Abbeychart will be showing a number of new products which can be seen for the first time at BWCA including their ABC Value Range of in-line filters for cold and ambient water applications. The easy to change low-cost filters are ideal for vending, table-top, and POU water coolers to light commercial and under-sink installations, glass/dishwashers and small boilers. 

Packaging manufacturer Huhtamaki has won the prestigious Bunzl ‘Supplier of the Year 2009’ Award!

John Young, UK Foodservice Sales and Marketing Director, Huhtamaki Ltd said: “Huhtamaki is delighted to have won the title of Bunzl ‘Supplier of the Year 2009’ – an achievement we are very proud of! The Award is a result of Huhtamaki teamwork and the continual effort and support from every­  help service and supply Bunzl.”

Venditalia 2008 registered attendance figures of over 14,000 professional visitors, 49% of which were foreign visitors, and 269 exhibitors on a floor surface of 20,000 sqm, making Venditalia an ideal instrument for companies wishing to develop their business and approach the international Vending marketplace.

An N&W Sfera snack vending machine which takes Visa payWave contactless debit/credit cards plus also all contact chip cards (no pin) has been installed at the Visa Europe HQ by TouchGo Technology.

The Science Museum in London has launched a landmark exhibition highlighting the scientific heritage the world has inherited from Muslim civilisation. 1001 Inventions: Discover the Muslim Heritage in Our World, sponsored by the Jameel Foundation, traces the forgotten story of a thousand years of science from the Muslim world, from the 7th century onwards.

The European Vending Association is publishing its position paper on HFC gases. Following a regulation, which bans the use of these gases in the automobile industry, the vending industry has decided to take a step forward on this issue.

Kraft Foods prepares to launch more than 20 new food and beverage products in the first months of 2010, inspired by consumer trends for bold, adventurous tastes.

Florida orange yield falls due to cold weather and disease, which is expected to lead to global price increases, with the UK anticipating rises of 10-30%.

2010 is a milestone year for leading packaging manufacturer Huhtamaki, as the company celebrates its 90th anniversary!

Westomatic Vending Services Ltd has strengthened its UK sales team, with the appointment of Les Pearce as the new Vending Sales Manager for North England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In Cup Plus, makers of the innovative Xen range of automatic drinks vending systems, launch their latest offering. Set to open a new, untapped market for businesses who would never have considered a drinks vending system before the introduction of the PODULE

Extra Overview

Wrigley’s Extra® is the No.1 Sugar Confectionery brand in the UK, currently worth over £152m in sales. Sales of Extra® chewing gum alone are worth over £141m claiming a 57% value share of the gum category and nearly 12% share of the sugar confectionery category. Extra’s® extensive range of sugarfree products includes Extra® gum, Extra Ice® and Extra® Mints.

New 88-page Abbeychart catalogue details over 10,000 ‘big name’ vending products under six broad categories for easy reference: vending components, water and soft drinks, fittings and accessories, refrigeration, hygiene and cleaning.  Abbeychart’s new ABC low-cost filters and Abbeytap faucets are detailed, as are its refurbishment services and its E-shop for fast and easy online ordering.

After 34 years of innovation, the company that introduced the Polyvend, BevMax and Fastcorp vending machines into Europe is delighted to mark the new decade by launching a brand new range of unrivalled, full line vending machines from USI. 

Few would argue that 2009 was a difficult year for the UK Automatic Vending industry but early signs suggest that the market is slowly emerging from the malaise of the last 2 years.

TradeCoolersDirect.com (TCD), a division of the successful UK based cooler company, Water Coolers Direct (WCD), has recently expanded its team with the appointment of Nigel Elwick and Andy Burns, in sales and technical roles respectively.

Nescafé® Gold Blend® launches its brand new ‘Employee of the Month’ competition this February designed to help boost sales throughout 2010. Businesses will not only profit from this high impact campaign and increased brand awareness with improved sales of Nescafé® Gold Blend® but employers can get involved and enter too! The campaign couldn’t be easier – it simply identifies and rewards someone outstanding in your workplace that deserves special recognition.

REAL, the popular hand cooked crisps and chips brand is adding a new product to its range - Real D’Lites. Aimed at the health conscious consumer, D’Lites, the tasty snacks made from the root vegetable Cassava and contains less fat than regular crisps and is also only 83 calories per pack.

