The luxury apparel brand unifies physical security and store insights across its growing retail footprint.
Key Results
Weeks to Minutes: An investigation that previously took three weeks can now be completed in minutes.
18-Month Return on Investment (ROI): Belstaff estimates that each store achieves full ROI within approximately 18 months.
Five-Minute Camera Setup: Once network cabling is in place, connecting and adding a new Verkada camera can take as little as five minutes.
One Unified Platform: Cameras, alarms, access control, and intercoms are managed centrally through Verkada Command.
More Informed Store Decisions: Heatmaps and occupancy trends give Belstaff clearer insight into customer traffic and movement across its stores.
A Heritage Brand Seeking Modern Efficiency
Founded in 1924, Belstaff is a global luxury clothing and outdoor apparel brand built on a heritage of adventure and innovation. As the company expanded its retail footprint, however, its legacy physical security systems were becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to manage.
Following theft incidents at multiple stores, Head of IT Brett Edwards began looking for a more modern approach. Belstaff wanted to consolidate its security systems, improve its response to incidents, and gain better operational insight into its stores.
After evaluating vendors at the Retail Technology Show, the team selected Verkada for its ability to bring physical security and operational visibility together in one cloud-managed platform.
The Challenge: Slow Investigations and Disconnected Systems
Before Verkada, Belstaff relied on separate, on-premises systems for video surveillance, burglar alarms, panic buttons, and footfall reporting. These systems created several challenges for the IT and retail teams.
Retrieving Footage Could Take Weeks
Because video was stored locally, Brett had limited visibility into store incidents unless someone was physically on-site. Even viewing footage remotely required a cumbersome manual process.
“It took an incredibly long time just to view footage remotely because everything was stored on-premise,” Brett said. “We would FaceTime staff in the stores, asking them to point their phones at physical monitors just so we could see what happened. Then, we would try to walk them through how to offload the footage onto a USB stick and send it to us. It was a painful process.”
In one case, investigating an incident took approximately three weeks.
Multiple Systems Increased Cost and Complexity
Belstaff also had to manage separate providers, contracts, and maintenance requirements for its cameras, alarms, and other store technologies. The fragmented environment increased costs while making it more difficult to understand what had happened during an incident.
Locally stored footage also offered a limited administrative audit trail, creating concerns about who could access or potentially interfere with video evidence.
Store Decisions Relied on Incomplete Data
Belstaff’s previous footfall technology was not reliable enough to support meaningful merchandising and operational decisions. Store teams often had to rely on observations and assumptions when evaluating customer traffic and store layouts.
The Solution: A Cloud-Managed Security Blueprint
Belstaff began with a pilot deployment at one store. After seeing how easily the system could be installed and managed, the company expanded Verkada to fourteen locations, including its London headquarters and a new store in Germany.
“Deployment is simple,” Brett said. “All we need is an Ethernet cable. You plug that in, you connect to the system, and it’s a five-minute job.”
Cameras and Centralized Video Management
Verkada cameras now provide coverage inside and outside Belstaff’s stores. Through Verkada Command, Brett and authorised store leaders can remotely view live video, search through footage, manage users, and securely share clips without traveling to a store or exporting files to a USB drive.
Command also provides an audit trail showing who has accessed footage, giving Belstaff greater oversight and accountability around its video evidence.
Alarms with Immediate Video Context
When an alarm is triggered, Brett, the store manager, and the store supervisor receive mobile notifications. Because cameras and alarms are connected through the same platform, the team can immediately review relevant video and determine whether an event is a false alarm or requires escalation.
This allows employees to remain safely away from a potential break-in while providing police with clear video evidence when needed.
One Connected Entry Experience
At Belstaff’s London headquarters, Verkada Access Control and Intercom work together to simplify how employees and visitors enter the building. Employees can use Bluetooth credentials on their phones, reducing reliance on physical badges and keys.
For visitors, Verkada Intercom functions as a virtual receptionist. Authorised employees can see and speak with guests before remotely granting access, helping Belstaff maintain a secure and welcoming entrance without staffing a traditional reception desk.
The Benefits: Faster Investigations, Lower Costs, and Better Visibility
Completing Investigations in Minutes
With remote access and centralized video search, an investigation that previously took weeks can now be completed in minutes. The process often takes less time than waiting for the resulting footage to be sent by email.
Belstaff also uses Person of Interest alerts to recognize known repeat offenders. When a designated individual enters a store, authorised managers can receive a notification and respond according to established store procedures.
Stronger Evidence for Police and Insurance Claims
Verkada’s high-resolution footage has supported police investigations following store incidents. In one case, police used Belstaff’s video as part of a prosecution and identified an additional individual who had not been apprehended at the scene.
Clear, easily retrievable footage also gives Belstaff stronger documentation when working with insurers, reducing the administrative effort required to gather and submit evidence.
Full ROI in Approximately 18 Months
Belstaff estimates that each store achieves a full return on its Verkada investment within approximately 18 months.
The savings come from consolidating cameras and alarms onto one platform, reducing the fees and maintenance associated with separate providers, and enabling IT to manage stores remotely. Instead of traveling to a location or walking store employees through manual footage retrieval, the team can investigate incidents and provide support from anywhere.
At its London headquarters, Verkada Access Control and Intercom create additional efficiencies by helping Belstaff securely manage employee and visitor entry without requiring a dedicated receptionist.
Turning Store Traffic into Actionable Insights
Verkada heatmaps and occupancy trends give Belstaff greater visibility into how people move through its stores. Managers can identify heavily visited areas and use that information to evaluate product placement, store layouts, and staffing decisions.
Rather than relying solely on anecdotal feedback, Belstaff now has visual data that can help inform its retail strategy.
Looking Ahead
Verkada has become part of Belstaff’s standard technology blueprint, with the platform planned for every new store.
“The reason we went with Verkada is because of everything it does,” Brett said. “I look at it as a full-suite security solution. It does more than just CCTV.”
Belstaff is also exploring several ways to expand the platform. The team plans to evaluate an API integration connecting point-of-sale transaction data with video, helping it investigate unusual discount activity and potential register-level loss.
At its London headquarters, Belstaff is considering Verkada Guest to further streamline visitor check-in. The company is also evaluating Verkada Air Quality Sensors to monitor temperature and humidity conditions that could affect its premium apparel inventory.
As Belstaff continues to grow, Verkada gives the company a consistent way to protect its people and products while making its retail operations easier to understand and manage.