At the end of 2020, the world's largest sporting goods retailer turned to Wifirst to modernise its WiFi networks in INTERSPORT and Blackstore stores (approx. 500 stores) and make them more reliable. These networks are used daily by INTERSPORT teams to work remotely in the stores.
After mixed experiences with several integrators and the start of a migration phase to WiFi 6 technology, the CIO of INTERSPORT France was looking for a WiFi pure player to delegate the setup and management of the networks in the stores.
INTERSPORT's decision to switch providers and turn to a managed WiFi specialist confirms a fundamental trend: WiFi for businesses is a complex and critical issue that requires specialised expertise and significant resources, and is difficult to manage internally in large networks of retail outlets.
In an initial implementation phase, several branches had been equipped with a Cisco Meraki solution before Wifirst came on board. As the solution itself appeared to meet INTERSPORT's expectations and in order to ensure consistency across the entire portfolio, Wifirst decided to continue the rollout with the same solution based on Meraki access point models. The Wifirst teams are already highly experienced in mastering Cisco Meraki technology: Wifirst operates tens of thousands of Meraki Wi-Fi and LAN devices for customers in various industries, including defence, tourism, retail and business.
Although the stores are often built according to very similar models, each store remains unique and requires an individual approach in terms of WiFi coverage.
For this reason, our technical teams visit each INTERSPORT location to determine the number of access points required and their location. This method ensures a high-speed network in all stores, without any dead spots, regardless of their specific characteristics.
With proven processes, technical resources (tools designed for the specific needs of an operator and developed entirely in-house) and personnel (size and qualifications of the teams) that meet the requirements, Wifirst's structure is designed to meet the needs of large retail companies with numerous locations spread over large areas.
Almost 300 INTERSPORT and Blackstore stores have already been equipped, with Wifirst adapting to the pace of a parallel project to connect the points of sale to the fibre optic network. Each store has a guaranteed recovery time of four hours: in the event of an interruption to the WiFi service, Wifirst undertakes to resolve the problem in less than four hours, either remotely or on site.
