Specialist retail VAR Retail Assist has completed a contract with airport franchise Word Duty Free (WDF) to provide IT help-desk support to its 57 stores in 12 UK airports.

The 24-hour Help Desk – using Retail-J and Oracle technology - provides both first and second level telephone support for a number of systems and applications. It also includes round-the-clock monitoring of the architecture, and support for the Sony digital signage hardware and software that is part of its Heathrow T5 operation.

Adrian Frymann, head of IT at WDF, said: “Retail Assist’s retail and technical understanding are second to none. Its staff combine real-life retail experience and technical skills.

“Close co-operation between project teams and total focus on the part of Retail Assist’s support services and store systems teams got the support desk up and running in three weeks.”