Jonathan brings to the AVA an impressive, 20 or so years of commercial experience, a significant proportion of which is in the finance, leasing and vending markets. His first role in the vending industry came as a specialist with Anglo Leasing and subsequently with Schroder Leasing and Siemens Financial Services, where he managed sales teams that were responsible for funding in excess of £200m of machines into the vending sector over a number of years. More recently as consultant to a number of vending companies, he has specialised in working with small to medium sized businesses and large food brands, advising and mentoring, while introducing new technology into the vending market.

Kraft Foods will be featuring its latest innovations at Hotelympia 2010. From coffee to biscuits there will be lots of exciting news for operators and distributors, so a visit to stand S2036 will be essential!

Nestlé Waters UK replaces Vittel with Nestlé Pure Life for the sponsorship of the 2010 London Marathon.

Tetra Pak CEO Dennis Jönsson predicts liquid dairy product consumption to fall 1.2% in developed markets in the short term, but expects long term global growth.

A compact convenient easy vend solution tailor-made to provide Snacks and Beverages to the European small location vending (SLV) industry, the Twist machine fits neatly into any corner, table or counter-top in the office space.

Ensuring that delegates were refreshed with clean, purified drinking water from a truly sustainable source throughout the conference, the COP 15 chose to install Waterlogic water dispensers to provide drinking water for all 19,000 plus delegates for the Copenhagen event.

Westomatic Vending Services Ltd, a leading UK vending machine manufacturer is now a supplier member of NIVO, the National Independent Vending Operators group.

Graham Kingaby, Managing Director of NIVO comments: “We at NIVO are delighted that we have been able to forge a new relationship with Westomatic as one our Supply Partners.

In November 2008, the Welsh government restricted the products that can be sold through vending machines in Welsh Hospitals without any consultation with the Vending industry.

Fearing that this would be extended to other parts of the UK, the AVA formed the Vending Choice Coalition (a group comprising of key food and beverage associations, major brand manufacturers and operator companies) whose aim is to ensure that vending is able to continue to offer a wide range of products in hospitals.

The AVA has received the following sad news from Richard Brinsley of Westomatic:

“It is with deep regret that I am writing to tell you that Martyn Davies passed away on Friday 11 December.

To add a little warmth to the cold, Aimia Foods has announced that its Galaxy hot chocolate brand will be one of the official sponsors at three seasonal ice rinks – The Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace and Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland.

From January 2010, the entire range of Kenco’s freeze dried coffees will be sourced from beans grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. The move is line with Kenco’s previous announcements and highlights Kraft Foods’, parent company of the Kenco Coffee Company, continued focus on sustainability and ethical sourcing.

David Hoskin, Chairman of Save-a-Cup Recycling Ltd reports that 2009 has been a year of change for Save a Cup with some internal re-organisation to ensure they continue to offer the level of service their clients have come to expect and want.

Entries from Laura Webster (Food On-The-Move), James Chambers (Environmentally-Friendly BioWare) and Amarpreet Brar (Beverages-To-Go) – winners of the Huhtamaki Capture The Cup Photographic Competition.

Packaging manufacturer Huhtamaki is delighted to announce the winners of its very first “Capture The Cup Photographic Competition” – Laura Webster, James Chambers and Amarpreet Brar from Leicester College were the respected winners of the Competition’s three categories, each receiving a cash prize!

General Vending Services is one of the latest group of successful companies to join a leading edge scheme, designed to help industry improve its safety record.

The Surrey-based firm recently received accreditation from SAFEcontractor, a programme which recognises very high standards of health and safety practice amongst UK contractors.

Harrogate Spa Water is joining the popcorn and pick-and-mix at the snack counters of Vue cinemas around the country. 750ml PET (plastic) bottles of the original British spa water will be available this month at Vue’s 66 locations around the country, including Leicester Square in London, which has hosted royal premieres for more than 60 years. It is estimated over 1.5 million bottles will be sold in the first year.

Tetra Pak announces that 75% of its cartons on sale in the UK and Ireland, around 1.5 billion units, will become Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified in the next year.

In the US, the New York State government will be able to implement its 5 cent bottle deposit tax on bottled water, after an injunction against the bill was lifted.

Lavazza, Italy’s favourite coffee, has appointed Gary Sanders as Head of Technical Services for the OCS/Vending division.

Gary has acquired vast knowledge with the Italian machine manufacturer N&W where he started work over 16 years ago when the company was still known as Zanussi Vending. As a founder member of the UK team he was instrumental in setting up the UK operation and played a key role in the growth of the company. 

