There is a family-owned business which has been serving the licensed trade in Scotland for nearly 55 years and which has service at its very heart and that is Sims Automatics.
The business now has 53 employees across three locations in Scotland, two in Glasgow and one in Dunfermline, and has a reputation that is second to none when it comes to the supply of gaming and entertainment equipment including pub and club fruit machines, digital jukeboxes, pool tables, LED screens, CCTV and glass washing and ice making equipment too.
The business, although badly hit during the pandemic, has bounced back with business back to the same level as it was pre-pandemic with more than 1,800 licensed trade customers and 5,000 pieces of equipment.
Managing Director Scott McGillvray told DRAM, “Our business is once again thriving, and we have recently acquired Bellmatic Leisure too.”
I asked him why he thought Sims had endured through the years. He said,”I think it is because we have always offered a personal service and have a great team, many of whom have been with us for 10 years or more. This continuity of service means we can service our customers efficiently and we are quite unique in the industry because we have retained our seven days a week, 365 days a year call out service. If there is an issue with our equipment someone will be with you within two hours. That’s our promise.”
He continues, “We have continued to diversify over the years and I believe that is what has kept us to the forefront and relevant to the trade. We pride ourselves on being a one-stop shop – whether our customers require a new EPOS system or an ice-machine, a pool table or digital jukebox – our range of products is second to none.
“Our barware side of business now accounts for 30% our turnover and we also continually invest in training our engineers so that they are the best at what they do. In fact one of our customers has just put in a monster of an ice machine. It can provide 160 kilos of ice an hour, 674kg over 24 hours – that’s more than half a tonne of ice!”
Sims Automatics also recently acquired Bellmatic Leisure and the business can now supply more than 5000 pieces of equipment. I asked Scott what changes he had seen over the years.
He said, “Pub customers are used to having screens that show high quality images on HD at home and pubs now offer that too.
“Many licensees put in ABV matrix screens which are all networked, which means some customers can watch one thing on one screen, and others can watch something completely different on another. Large screens have also come down in price and you can have a news channel running on silent, and horse racing and rugby on other screens. It is not just the screens that are more affordable, quality sound systems have also become less expensive. People now realise how important sound is when it comes to creating the right atmosphere.”
“Jukeboxes have evolved with new digital boxes very popular and they are constantly improving. You can now have spotify on a jukebox. Customers can download an app and can play music from their phone through the juke box and they can put their favourite play list on. It is quite a popular feature, although it was a slow burner.
“Young players enjoy the digital machines because they also look good and are a nice feature in a pub. They are certainly attracting new players. As the new equipment has come out technology has moved on and now you can get high definition video images on jukeboxes which licensees can use for advertising too. This is a cost effective way of supplying music to pubs with customer interaction.”
One change since covid has the been the increased use of contactless technology with regard to gaming machines and jukeboxes but says Scott, “Scotland has been a slow burner compared to England. But more and more people are interested in it. Contactless use with regard to gaming machines is also 18 months away – this could be a game changer.”
There has also been a move to digital gaming, but again Scots have been slower off the market than their English counterparts. Scott explains, “Down south 90% of customers have converted to digital gaming up here only 60% but it is now flying after a slow start and we are re introducing machines into previously non profitable analogue sites, which had taken the machines out.
More than twelve years ago Sims also developed its own EPOS system which has served their customers well. It is serviced out of a satellite building in the south side . Says Scott, “Over the years it has come on leaps and bounds. We developed a software product specifically for the licensed trade – Sims Touch software. This also helps prevent fraud as well as helping with stock control.
Our EPOS site can regularly update and change menus and our rental package offers pubs full technical support. However customers can also go online and can change their menus remotely. Sims customers see the benefit of intergrating their systems, with one client alone having invested in 500 pieces of equipment ranging from screens to tills – and everything is networked.”
One area that Scott feels could be a real profit centre for the trade is the potential of a increase in the gamble machine stakes – a whitepaper has been published and businesses do expect this to rise in the next 18 months. Scott believes this will lead to more pubs investing in the new digital cash fruit machines. He says, “the hope is that a £1.50 stake will give a £150 jackpot.”
Certainly it seems that Sims have hit the jackpot when it comes to providing customers what they want, and when they want it. There is a variety of different methods from profit share to flexible leasing. Says Scott, “We work with our customers to get them the right deal for their business.”
I am sure Betty and Don Sim could not have imagined how successful their business would have become and that is testament to the hardwork of Scott and sister Alison Lambie and their hardworking team.