Barron McCann lands retail technology support contract with Entain for Ladbrokes and Coral estates
Barron McCann, a specialist in retail technology services, has secured a three-year contract with FTSE 100 sports betting and gaming giant Entain. The deal will see it deliver multi-device engineering support and lifecycle infrastructure services across Entain’s UK high street retail estate, operating under the Ladbrokes and Coral banners.
It covers over 2,000 retail locations nationwide, supporting key constituent parts of Entain’s digital shop floor layout. This includes full seven days a week engineering coverage with extended operating hours and a four-hour hardware fix guarantee. Barron McCann landed the tie up following an extensive commercial tender process involving a large consideration set of major IT manufacturers and service providers.
Entain says its evaluation panel was particularly impressed by the company’s specialised workshop capabilities, engineering innovation, and value- ocused approach to circular asset management. Barron McCann’s workshop and re-life facilities provide sustainable component level repairs, utilising technologies such as custom 3D printing for legacy OEM parts. This capability allows it to build an independent, robust repair supply chain for original equipment manufacturer hardware, mitigating the need for costly complete terminal replacements while reducing total cost of ownership.
Barron McCann executed a three-month transition phase with close collaboration between both corporate entities. The critical deployment and migration period was successfully navigated during the operational peak of the FIFA World Cup. Prior to launch, every field and remote engineer across Barron McCann’s business underwent extensive face-to-face, specialised, technical training at the company's Derby Training Academy to ensure domain mastery over Entain's custom hardware configurations.
FIona Wallace, Head of SSBT’s says: ‘‘Our BetStation terminals play an important role in the experience we provide for customers across our Ladbrokes and Coral shops, so having a trusted technology partner is critical. Barron McCann impressed us throughout the tender process with their technical capability, operational flexibility and focus on innovation. The successful mobilisation of this contract is testament to the hard work of both teams, and we are excited to build on the partnership as we continue to enhance the retail experience for our customers and colleagues.’’
The operational integration features a systems architecture link, achieving a direct, automated ServiceNow-to-ServiceNow platform integration. This enables real-time fault logging, tracking, and instant algorithmic resource scheduling between Entain’s central tech teams and Barron McCann’s field dispatch network.
Furthermore, Barron McCann has initiated additional sustainable pipeline projects, including standardised Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulatory disposal and equipment tear-downs, ensuring legacy components are ethically and traceably recycled in alignment with corporate environmental responsibilities.
Adam Byrne, Entain Procurement Category Manager - Retail Tech and Operations, says: ‘‘We are excited about the long-term future collaboration, the sheer depth of engagement, and the open-mindedness that Barron McCann has brought to our retail infrastructure strategy. Their operational infrastructure, paired with incredibly strong remote and field engineering capabilities, turned our heads early in the tender process.”
“While we initially received a strong recommendation to include Barron McCann in the process, they truly proved and helped us understand the unique differences and high-uptime benefits of working with a dedicated retail specialist. They have leveraged their deep experience in this sector to deliver immediate best practices, enabling us to advance our omnichannel and modernisation goals.’’
Paul Williams, Barron McCann Group CEO, comments: "Securing this contract with a FTSE 100 industry leader like Entain validates Barron McCann’s disruptive approach to high street retail technology management. By moving away from rigid, high cost manufacturer models toward an agile, circular economy repair ecosystem, we are giving clients excellent engineering resilience without the inflated price tags. Our bespoke engineering solutions, formulated right here in Derby, are perfectly aligned with supporting Entain’s high tech Digi-Hubs and dynamic retail environments safely into the future."
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Sustainable retail will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
