UNIQLO Oxford Street: 1,500 Cat6 outlets and resilient fibre infrastructure for a London flagship store
Working with EM Tecnica, ACCL delivered around 1,500 Cat6 outlets and a diversely routed OM4 and OS2 fibre backbone for UNIQLO’s flagship Oxford Street store.
Working alongside EM Tecnica, ACCL delivered the passive network infrastructure supporting UNIQLO’s flagship Oxford Street store, combining a substantial Cat6 installation with a resilient fibre architecture connecting one Main Equipment Room to two Secondary Equipment Rooms.
The result
The completed infrastructure provided UNIQLO with:
- Approximately 1,500 Cat6 structured cabling outlets
- One Main Equipment Room and two Secondary Equipment Rooms
- A 48-core OM4 multimode fibre backbone, diversely routed
- Two 12-core OS2 single-mode fibre links for resilience
- Connectivity supporting EPOS, CCTV, access control, Wi-Fi and AV
- Tested, labelled and documented infrastructure ready for handover
Services delivered
Overview
ACCL worked alongside EM Tecnica on the infrastructure serving UNIQLO’s flagship Oxford Street retail environment. Modern flagship stores depend on connectivity across almost every area of operation: payment systems, security, wireless networking, access control and audiovisual technology all require reliable physical network infrastructure.
ACCL installed approximately 1,500 Cat6 outlets to provide structured connectivity for EPOS, CCTV, access control, Wi-Fi and AV systems. Supporting the horizontal cabling was a substantial fibre optic backbone centred around a Main Equipment Room and two Secondary Equipment Rooms, interconnected using 48-core OM4 multimode fibre, diversely routed to reduce dependence on a single physical cable path, alongside two 12-core OS2 single-mode fibre links for additional resilience.
The challenge
A flagship retail fit-out of this scale brings together multiple technology systems, contractors and building services within one construction programme. With approximately 1,500 Cat6 outlets, the challenge was not simply the volume of cable, but coordinating connectivity requirements for EPOS, CCTV, access control, Wi-Fi and AV, alongside equipment-room locations, high-density cable routes and diverse OM4 and OS2 fibre paths.
In a flagship retail environment, many of these systems are operationally important from the first day of trading, making the underlying passive infrastructure a critical part of the fit-out rather than a secondary building service.
Designing the infrastructure around multiple retail technologies
One of the defining features of the project was the number of different systems relying on the same structured cabling platform. An EPOS position has to correspond with the retail layout, CCTV cabling must reach the required camera locations, access control follows controlled doors, Wi-Fi cabling needs to support the planned wireless coverage, and AV infrastructure is driven by displays and customer-facing technology.
Bringing these requirements into a coordinated structured cabling installation created a common physical network platform rather than allowing individual technology systems to develop as disconnected installations.
Main and Secondary Equipment Rooms
The network architecture was centred around three communications equipment rooms: one Main Equipment Room and two Secondary Equipment Rooms. The distributed arrangement allowed horizontal cabling to be served from appropriate locations while maintaining high-capacity backbone connectivity between the network spaces, helping manage cable distribution for an installation of around 1,500 outlets rather than returning every horizontal cable to a single point in the building.
Project context
Flagship retail store · Oxford Street, Westminster
Structured cabling in Westminster →Planning a major retail technology fit-out?
ACCL delivered around 1,500 Cat6 outlets and a resilient fibre backbone for UNIQLO’s London flagship store. Talk to us about a coordinated cabling strategy for data, Wi-Fi, security, EPOS and AV.
A 48-core OM4 backbone, diversely routed
ACCL installed a substantial 48-core OM4 multimode fibre optic backbone between the communications infrastructure, providing high-capacity optical connectivity between the Main Equipment Room and the two Secondary Equipment Rooms. Importantly, the fibre infrastructure was diversely routed: separating backbone paths reduces the risk that damage or disruption affecting one route compromises all inter-room connectivity simultaneously.
