Avigilon high-definition surveillance system guards luxury assets and ensures customer safety at Rolex boutique in Israel

Avigilon's high-definition surveillance system monitors inventory and defends against customer and employee theft

Challenge

Protect a high-end watch and jewellery store from internal and external retail theft, while implementing a sophisticated surveillance system that is user-friendly and won’t disrupt the store’s network.

Solution

The security personnel at the Rolex flagship boutique in Tel Aviv, Israel use the Avigilon Control Center (ACC) Enterprise Network Video Management Software (NVMS) with High Definition Stream Management (HDSM)™ to oversee six Avigilon 1MP and 2MP HD cameras and two analogue cameras installed throughout the store. The Rolex boutique also uses an Avigilon 5MP camera to overlook the store’s lab, where inventory that is not on display is stocked. Management uses ACC Mobile, Avigilon’s mobile application, to observe store activity during off-hours when they are away from the store and Avigilon Network Video Recorders (NVRs) to store up to 45 days of continuous surveillance footage. Euro-Asia, the owners of the Rolex boutique in Israel, also uses the Avigilon solution in their main office and four other affluent retail outlets across Israel.

Benefits

The Rolex brand is world-renowned for their high-quality, designer products. In a store where the average item retails for thousands of dollars, ensuring the highest level of security is a top priority. The Avigilon high-definition surveillance system allows the Rolex boutique to efficiently and effectively monitor inventory and defend against customer and employee theft. On the operations end, the switch from an analogue to an IP-based security system has been a smooth transition for the store’s security personnel. With high- resolution footage, an easy-to-use video management system and time-saving search functions, managers at the Rolex boutique and Euro-Asia have been able to resolve incidents with indisputable evidence in a fraction of the time it took them with previous systems. The store has also been able to leverage high-definition video surveillance to improve operational efficiencies and properly evaluate customer service standards. Security personnel at the Rolex boutique manage live and recorded footage from a workstation inside the shop and a separate workstation inside Euro-Asia’s main offices.

• Protect expensive merchandise from theft
• Create a safe shopping environment for customers
• Meet insurance requirements
• Reduce investigation time
• Improve business operations and customer service

Upscale watch and jewellery store guards luxury assets and ensures customer safety with Avigilon high-definition surveillance system

Located on Shaul HaMelech Boulevard, one of the largest cultural hubs in Tel Aviv, the Rolex flagship boutique caters to some of the city’s most fashionable and affluent clientele. Founded in 1905 in London, England by German watchmaker Hans Wilsdorf and his brother- in-law, Alfred Davis, Rolex has since blossomed into the world’s largest luxury watch brand. Euro-Asia, a European-based official dealer for several high-end watch brands including Rolex, Tudor, Certina, Bering, Michel Herbelin and RedLion Jewelry, owns and runs the Rolex flagship boutique in Tel Aviv. In the past, Euro-Asia relied on analogue-based video surveillance systems in their retail outlets, however, when they opened the Rolex boutique in 2012, the owners knew they needed to upgrade their system in order to get the high- level protection an upscale watch and jewellery store required. “Our old cameras were very difficult to use and we could hardly identify anything with them,” said Noam Burstein, CEO of Euro-Asia. “We felt that our previous investment did not yield satisfying results.” Under the recommendation of Polar Electronic Systems, an Israeli-based security and surveillance products distributor, Mr. Burstein upgraded to Avigilon for its ease-of-use, efficient storage, and immediate and accurate search capabilities. With the success of the Rolex flagship boutique installation, Euro-Asia has implemented the Avigilon solution in four other shops in different cities in Israel and its headquarters in Tel Aviv. In addition, with Avigilon, the company was able to meet other business-related requirements. “When we moved to our new office, the insurance demanded a better system,” Mr. Burstein said. “We decided that we wanted a system that would also be useful for our day-to-day business and not just for security.”

Avigilon system helped the boutique to quickly assess the situation and notify the authorities

Protecting customers, employees and expensive merchandise

Like most luxury stores that carry premium merchandise, protecting inventory and the safety of customers and employees is a top priority. In early 2014, a masked robber armed with a gun entered the front doors of the Rolex boutique and instructed employees to open locked jewellery displays containing expensive watches and transfer the jewellery into designated bags. However, the Avigilon 2 MP H.264 Dome cameras installed in the boutique were able to clearly capture the robbery in real time. Midway through the robbery, one of the store’s employees pressed a panic button, alerting officials at the Euro-Asia head office. As soon as the officials received the notification, they were able to pull up the feed using the ACC web client and immediately alert the police. “The Avigilon system helped us quickly assess the situation and notify the authorities,” Mr. Burstein said. “Within minutes, police arrived and arrested the robber and his accomplice.” The quick response of the Euro-Asia officials and police ultimately helped keep the Rolex employees and store merchandise safe. On the business side, the Avigilon solution has already proven its value. “If the robbery was successful, the costs related would be very heavy,” explained Mr. Burstein. “In addition to the merchandise lost, we would have experienced an increase in insurance premiums and restocking fees. I feel much better not even thinking about it.”

Strong image quality and network management

While evaluating different security system providers, one of the first features that stood out to Mr. Burstein was the unparalleled image detail provided by the Avigilon solution. “The image quality we get from Avigilon is much higher than we had before,” said Mr. Burstein. The high-definition capabilities of the Avigilon system have helped to create a safe environment for customers and employees and have been used as a proactive tool in accounting for expensive merchandise. “We wanted to have a system that provided high-resolution images so that we would be able to locate items misplaced by both customers and employees,” said Mr. Burstein. In addition, the Avigilon system has had minimal impact on the store’s network since deployed. “We have had no downtime of the system in the last year, so we are content with the quality of system installation by Polar Electronic Systems,” maintained Mr. Burstein.

Convenient and user-friendly

To secure all of its assets, Euro-Asia deployed the Avigilon system in its head office and its multiple stores across the country. With system operators in each location, choosing a system that was user-friendly and convenient was crucial. “We do not have a full-time guard here, so our managers and non-technical staff need to be able to operate the system,” said Mr. Burstein. “For all the systems we tested, we found Avigilon to be the easiest and most convenient system to use.” The ACC software has enabled users to efficiently monitor live and recorded footage, significantly reducing search times. “Our managers now spend more time on their work than on the security system,” Mr. Burstein said. “After the robbery was stopped and the perpetrators were arrested, we managed to give the police the evidence they needed very quickly and were back to work in no time.”

Lowering insurance costs

Having a modern, aesthetically-pleasing exterior is important for high-end stores located in a trendy neighbourhood. “At first our insurance company demanded that we install cameras and bars in windows in all our shops,” said Mr. Burstein. “However, bars in our windows were out of the question because Rolex would not approve disfigurement of the shop. The quality of Avigilon’s high-definition cameras and the addition of security smoke enabled us to compromise with the insurance company and avoid barring our windows.” The result was a welcoming, comfortable shopping environment that is attractive to clientele.