PHS Waterlogic is celebrating its 10th anniversary during October. Part of the PHS Group, PHS Waterlogic was established in October 2000, since when the company has grown to be Europe’s leading supplier, offering a full range of watercoolers, high volume water dispensers, hot water boilers and consumables.

Cranberry Group, manufacturer and retailer of dried and roasted nuts and fruit snack foods, has added a new variety, sliced chunked mango, to its convenient Grab Bag range of snacks.

European vending operator Selecta has raised €23,300 for UNICEF’s water project WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) to help 25,000 inhabitants of Gambia’s Upper River Region gain access to clean water. The cooperation started in summer 2009, with Selecta pledging to donate €20 to UNICEF for every one of their exclusive Seattle Water coolers sold in the UK and across Europe.

Aimia Foods is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Cryer to the position of Vending Sector Controller. Paul joined Aimia 18 months ago as National Account Manager, bringing with him a wealth of experience in vending from 13 years with Britvic Soft Drinks.

The strategic expansion of the GVS Assist group has meant that the organisation continues to grow at a phenomenal rate, despite the current economic conditions. From November 2010 GVS Assist will be providing a direct service to Southern Ireland.

The EVA has the pleasure of welcoming Susanne as the new Regulatory and Marketing Affairs Officer. Originally from Germany, Susanne Döring has been working in the Trade Association environment of Brussels for more than 18 years.

One of the UK’s oldest and most iconic brands, Kit Kat, celebrated its 75th Anniversary on 12 October.

Launched in 1935 in York under the brand name ‘Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp’, the name changed to Kit Kat in 1937 and today more than one billion Kit Kat products are eaten every year in the UK.

Selecta has teamed up with Mars for an exclusive ‘text to win’ promotion to celebrate the launch of new Twix fino®, the new and lighter version of the original Twix® with just 94 calories per piece..

The promotion offers Selecta consumers the chance to win one of four ipads and £50 worth of itunes gift cards every week between October 2010 and January 2011, as part of the £1.3m Twix fino® campaign.

This new and improved Chilli Mix, now containing sweet apricot kernels, is for spicy food lovers and is available in 30g sachets (55p), 200g pots (£3.50) and 500g pots (£7).

These guys have a ‘nice kick’ (not too serious though), for a tasty handy snack, or try them in a tuna and mayo sandwich, or throw them on salads, stir-fries, and curries!

In August, we explained the plans that the Royal Mint had to change the 5p and 10p coins and we urged members to get behind the campaign to protect our industry by writing to David Cameron. This change in coinage will save the Royal Mint around £7.5 million but it will cost our industry an extra £42m.

As of 1st October 2010 Shilling Investments owns Save A Cup Recycling Company Limited.

This is one of the first transactions of its kind, where a Social Entrepreneur has bought a private company for the purpose of creating a Social Enterprise and generating Social Returns.

The AVA has released the following information on Save A Cup:

“The objective was to establish a recycling platform for the trade which was independent of subsidy by the trade, and run on a commercial basis funded by charges made to clients for the service.

“The issue that Save A Cup faces is that charges to clients currently do not cover operating costs because there are not enough clients. The AVA has sold their shares in the company for a nominal sum and have retained their ownership of the name and the domain names which they have leased to the new owners. This is to ensure that we have a measure of control in the way in which the company is marketed to the end users etc.

The EVA AGM 2010 and the conference on “The ins and outs of European lobbying: speaking up for vending in Brussels today” are taking place at the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel in Brussels on 8 and 9 December. As always, a mix of networking and entertainment will be part of the programme.

The EVA has re-launched its blog with a new image and focus, in accordance with the rebranding of the association. (http://www.vending-europe.eu/en/blog.html)

Initially online in 2009 its success was rapidly overshadowed by the EVA’s other digital initiative, the LinkedIn Vending Group which now comprises nearly 400 members.

PepsiCo UK and Ireland has published its first Sustainable Farming Report detailing how the company will be working in partnership with 350 British farmers to reach its aim of ’50 in 5’.

The parent company of Walkers, Quaker, Tropicana and Copella is the largest buyer of British potatoes since switching to 100% British potatoes in 2007 for Walkers crisps. The company is also one of the UK’s largest purchasers of British oats and apples, using 100% British produce in Copella English Apple juice, Quaker Oats, Oat So Simple and Scott’s Porridge.

Abbeychart of Faringdon, in conjunction with One Water have successfully improved the lives of 5000 people by installing a PlayPump® at Mmanga Primary School in Malawi.

The PlayPump is a playground roundabout fixed to an underground pump. When the children play, they pump water from deep down. The fresh, clean water is then fed into storage tanks. Water quality is constantly checked.

Marco Beverage Systems, has become the exclusive distributor in the UK and Ireland for iconic US-built coffee grinders, Baratza. As passionate about innovation and cup quality as Marco, Baratza manufactures a range of grinders for the domestic/ professional marketplace, with coffee quality and user experience as fundamental cornerstones.

Gilchrist, a Sun Branding Solutions business brand, has picked up a prestigious Silver Award in the Food and Beverages category of this year’s Starpack Awards, following its work with leading tea brand Twinings.

