We are thrilled to be voted the Best EPoS brand by readers of Restaurant magazine and BigHospitality.co.uk for the second consecutive year.

The Readers’ Choice Awards are in their tenth year and considered the pinnacle of success as they are voted for by customers and not industry bodies. Hundreds of hospitality professionals from across the restaurant and pub sector voted in the annual awards which recognised 23 categories, ranging from Best Fish Supplier, through to Best Service Company to Best Gadget.

Zonal was recognised for its Aztec EPoS system, which is used in over 16,000 hospitality businesses throughout the UK.

Zonal’s chief executive, Stuart McLean, said: “It’s fantastic to receive this vote of public approval for the second year in a row.

“We operate in a highly competitive marketplace, but this award is testament to the Zonal team that strives each and every day to deliver the very best in terms of product and service.”

Restaurant Marketer and Innovator Live is returning this month for its second year after a sell-out first year. David Charlton, Commercial Director, Zonal Marketing Technologies will be joining a star-studded line up of speakers for this three day event.

Taking place from Tuesday 15 to Thursday 17 February, the event will feature 40 speakers from around the world, and take place at One Moorgate, London.

David will be the first to take to the stage at Bootcamp on Tuesday 15 February where he will set the scene for the day, sharing how to use technology to capitalise on shifting consumer trends.

The following day, Thursday 17 February, David will join a panel of experts to discuss digital developments and how hospitality businesses can better leverage digital marketing. David will be facilitating discussions alongside personalities such as Michelle Farrell, Head of Marketing at Novus Leisure and Mark Daniels who is responsible for digital strategy and data protection at Wadworth & Co Ltd

David joined Zonal Marketing Technologies in September 2015 as Sales Director progressing recently to Commercial Director. Zonal Marketing Technologies unlocks the power technology for hospitality brands by bringing marketing, IT and operations together through a creative suite of products that simplify the complex, opens the door to creativity, and most importantly drives additional revenue.

“ This is my first time attending Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Live. I am looking forward to discussing the latest digital insights and developments with a great panel of like minded marketing individuals.”

David Charlton, Commercial Director, Zonal Marketing Technologies.

Zonal, the UK’s leading tech innovator for the hospitality sector, has announced key changes to its senior leadership management team as it prepares for its next era of growth.

Sales & Marketing Director, Clive Consterdine, is retiring after more than eight years with Zonal but will continue his close association with the firm as a consultant.

Zonal’s chief executive, Stuart McLean, said: “Clive has been instrumental in the success of Zonal since joining our board almost nine years ago. It has been a true privilege to work with him over the years and he is both liked and respected, not only within the Zonal family, but throughout the industry. The Zonal team wish Clive all the best in his new adventures and we look forward to continuing to work with him on special projects.”

To capitalise on recent growth and the strategic direction of the business, Zonal will create two new director roles.

Kara Purves will take on the new role of Group Marketing Director in January 2019. Kara brings with her over 19 years’ experience in senior marketing positions within the technology sector. In her new role, Kara will focus on promoting the company’s marketing led products and establishing a stronger
group profile.

To further drive sales, Tim Chapman has been promoted to the role of Sales Director and will focus on maintaining Zonal’s position as the UK’s number one provider of technology solutions for the hospitality sector, as well as developing emerging market opportunities.

“We are delighted to welcome Kara to the team and see Tim step up in his new role. I’m confident that our broader leadership team both will help us to drive the company to even greater heights as we reach our 40th anniversary in 2019” added Stuart.

Zonal has been voted the Scottish Family Business of the Year  at the The Herald Scottish Family Business Awards 2018.

The awards, which are in their seventh year, celebrate Scotland’s most successful family businesses of all sizes and sectors.  Zonal was presented with its award at a glittering ceremony on 5 December at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow.

Zonal’s Chief Executive Stuart McLean said: “This is a particularly special award for Zonal due to the nature of how we have grown to become the UK’s leading hospitality solutions provider whilst maintaining and championing our family heritage.

“We celebrate our 40th anniversary in 2019 and I am so overcome with what we have achieved, and this recognition is testament to the Zonal team who share a true passion for the business.”