In addition to the OM4 backbone, ACCL installed two 12-core OS2 single-mode fibre links, adding another layer of resilience and creating a versatile passive optical infrastructure for the building.
Cabling for EPOS, security, Wi-Fi and AV
EPOS is one of the most operationally important systems in a retail environment, and unlike general office data cabling, EPOS outlet locations are closely linked to the retail layout. The structured cabling also supported the store’s CCTV and access control infrastructure: security technology increasingly relies on IP networks, so incorporating these requirements into the main cabling programme allowed security connectivity to be coordinated with the rest of the passive network rather than installed as an isolated system later.
Wi-Fi formed another important part of the installation. Wireless networking still depends on physical cabling: each access point requires a wired connection back to the network, normally also providing power through Power over Ethernet. Providing Wi-Fi cabling as part of the main structured cabling design allowed access point locations to be considered alongside the wider retail layout, while AV connectivity supported the store’s digital content and customer-facing technology.
Technologies used
ACCL’s role
ACCL worked alongside EM Tecnica in delivering the structured cabling and fibre optic infrastructure for the UNIQLO flagship project. Our role included:
- Structured cabling design and coordination
- Installing approximately 1,500 Cat6 outlets
- Providing infrastructure for EPOS, CCTV, access control, Wi-Fi and AV
- Delivering cabling to the Main and two Secondary Equipment Rooms
- Installing the diversely routed 48-core OM4 fibre backbone
- Installing two 12-core OS2 fibre links, termination, labelling and testing
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Foreword by Wayne
“The UNIQLO flagship store was a substantial infrastructure project and a very good example of how retail technology was changing. We installed around 1,500 Cat6 outlets, but what made the project particularly interesting was the number of different systems that infrastructure had to support: EPOS, CCTV, access control, Wi-Fi and AV all had their own requirements and all had to be coordinated within the same fit-out programme. The fibre design was equally important, with a Main Equipment Room and two Secondary Equipment Rooms connected through a 48-core OM4 backbone with diverse routing, plus two 12-core OS2 links for additional resilience. It remains a strong example of the scale and complexity of structured cabling that can sit largely unseen behind a modern flagship retail environment.”Wayne Connors, Managing Director, ACCL
Frequently asked questions
What did ACCL install at the UNIQLO Oxford Street flagship store?
ACCL worked alongside EM Tecnica to deliver approximately 1,500 Cat6 outlets, a 48-core OM4 fibre backbone, two 12-core OS2 fibre links, and structured connectivity supporting EPOS, CCTV, access control, Wi-Fi and AV systems.
How many Cat6 outlets were installed?
Approximately 1,500 Cat6 outlets were installed throughout the flagship retail environment.
What systems did the Cat6 cabling support?
The structured cabling provided connectivity for EPOS, CCTV, access control, Wi-Fi and audiovisual systems.
How many communications equipment rooms were involved?
The infrastructure was designed around three equipment rooms: one Main Equipment Room and two Secondary Equipment Rooms.
What fibre backbone was installed?
ACCL installed a 48-core OM4 multimode fibre optic backbone connecting the communications infrastructure, with diverse routing to reduce dependence on a single physical cable path.
Was single-mode fibre installed as well as OM4?
Yes. ACCL installed two 12-core OS2 single-mode fibre links in addition to the 48-core OM4 backbone, giving the project additional resilience and connectivity options.
Why does a retail store require so many data outlets?
Modern flagship retail environments rely on networks for considerably more than office computers. EPOS, Wi-Fi, CCTV, access control and AV systems can all require structured network connectivity.
Does Wi-Fi still require structured cabling?
Yes. Enterprise wireless access points require physical network connections, so the quality and positioning of the underlying cabling forms an important part of a commercial Wi-Fi deployment.
Did ACCL work with another contractor on the project?
Yes. ACCL worked alongside EM Tecnica on the UNIQLO flagship project.
Planning a major retail technology fit-out?
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