The 2010 edition of the VENDING PARIS trade show will take place from 27 to 29 October in Paris at the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre, in partnership with the French vending association Navsa (Chambre Syndicale Nationale de Vente et Services Automatiques). Attracting more than 10,000 professionals and 200 exhibitors in 2008, VENDING PARIS has established itself as the industry’s key event.

With over 60 current European directives, either in discussion or nearing completion, likely to impact on the vending industry across Europe, the AVA has a key role to play in protecting its members’ interests and ensuring that the government does not impose unnecessary financial burdens on the vending industry.

The AVA are very sorry to announce that William Richie, a long standing member of the AVA, from Caledonian Vending and previously Sales Manager for GKN Sankey sadly passed away on Wednesday 11 November.

Congratulations to Steve Collins, AVA Quality Coordinator, as he completes 10 years service with the AVA.

Starting his career as a chef, Steve was quickly introduced to vending as his role widened. He became catering manager and took over responsibility for vending services. His career includes some big names such as Compass, JVH and Sodexho.

Creating more moments of pleasure, Cadbury the UK’s number one confectionery manufacturer has invested £1.5m behind an advertising campaign for Cadbury Flake.

The European Vending Association welcomes Simat, a Catalan company, specialised in the manufacture of soluble products for vending machines.

Simat has been producing soluble products since 1979, and has continued to adapt its products to the most innovative technologies, as well as maintaining the very best standards in human resources.

Leading European vending operator Selecta, is supporting UNICEF’s water project WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) to help give 25,000 inhabitants of Gambia’s Upper River Region access to clean water.

AIMIA FOODS LTD has joined NIVO from the 1st November 2009. This is a long term agreement that will include the full range of AIMIA services to the NIVO members.

Graham Kingaby, M.D. of NIVO explains, “Aimia has for many years held a special place in our industry, offering almost unique added value services for operators throughout the UK. Not just great products and a great service, but also additional support packages especially geared for the independent vending operator. I am sure that many members will find this a very powerful combination to help them, in turn, give great products and services to their own clients. I have every confidence that AIMIA will prove to be a very valuable addition to our NIVO offering to members.”

Caffè Culture has announced details of the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe’s conference programme to be hosted at its 2010 event (23–25 June). Europe’s largest coffee led event, Caffè Culture 2010, is set to attract the cream of the global coffee community to London for three days of business, networking, conferences and competitions.

One of the world’s largest paper and packaging products company, International Paper, has announced the appointment of Mike Gardner to the role of Sales and Market­ing Director in its European Foodservice operation.

Britvic is launching a new drench advertising campaign starring a hamster jazz band and demonstrates that best performances come from being hydrated.

Huhtamaki is well known for its innovative range of foodservice disposables and quality printing processes, which is why they were chosen by premium organic chocolate brand Green & Black’s to create a bespoke design for the 12oz paper hot cups ordered as part of their sponsorship of the Natural History Museum’s Ice Rink, as Natalie Brown, Senior Brand Manager, Green & Black’s explains:

“Open to the public from 5th November to 17th January, the Ice Rink at the Natural History Museum will be one of London’s most popular and spectacular winter attractions, and so it was essential that we maximised our sponsorship investment by ordering customised paper hot cups to promote the Green & Black’s brand.

Nestlé strengthens its commitment to sustainable cocoa sourcing by certifying its flagship UK confectionery brand

Nestlé UK has announced that Kit Kat, its leading confectionery brand and the UK’s favourite chocolate biscuit - will be certified Fairtrade in the UK and Ireland. This move follows the October launch of Nestlé’s global Cocoa Plan which represents a £65 million investment over the next ten years in programmes to address the key economic, social and environmental issues facing cocoa farming communities.

Wenlock Spring are celebrating after receiving 3 industry awards for their new glass bottled spring water range, at the 52nd BBI Gala Awards Dinner in London at Vintners Hall in London, on 23 November.

Lavazza, Italy’s leading coffee company, has created Espression, a new and innovative approach to coffee consumption, environment, service and quality. Ten Lavazza Espression cafés have already been opened worldwide and with the concept has been awarded the 2008 Grand Award for Restaurant Design at the A.R.E. Design Awards, sponsored by the Association for Retail Environments. Lavazza is looking forward to further opening across Europe in 2010.

