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Cwmbran Shopping Centre Case Study

BACKGROUND

Cwmbran Shopping Centre is one of the biggest retail destinations in Wales and the West, recording an annual footfall of 17 million visitors.

Home to 170 stores within a total retail space of nearly a million square feet, Cwmbran Shopping Centre is a significant area to manage for their security team.

PROJECT INITIATION

CDS Systems has enjoyed a successful relationship with Cwmbran Shopping Centre for almost twenty years. During that time we have supported the Security Team at the Centre in providing a safe environment for their retailers, staff and, most importantly, visitors. Most recently we designed and managed the change over from an analogue system to IP CCTV with HD cameras.

DELIVERY

The retail sector continues to operate in a hyper-competitive arena. Ensuring a total retail experience for customers, with minimum disruption to operations, continues to be critical for both shopping centres and town centre stores, particularly in an age with on-demand shopping and same-day delivery.

CDS are experts in enabling businesses to cost-effectively upgrade their security systems, whilst minimising the impact on day-to-day operations.

With over 100 cameras across the site, it was neither feasible nor cost-effective for Cwmbran Shopping Centre to replace all the cameras in one single phase so, working closely with the security team at Cwmbran Shopping Centre, the first major upgrade phase began in 2017.

Once the project team had assessed which areas were security hot spots, CDS sourced and installed a new hybrid control system that seamlessly enabled the security team to manage both the old analogue and new HD cameras.

The new control system was not only the linchpin for the phased approach, but it also enabled new features such as instant playback, a mapping system that provided substantially greater intelligence to the security team for ongoing efficiency planning and audit, and real-time system faults sent to CDS for immediate action.

PROJECT COMPLETION

The first phase saw a 20% upgrade to the CCTV cameras. Subsequent work with Cwmbran Shopping Centre on 3 additional phases has now brought the site up to a full HD system coverage.

Further developments include the incorporation of video analytics, such as facial and number plate recognition.

This phased approach has enabled Cwmbran Shopping Centre to maintain it's commitment to visitors so that they can enjoy both an exciting and safe retail experience whilst managing the day to day disruption and level of investment required for the full upgrade.