive data and continuity of operations. There are many products and services available to help meet the requirements for security – and PCI compliance. When people say PCI is too hard, many really mean to say compliance is not cheap. The business risks and ultimate costs of non-compliance, however, can vastly exceed implementing PCI DSS – such as fines, legal fees, decreases in stock equity, and especially lost business. Implementing PCI DSS should be part of a sound, basic enterprise security strategy, which requires making this activity part of your ongoing business plan and budget.

Full text of document
© 2008 PCI Security Standards Council LLC. The intent of this document is to provide supplemental information, which does not replace or supersede PCI SSC Security Standards or their supporting documents.

Source: Nikki Baird, Managing Partner, Retail Systems Research LLC. Dated: 11/6/2007

Self-checkout (SCO) has had its ups and downs. From being praised to being vilified by retailers and consumers alike, it appears that our relationship with SCO is love-hate: you either love it or you hate it.

Love it or hate it, it’s here to stay. Not only is it increasing its penetration in grocery, it’s expanding beyond that traditional base to make headway in big box specialty (Fujitsu recently announced a deployment at Canadian Tire). Precursors to SCO are even finding their way into department stores with price checkers mounted throughout the stores and some major department store retailers reorganizing themselves with consolidated checkout stations closer to store entrances.

But the real tipping point for me came last week at Retalix’s user group conference. I attended a panel session headed by Jarrod Welch from Reasor’s, an independent grocery chain centered around Tulsa, OK, and John Sweigart from Redner’s, another independent out of Redding, PA. The reasoning that they – and other independent retailers in the audience – gave for their adoption of SCO was eye-opening. Redner’s is even on their second generation of SCO.

The rationale for these independents for investing in SCO is that many of their customers are already trained on using self-checkout, and so are coming to expect that SCO is part of the shopping experience – at least for groceries. To these retailers, SCO is a customer service play required to keep up with larger chain competitors. They view it as a customer service benefit, increasing the amount of choice a consumer has over how they go about buying their groceries. Both of the panelists said that they did not reduce labor when they implemented SCO, but reinvested labor dollars that SCO freed up into keeping more full service lanes open during high volume hours. Both also mentioned that the benefits came primarily from increasing the checkout capacity in the front of the store without taking away selling square feet.

The panelists shared their experience, emphasizing some lessons learned the hard way:
Provide all of the same services at SCO that consumers are used to getting at full service registers. Reasor’s had not enabled cash back from debit transactions at SCO at the very beginning, thinking that SCO customers would not be heavy users of the option. They quickly realized this was not the case. Consumers expect all of the same services at SCO as at any other register.

Pay close attention to spacing and placement. Both panelists emphasized this. There needs to be enough space within the “pod” of self-checkout stations so that carts can maneuver – not less than seven feet and more like eight. Also, environmental factors can play a role: Reasor’s, with their locations in “tornado alley” found that high winds impacted the function of the scales. For independent retailers, placement and spacing is particularly important because of the expense of installation. Reasor’s didn’t discover the issue with wind until after several stores had been installed – no small percentage of their total chain. While they could correct it in future installations, it’s a hard hit to have to go back in and fix the earlier installs.

Take the time to educate your customers and employees. The panelists noted that it’s important to educate consumers – to use signage and lane lights to make sure that consumers understand that SCO is an option for them, and to help them understand that SCO is not a replacement for standard express lanes – that there will be no reduction in service options available to them at checkout. Employee buy-in is also important. Redner’s encountered employee resistance to SCO because employees thought that the implementation was targeting labor budget. Redner’s had to make sure employees understood that labor budget was not being cut – that SCO was being implemented to boost customer service and overall checkout capacity.

Self-checkout is increasingly a fact of life, but even through this year still has a reputation of a “new” technology. Independent grocers face the stiffest competition, the least amount of capital available for investment in technology solutions, and the least amount of risk tolerance for experimenting and testing new concepts. When these retailers speak of SCO not in terms of ROI, but in terms of staying competitive, it’s clear SCO has passed the tipping point.

Full Text of Article