Toolstation swaps aging Linux tills for ASUS NUCs to speed up stores and tighten security

British trade and DIY retailer Toolstation has overhauled its point-of-sale terminals, ditching slow and insecure Linux-based hardware in favor of ASUS NUC mini-PCs running on the Google Chrome ecosystem. The move is designed to speed up customer service and reduce the burden on IT support teams.

Founded in 2003, the company now operates more than 550 UK branches stocking over 25,000 products for trade professionals and DIY enthusiasts. Its newer Toolstation GO format, featuring smaller high-street stores with digital kiosks and locally tailored ranges, has further highlighted the need for reliable IT infrastructure. Rapid growth across both online and physical channels has strained parts of the technology estate.

The legacy tills, built on a custom Linux distribution, were sluggish, hard to maintain, and lacked security updates. Simon Marshall, store manager at the Bridgwater branch, described them as "very slow, very clunky." He noted that while they suited a smaller business, the company's fast expansion quickly made them unfit for purpose.

Corron Mlcak, IT end user technology lead at Toolstation, explained that the outdated equipment caused issues with security patching and antivirus management, creating operational inefficiencies and security concerns. As a result, the retailer decided to refresh its entire technology stack, covering contact centers, warehouses, and all branches.

The first step was committing to the Google Chrome ecosystem, already in use elsewhere in the business. The next was finding hardware that could run the system at the till without reintroducing the size, support, and peripheral problems of the old estate. The answer was ASUS NUC compact PCs, which deliver the necessary performance and compatibility for the new setup.