The Herald Scottish Family Business Awards are designed to celebrate the diverse, dynamic and innovative family sector and the contribution these firms make to the economy and the communities in which they operate.

In this fast paced, constantly connected world, mobile technology is King. We don’t go anywhere or do anything without our phones or tablets.

This is translating into consumer habits with online shopping showing 18% annual growth. The dining out sector is also sharing similar success with 7% growth year on year. And our recent research with CGA Peach, has revealed a growing appetite from consumers to use mobile technology as part of their leisure experience.

Stuart McLean explained “Consumers regularly use mobile technology for online shopping and our research indicates there is significant interest to use mobile ordering and payment when going out for a drink or something to eat.”

With a third of consumers (34%) interested in using their mobile devices to speed up ordering and payment for food and drink, rising to more than half (54%) of 18 to 24-year-olds, Zonal’s mobile ordering system can provide a solution.

A ‘virtual waiter’, iOrder allows customers to avoid the rush at the bar and browse, order and securely pay for food and drink from the comfort of their table. It also allows operators to keep control of the system in-house, from branding to data capture and cost controls.
iOrder is fully integrated, and therefore doesn’t require third party hardware, enabling orders to be directly passed to the till. Without integration, orders can easily be missed, defeating the objective of reducing waiting times and improving customer service.

Operating an integrated mobile order app, such as iOrder, also means no re-keying is required, saving valuable time. Also, operators are reassured that the correct price and any promotions are always applied as the data is fed from the EPoS system. The integrated nature of iOrder also means that out of stock items won’t appear on the app, saving time and reducing customer frustration.

However, only 6% of consumers currently use online payment methods as, according to the research, they don’t trust non branded solutions. Indeed, consumers are far more likely to engage with an own-brand ordering device than that of a third party.

Companies are also more likely to promote the service and engage with the process if they have outright ownership and a flat fee structure, which iOrder offers.

Stuart added: “We need to make life for consumers as easy as possible. The brands that identify the systems and processes to achieve that will be in pole position. However, if they are to win the race they also need to raise awareness and confidence in mobile ordering and payment. To build further customer loyalty and confidence, which is so important in mobile ordering, iOrder can easily be personalised to a company’s brand.”

Zonal is celebrating after scooping its third Corporate Partner of the Year Award from Hope for Children.

Over the last four years Zonal has raised more than £114,490 for Hope for Children, which supports children who have limited life opportunities at home and abroad.

Zonal was recognised for the sustained way that staff have engaged with the partnership at every level, from running cake stalls in the office, to jumping out of aeroplanes on sponsored sky dives. Over the years, the company’s management team has also visited Hope for Children projects in India, to see how the charity is improving the lives of children locally.

In Scotland, Zonal is supporting Hope for Children’s partner the Lothian Autistic Society, which provides services, information and practical support to individuals, families and carers affected by autism.

Commenting on the award, Zonal’s sales & marketing director, Clive Consterdine, said: “It has been a humbling experience working with Hope for Children and to experience first-hand the difference their fantastic work makes to the lives of young people and their families.

This award is for the Zonal team who have embraced the challenge of fundraising for Hope for Children!”

Hope for Children’s Head of Fundraising and Communications, Jennie Gillions, added: “We are absolutely thrilled to give Zonal our Corporate Partner of the Year award. We have been partners with Zonal for almost five years and they have raised an amazing sum of money to support our work. They have done everything from gin tasting evenings to sending their staff to climb up Mount Kilimanjaro. It is thoroughly deserved and we’re incredibly grateful for all they do for us.”

Zonal is thrilled to be a shortlisted for the category of ‘Scottish Family Business of the Year’ at The Herald Scottish Family Business awards 2018.

The awards which are going into their seventh year, celebrate some of Scotland’s biggest and best known businesses through their success from small family start-ups to well known brands. This is a particularly special award for Zonal due to the nature of how we have grown to become the UK’s leading hospitality solutions provider whilst always maintaining and championing our family heritage.

I am delighted that Zonal has been shortlisted for the Scottish Family Business of the Year award. Our family values have remained at the very heart of what we do and every decision we make throughout the business. We celebrate our 40^th anniversary in 2019 and I am so elated at how much we have achieved in forty years, everyone works as a team and has a true passion for the business.