The global branding and design implementation specialist, based in Bradford, has worked with Twinings for 6 years and won the award for its artwork on the tea brand’s innovative new Click Lock packaging, currently produced for the North American market.

Selecta has raised over a £1,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, after organising a series of fun filled coffee mornings across the UK.

As part of the vending operator’s sustainable approach, 23 coffee mornings were held at Selecta offices and client sites to support Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, helping the charity towards raising its £8 million target for people living with cancer.

USA Rice organised a seminar and interactive workshop earlier this month for Aramark chefs from across Scotland.

Aramark have approx 100 outlets in Scotland overseen by Mike Ball, Operations Director. More than 60 catering managers, chefs and head chefs attended the seminar held at Motherwell Catering College.

As part of Vendman’s march into Europe we were excited to exhibit at Vending Paris. The show is held in October every two years, at Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles. Exhibiting allowed us to introduce the benefits of the Vendman product to the European market and other suppliers in the international industry.

The road to sweet success!

We are a nation of confectionery lovers! Whether we turn to our favourite choice for a mid-day boost at work, for comfort, or a sporting moment – there is a time, and a snack, for all occasions. Stocking the right selection, and knowing what your customers want is crucial to ‘bagging’ sales opportunities and maintaining consistent momentum when it comes to sales.

Tayto Group Ltd have expanded rapidly over the last 5 years and is now positioned as a serious competitor in the market providing a comprehensive range of both branded and own label products. Brands within the company’s portfolio include Golden Wonder, Mr Porky Pork Scratchings, Real Crisps, Jonathan Crisp & Tayto NI.

Companies can make an internal and external statement that theirs is a company that cares, by investing in more environmentally friendly disposables. RPC Tedeco-Gizeh has designed a range of stickers for vending machines that enable customers who use the company’s B’Green cups to highlight their efforts to support the environment. Being seen to be green is clearly important for businesses but the opportunities to advertise your green credentials or enhance your corporate identity do not stop there.

At the end of 2009, the AVA began lobbying government when it heard that the UK vending industry may soon have to cope with the introduction of a new £1 coin due to an increasing number of counterfeits. With the Royal Mint and the Treasury under increasing pressure to improve services and cut costs, the issue of coinage has hit the headlines again. Vending International investigates…

This year NRI focuses on the currenza c2 airport, a coin changer with integrated SMS alarm functionality providing alarm messages like power down or exact change situation – in order to react quickly which increases machine uptimes. Due to the integrated GSM module it’s just Plug & Play at the vending machine. No fixed monthly cost and free back office software makes the system an extremely cost efficient solution.

The UK’s favourite one-day vending show returns this month (November 16) to Manchester’s Old Trafford, home of Manchester United Football Club. Vendex North, now into its sixth year, promises to once again deliver what the UK vending industry wants – a busy day of buying, selling and networking opportunities in a convivial and highly-charged atmosphere.

Automatic Vendors Ltd look forward to welcoming you to stand E30 on 16th November 2010 at Manchester United Football Club, where leading USI vending machines will be available for viewing and demonstration including Mercato, Alpine, Summit and Satellite ranges.

Leading German manufacturer of quality hot drinks dispensers, vending machines and product merchandisers, Sielaff, is exhibiting at Vendex North [Stand D12]. Star of the Show will be the recently launched Piacere bean-to-cup machine. Joining Piacere on the stand is the class-leading Robimat 75 robotic glass-fronted can & bottle vending machine and an entry level snack merchandiser, Snack 48.

Burton’s Foods are running a ‘Golden Ticket’ competition at this year’s Vendex North, offering visitors the chance to win a great selection of prizes, including an iPod Nano.

“To demonstrate how well our brands perform in vending we’re launching a unique Golden Ticket competition,” comments Chris Bampton, Business Account Manager for Burton’s Foods, Out of Home Snacking. “We’ll have a vending machine on the stand fully stocked with some of our leading products. A handful of these will have a Golden Ticket attached them – if a visitor picks a product with a ticket, they’ll win!”

Crem International UK Ltd have just launched the revolutionary C- Qube and C-Qube with Milk and will be exhibiting both machines at Vendex, Manchester, in November.

Both these stunning coffee machines are based upon new logic and vanguard technology and will change how people drink coffee in offices, canteens and board rooms round the world.

There are a number of opportunities for shops, pubs, restaurants, hotels and other leisure facilities to widen their profit margins with the help of new advances in vending. From drink and snack machines to vended ‘experiences’, why not add value to what you do and make life easier and more enjoyable for your customer in the process? Vending International takes a look at the latest in Leisure!

Back in 2008, an article in The Independent said that shopping is the top leisure activity, accounting for 37 per cent of all money spent in England. A trip to a shopping or garden centre now represents a family day out - a way to brighten up a rainy weekend. Retail outlets such as these have become truly exciting ‘lifestyle destinations’ in which the average person can access a range of leisure opportunities, quickly and simply.

H2ODirect is proud to launch their water filtration products to the vending and water cooler market. The specification and performance of our filters match or exceed the quality of the filters currently used amongst the industry but for a fraction of the price.