United Biscuits (UBUK), a leading manufacturer of snacks, biscuits and cakes, is launching a diverse range of promotions, new products and reformulations to drive awareness and sales of its bagged snacks in 2010. An engaging Hula Hoops charity on-pack promotion and consumer event, a popular new addition to the McCoy’s range and further saturated fat reduction and a raft of new Phileas Fogg products all form part of actioned-packed start to 2010. They have been designed to support growth across all channels.

Recyclers of aluminium drinks cans and clean foil have caused a massive quarter of a million trees to be grown in the UK and Africa since 2004, thanks to a programme run by not for profit organisation, Alupro. A tree is grown for every tonne of aluminium recycled, with the recycling rate now 57% higher than when the programme started (35,900 tonnes in 2004 to 54,656 tonnes recycled in the 12 months to end June 2009).  

MEI has released a new version of its vending management software. MEI Easitrax ® 3.10 gives operators better access to the forecasting information they need to plan and service routes more efficiently.

After an extensive search the Automatic Vending Association (AVA) is delighted to announce the appointment of Jonathan Hilder as its new Chief Executive Officer. Jonathan will take up the role on 1 December 2009 and replaces Janette Gledhill, who left the AVA at the end of June after 16 years service.

In January 2009, in response to restrictions imposed on vending in hospitals in Wales, the AVA brought together the Vending Choice Coalition (VCC); a group comprising of a number of key Food and Beverage trade associations and major Brand owners.

The latest market penetration figures and figures for recognition of the FAIRTRADE Mark were released at the Fairtrade Foundation's annual Commercial Conference in September.

The research shows continued consumer confidence and business support for Fairtrade in the UK and confirms that the public is remaining loyal to Fairtrade during the economic slowdown.

AMS is delighted to announce the release of CyberKey Blue, the latest addition to the powerful CyberKey range that now includes CyberKey Plus, CyberKey Rechargeable and CyberKey Rechargeable XD.

The European Vending Association is pleased to welcome its latest new member: Vendin, a leading Spanish company specialised in the production of instant products supplying high quality ingredients for hot beverage vending machines. The EVA is pleased to have such an innovative new member aboard.

The latest must have fashion comes from a charity called Bottletop which has trained 33 people from their community project in Salvador, Brazil to make handbags using discarded ringpulls. The ringpulls are collected by the homeless who can earn £3 per kilogram - it takes 1,000 ringpulls and a day's work to make a bag.

The EVA's Annual General Assembly and the Workshop on the "Image of Vending", will take place in Brussels on 2 and 3 December 2009. Please note that the deadline to register for this event is the 15th of November.

The EVA / Datamonitor studies have been published recently and were very well received by the industry. EVA are confident that they will be of interest to all of you! The studies are a 290-page report, with dozens of insights and trends on the market and on the consumers behaviour and are the first of their kind to provide an integrated and comprehensive understanding of the vending industry on a European and country by country basis.

Cadbury plc has confirmed it notes the announcement on 30 September by the Takeover Panel Executive that it has imposed a deadline of 5.00pm on 9 November 2009, by which time Kraft Foods Inc must, unless the Takeover Panel Executive consents otherwise, either announce a firm intention to make an offer for Cadbury under Rule 2.5 of the UK Takeover Code, or announce that it does not intend to make an offer for Cadbury.

Lavazza, Italy's favourite coffee, has launched its 18th iconic photographic calendar and pan European advertising campaign.

Photographed by the influential British photographer Miles Aldridge, the 2010 Lavazza calendar illustrates ‘The Italian Espresso Experience' through Italian music. The 2010 Calendar, featuring six of the world's most famous models, takes inspiration from six well known Italian songs, such as Nessun Dorma. The songs have then been brought to life through Aldridge's retro inspired images.

The global food industry is targeting the GCC market as an opportunity for future growth, as GCC spending on food imports is set to more than double from US$ 24 billion in 2008 to US$ 49bn by 2020 according to a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Silke Ruschke, Huhtamaki Marketing Manager for Central Europe, has been appointed as the first Chairperson of the EVA‘s Cup Committee.

The European Vending Association set up the Cup Committee a year ago for the purpose of promoting disposable cup use in vending machines. After initial meetings, Silke Ruschke was unanimously elected as Chairperson by all Cup Committee members.

Working in conjunction with distributor Seymour Valentine, Lavazza has been bringing Italy's favourite coffee to the UK offices of a leading American financial services firm.

With the current economic climate encouraging higher coffee consumption in the workplace as employees cut back on visits to local cáfes, it is important to have a system in place that really delivers in terms of quality and investment.

