Among the case studies at The Security Event, the three-day exhibition at the Birmingham NEC from Tuesday to Thursday, April 8 to 10, is by GAIL’s Bakery and a cloud-based platform.
The bakery and cafe chain that began in London is fast spreading across England. It has more than 170 bakeries. As the company grew, managing security and operations across multiple sites became increasingly complex, as each location was operating its own security system. This lack of consistency made oversight of its fast-growing footprint difficult. GAIL’s Bakery partnered with Tellivue, the CCTV and access control installer. Tellivue introduced Brett Parker, Head of Property at GAIL’s, to Verkada’s cloud-based platform.
Parker is speaking at the NEC event on Wednesday from 2.05pm. He said: “When I saw Verkada’s capabilities – which are all accessible from my phone – I knew it was the solution we needed to streamline our operations and enhance security across all our stores.”
Verkada’s platform allows Brett and his team to remotely monitor stores from their devices, reducing the need for on-site presence and travel. He said: “What impressed me most was the ability to access everything from my phone or desktop. We could finally manage all our locations in one place, which was a game changer.”
Verkada has also introduced new features, such as AI-Powered Search, to streamline operations. “Instead of scrolling through hours of footage, we can search based on simple descriptions like the colour of a shirt or object. It has made investigations much faster,” Parker added, noting that the AI-Powered Search has reduced investigation time by 25 per cent.
Motion grids and AI-powered analytics have helped the bakery retailer identify theft incidents and provide evidence. As for facilities management, the chain can oversee multiple locations remotely. As cameras monitor food prep stations, GAIL’s can ensure compliance with food safety standards, monitor allergen handling and maintain quality control. With visual intelligence from cameras – such as heat maps and trajectory analysis, among others – GAIL’s has found ways to alter layouts and customer flows in its retail stores.
“One major benefit of Verkada’s system is its impact on how we process insurance claims,” Parker said. “We’ve been able to disprove fraudulent claims by providing clear footage of the incidents, saving us significant amounts in legal fees and settlements.”
GAIL’s plans to continue use of the product. “The time and money we’ve saved with Verkada has made it an investment we wish we had made sooner,” Parker added.
Verkada is among exhibitors at The Security Event (Booth #5/K70). Visit www.thesecurityevent.co.uk.
About GAIL’s
The first GAIL’s Bakery opened in 2005 in Hampstead, and the chain has spread across London, and to Cambridge, Oxford, Brighton, Birmingham and Manchester. Visit https://gails.com/.
Photo by Mark Rowe: GAIL’s, Bedford Square, central London.
