Panos opts for a single network in every store

Panos is a trusted name in the Belgian food retail sector, with more than 80 Panos City stores and a reputation built on freshly prepared sandwiches and consistent quality, no matter which location you visit. That promise of consistency doesn’t stop at the sandwich. It also applies to the entire network: the registers, ordering kiosks, guest Wi-Fi, and ordering platforms must all work just as well everywhere.

Digital ambitions, but a network that needed to grow along with them

With “shop of the future,” Panos is preparing every store for the digital future: a transition to a more scalable point-of-sale system (Lightspeed K-series) and the integration of delivery platforms, as well as, more recently, in-store ordering kiosks. This evolution entails a high degree of reliance on the network. It must remain operational 24/7: no Wi-Fi outages during the busiest times of the day and a backup plan in case the landline does happen to fail temporarily.

One network per store, managed from a single platform

We upgraded the entire local network—including the LAN and Wi-Fi—with hardware from TP-Link and Peplink. This combination enables a 4G/5G backup specifically for the point-of-sale network and the ordering kiosks: if the landline goes down, the system automatically switches over, allowing customers to continue ordering and paying as usual. By segmenting the network, the cash registers and other business-critical applications always take priority over everything else.

In addition, Panos was provided with its own guest Wi-Fi network featuring a dedicated captive portal. This is linked to Panos’s CRM system, so that the Wi-Fi not only provides insight into who is visiting the premises, but also helps build loyalty and enables targeted customer communication.

The real added value lies in amplr.cloud: from a single dashboard, Panos has an overview of all stores and the entire network. They can configure it themselves or share access with partners.

What that meant in practice

Thanks to this approach, Lightspeed completed the installation at each store in just 45 minutes, without the need for an external network provider. New digital applications, such as the ordering kiosks and CRM-integrated guest Wi-Fi, can also build on the same central network environment.

Because issues are detected more quickly through amplr.cloud and resolved remotely in almost all cases, the number of on-site technical visits dropped by 90%.

"For us, being online at all times is crucial. Our goal of generating 25% of our revenue digitally within five years requires a stable and reliable network connection. Amplr has helped us achieve that."
- Mattias Boterdaele, Transformation & E-commerce Director, Panos