Stuart McLean, CEO of Zonal

The winner will be announced at the award ceremony on the 5^th December at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow.

BluJay Solutions, a leading provider of supply chain software and services powered by the world’s first Global Trade Network, today announced that Zonal, has deployed BluJay’s MessageBroker platform. The solution will offer Zonal customers access to over 40,000 suppliers for its purchasing management system, Acquire.

BluJay’s MessageBroker platform helps unlock Acquire’s full potential as a real-time, order-to-pay tool for Zonal’s customers and their suppliers, by providing a fully integrated and automated communications service.

Zonal’s Director of Online Commerce, Helen McMillan, said:

“BluJay impressed us with their extensive list of suppliers and the flexibility to integrate seamlessly with our Acquire platform, ultimately delivering cost reductions and an even better service for our customers.

“With the implementation of MessageBroker, we will quickly and easily provide more customers with an enriched and wider range of Acquire’s features, such as a real-time, more accurate view of order status and vastly improved invoice matching.

“As BluJay fully supports the onboarding of new suppliers to the platform, we have also freed up specialist technical resources within Zonal to focus on delivering more industry-leading innovations more quickly.”

Zonal was looking for a partner with experience in its field, who it could trust to provide an affordable, tailored solution with a focus on excellent service, and BluJay stood out from the crowd.

Enhanced integrations across the supply chain are already yielding a reduction in errors across customer operations. Improving these collaborations will also empower Zonal customers to develop strategic and operational action plans to effect cost efficiencies and enhanced customer service.

“BluJay is proud to partner with Zonal to improve integration across customer supply chains,” Sian Hopwood, SVP B2B Operations at BluJay.

“We know that consumer expectations in hospitality are increasingly high. The complexity of the technologies needed to achieve customer satisfaction and the pressure for hospitality firms to increase efficiency are also growing. The integration and automation of MessageBroker will help Zonal achieve its goals in the face of this double challenge.”

Zonal as a proud Scottish family owned business is thrilled to be joining 400 other tech leaders and professionals at the Woman in Tech event in October.

As a business that has grown from strength to strength at such a rapid rate, we really nurture and support gender diversity and equal opportunities across the company. Woman in Tech has always been such a prestigious and well regarded event that has drawn in many industry professionals each year and we are extremely proud to be a sponsor.

Head of HR, Catriona Dick said:

“We see it as a great opportunity for our own women in tech to learn from the great speakers and enhance their own skills but it will also enable us to be present in the exhibition space and show off our current career opportunities! We’ve been really successful in recruiting a higher proportion of women this year, and we hope to add to this by recruiting even more in the next 12 months. We’re sponsoring the coffee break so it’ll be an excellent opportunity to take our female Zonal shortbreads too!”

We look forward to meeting you at the event on the 10th October at the SECC Glasgow, but why not take a look at our current vacancies here.

We are pleased to be granted elite status by the Learning & Performance Institute (LPI) as one of the top 20 learning providers from a pool of over 100 training specialists.

Craig Hamill, Zonal’s Head of Learning & Development, said:

“We are thrilled to be acknowledged as one of the top 20 learning providers by the LPI.

At Zonal we invest and place the utmost importance on offering the highest quality training to our customers and our staff, so this is a huge honour.”

To achieve the recognition, Zonal had to demonstrate that it provides its customers with the best learning solutions and services possible, according to specific best practice criteria.  In addition, it had to undergo an independent and rigorous annual accreditation process, which examines every aspect of its involvement in learning services.

Edmund Monk, LPI’s CEO said:

“Zonal, along with the other 20 organisations listed have a clear road-map by which to build their capability and adapt their strategy for continual success. They have shown a strong customer value proposition and a focus on learning and development which instils confidence.

They are passionate and committed to developing their staff, their products, their market reach and their performance.”

Zonal’s team of 14 trainers, provide over 11,500 hours of classroom and onsite training courses every year.  The company has also developed a suite of e-learning modules that are tailored to meet individual client requirements.