How Žabka moved from USB sticks to central management of 100+ stores | Bohemica Signage
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How Žabka moved from USB sticks to central management of 100+ stores

Managing a handful of screens is simple. Managing hundreds takes a different approach entirely. Four days passed between first contact and the pilot going live.

Jakub Miřejovský 5 min read
A Žabka convenience store with promotional screens in the windows
100+
stores across the Czech Republic
4 days
from first contact to the pilot going live
99.96%
admin uptime over the past year

Managing a handful of screens is simple. Managing hundreds takes a different approach entirely. When Žabka came to us in spring 2025, content management across their stores was split between USB sticks and software from the TV manufacturers. Today the content on more than a hundred stores changes from one place, often from one day to the next.

  1. March 2025

    First contact

    Žabka starts looking for a way to bring screen management under one roof.

  2. April 2025

    Eden pilot store

    First installation in Prague, four days after first contact.

  3. Summer 2025

    Gradual rollout

    The client's internal team installs roughly four stores a day.

  4. End of 2025

    100+ stores

    Žabka orders a player for every store in the country.

When USB sticks stop being enough

Until then every store worked more or less on its own. In some, content was loaded from USB flash drives. In others, the software built into the TV set did the job.

That approach could not be scaled sensibly. Every manufacturer used a different environment, and managing a larger number of screens was becoming unworkable. So the brief was clear: unify management across stores regardless of the hardware in use, move to fully online content management, and have a single admin environment with separate user roles.

The first pilot installation went live in April 2025 in Eden, Prague. Four days passed between first contact and the pilot going live.

It was not only about software

Because Žabka is part of the Tesco group, we had to pass their security benchmark before the system could be deployed. We met it and became an approved supplier. Preparation also covered the requirements for running the system inside the client’s internal network.

Alongside the software itself, we helped select suitable displays. We supplied the players in cooperation with the official Raspberry Pi distributor for the Czech Republic, and we also recommended the official display distributor.

The client handled installation in the stores with their own people. Our role was consulting, support during the first installations, and long term technical support after that.

A fast pilot, then a gradual rollout

The successful pilot was followed by a gradual rollout. The main wave was run by the client’s internal team at a pace of roughly four stores a day, depending on when the displays and other hardware arrived. The pace was set by logistics, not by the software.

We adapted the licensing to match, so it followed the installation schedule and the client’s annual budget planning. The project could grow at its own pace without any change to how it was managed.

By the end of 2025 Žabka had ordered a player for every one of their stores in the Czech Republic.

What the pilot taught us

Every larger project produces lessons you cannot get any other way. Ours was that the internal Wi-Fi antenna on the Raspberry Pi 5 is not always stable enough in stores with heavy interference. We always recommend a wired connection, but we had assumed Wi-Fi would be a reliable alternative. Frequent disconnects convinced us otherwise.

V první řadě Vám chci moc poděkovat za Váš nadstandardní přístup a ochotu hledat řešení. Velmi si toho vážím a věřím, že to povede k dalšímu prohloubení naší spolupráce. Czech original

First of all I want to thank you very much for going above and beyond, and for your willingness to find solutions. I appreciate it greatly and I believe it will lead to us deepening our cooperation further.

Michal D. Translated quote

How the system works today

Žabka mainly uses screen group management. Changing content across dozens of stores is a matter of a few clicks. Content changes very often, in some cases from one day to the next.

The screens rotate advertising campaigns from well known food brands together with internal communication, for example promoting the hot food counter or other in store services. That gave Žabka a new advertising space in locations that advertisers find attractive.

The client manages the content themselves in our CMS. The system has seven users and more than ten campaigns run across the screens each month. Bohemica Signage handles the technical side and long term support. The content administration server has reached 99.96% uptime, and the players themselves hold an offline backup of the content in case the connection drops.

What Žabka uses every day

  • Screen group management - change content across the whole store network easily
  • Playlists - scheduling and automatic rotation of advertising and information spots
  • User roles - every user has access only to what they need
  • Online content management - change content from anywhere, without visiting a store
  • Central administration - one environment for every screen, whatever the hardware
  • Device monitoring - an overview of device status across all stores
  • Hotline support - technical support for day to day operation

Dealing with something similar?

Whether you manage a handful of screens or a network of hundreds of branches, we will help you design a solution that grows with your business. Email us at [email protected] or get in touch through the contact form.

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