- Sector :
- Farm Shop (with café and service counters)
- Location:
- Brentwood, Essex
- Features:
- Integrated service counters, Reused existing hardware, Integrated electronic shelf-edge labels
- Results:
- Faster transactions, Less “clunky” day-to-day running, Clearer visibility, One system can eventually be used across retail and café, More confidence in the platform and roadmap
Vision & Context
A farm shop built on quality, community and proper service
Calcott Hall Farm Shop has been part of Brentwood life for decades. It’s family-run, friendly, and proudly focused on fresh produce and a proper welcome.
Over the years, it’s grown into something much bigger than a simple farm gate shop. Today you’ll find a busy farm shop with a wide range of lines, service counters, and a café that brings people in for coffee, lunch, and a catch-up.
That mix creates a brilliant customer experience. It also creates pressure behind the scenes. When the pace picks up, teams need tools that keep things moving. They also need a joined-up view of what’s happening across the business, not just at a single till.
The goal here was simple: keep the charm and personal service, while putting modern systems underneath it. Systems that support the team, rather than getting in the way.
Challenges
When growth outpaces the systems behind it
As Calcott Hall continued to grow, the pressure on its existing EPOS steadily increased. What had once supported the business, now began to slow it down.
Checkout became slower than it should have been, especially at busy times. Simple transactions took too long. Finding the right information was frustrating, and reporting often only became useful once the trading day was over. As the pace of the business picked up, the system struggled to keep up.
The decision to move the farm shop onto Storefront™ EPOS marked a deliberate first step away from a legacy setup. It addressed the most immediate pressures around speed, ease of use and visibility, while introducing a modern, cloud EPOS, platform designed to support the business as it continues to evolve.
With the farm shop now live on Storefront™, attention naturally turns to the next phase of that journey. Once the café’s existing contract comes to an end, the plan is to extend the same modern EPOS platform across the rest of the site, bringing greater consistency and a more connected view of how the business operates.
This staged approach allows Calcott Hall to move forward confidently, modernising at a sensible rate while ensuring each part of the business is fully ready for the change.
The priorities are clear:
Speed up service at busy times
Make day-to-day tasks simpler for staff
Give owners clearer information, without ‘digging’
Move both shop and café towards a single modern EPOS platform
What EPOS Cubed Delivered
Modern EPOS that keeps the day moving
Storefront™ is now live at Calcott Hall, replacing a legacy on-premise setup with a modern, cloud-first platform designed for busy, real-world retail.
Just as importantly, the project was delivered in a practical way. Existing hardware was reused where it made sense, helping keep the upgrade within budget. Core integrations were also put in place so the whole operation runs as one.
customer experience
Faster checkout in the farm shop
Storefront™ is now live across the farm shop tills, helping staff move customers through more quickly at busy times. The system feels responsive and intuitive, reducing friction at the counter and making everyday transactions easier to handle.
Visibility & flexibility
Clearer access to trading information without being tied to a single machine. Owners can see what’s happening in the business more easily and with greater confidence than before.
Scales integration
Storefront™ integrates with the existing Bizerba scale estate and electronic shelf-edge labels, helping Calcott Hall keep counters, checkout, pricing, and product flow aligned.
Lessons for Other Farm Shops
What other farm shop owners and store managers can take away
- Speed protects the experience: If checkout slows, service suffers. A quick, simple EPOS keeps the queue moving and the customer experience positive.
- Join up café and retail early on: One site, one view. It saves time and avoids a “two businesses” feeling behind the scenes.
- Make reporting useful, not painful: The best numbers are the ones you can get quickly, without having to scroll through lots of different screens.
- Integrations matter on day one: If you rely on scales, electronic shelf labels, or service counters, your EPOS should fit around them, not fight them.
Inside The Farm Shop
A closer look at the counters, café and farm shop favourites