Vending International apologises to Aimia Foods for an inaccuracy contained in last month's editorial feature "A Drink that Tastes as Good as it Looks" (page 16) which included the incorrect statement: "Pour Moi has said its premium Douwe Egberts offer is popular with public sites..."

The 11th Sandwich & Snack Show is the window on trends in the snack industry. The show's line-up will be boosted by new tools and special events focusing on innovation and market analysis.

October 2009 once again saw California Raisins exhibiting at ANUGA, the world's largest food show.

Peter Meadows and Iain Forbes dealt with a number of trade enquiries during the 6 day event and conducted some useful discussions with various traders from all 4 corners of the globe.

The launch of Minima Office at Total Workplace 2009 exceeded even the most optimistic expectations of British company Minima.

Minima Office offers business a compact, low-cost solution to the problems associated with recycling plastic drinks bottles and metal cans. Elegant and discrete, the new machine allows consumers to crush drinks cans and bottles, thereby reducing the space required to store re-cyclables prior to their removal from the premises. It cuts down the number of journeys too, handing environmentally conscious employers a double-whammy of energy and cost-saving benefits.

Despite the global financial crisis and the H1N1 influenza virus outbreak, the 6th China International Vending & Kiosk Show 2009 continued to receive strong support from  international communities. There were 7718 attendees, which include 1181 international attendees, accounting for 15%. They came from 35 countries and regions: 56% from Asia, 15% from North America, 13% from Europe, 6% from South America, 6% from Australia and New Zealand, and 4% from Africa.

The Paper Cup Company are pleased to announce the opening of a new distribution centre, allowing for a quicker and more personalised service, particularly for customers in the North of England and Scotland. Their existing customers throughout the UK will immediately see the benefits that this facility will offer.

Britvic has announced that Tango is once again the fastest growing fruit carbonate drink in the category following a series of successful marketing campaigns.

Cadbury Dairy Milk has created its first ever single, inspired by Ghanaian music and celebrating Cadbury Dairy Milk becoming Fairtrade certified. Ghana is the heart of Cadbury Dairy Milk's Fairtrade cocoa, so Cadbury decided to film the latest Glass and a Half Full Production there and work with Ghanaian musicians to create a magical follow up to ‘Gorilla', ‘Trucks' and ‘Eyebrows'. 

Bettavend automatic vending machines for hot beverages and cold drinks have been changed over to using 3M ScaleGard Pro water filtration systems from Pelican Technical Solutions for their advantage of protecting equipment from the detrimental effects of scale build-up and minimising corrosion at the same time as removing excess chlorine and other unpleasant tastes and odours from drinks.

United Biscuits (UBUK), a leading manufacturer of snacks, biscuits and cakes, has launched a range of savoury snacks 35p Price Marked Packs, available now, to help retailers and their customers beat the economic downturn. The new selection of Price Marked Packs includes the biggest selling flavours of Hula Hoops (Original, Salt & Vinegar, Cheese & Onion and BBQ) Skips, and Wheat Crunchies (Spicy Tomato and Crispy Bacon) and will help retailers to increase sales and provide greater value to their customers.

Cadbury rejected a £10.2bn cash and shares bid from Kraft Foods in the US, sparking talk of a bidding war with the prospect of Nestlé and Hershey making a joint move being mooted.

Lavazza, Italy's favourite coffee, has published their quarterly Newsletter - "Gazzetta Lavazza" promoting its OCS & Vending area of the business in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Epifany Properties, a US real estate investment management firm, is encouraging residential property owners to install vending machines as a way to increase property revenues.

Nescafé has launched its biggest ever marketing campaign. The campaign, known as ‘Coffee at its Brightest^TM' spans in-home and out-of-home markets providing a compelling platform for caterers and B&I to up-sell the brand and add value to their own beverage offer.

In 1964, when Birmingham engineer Frank Maxwell began making coffee machines in his garden shed, he couldn't have imagined that his hobby would become one of the region's most successful manufacturing companies.

Westomatic expands sales team in the South

UK vending machine manufacturer, Westomatic Vending Services Ltd, has strengthened its UK sales team, with the appointment of Lucy Hart as the new Business Development Manager for the South.

Following the successful relaunch in March this year, Danone Waters has announced that the Volvic brand has been recognised as the greenest soft drink in an independent assessment of grocery products.

UK company Minima has announced that it is to reveal its flagship product Minima Office at the Total Workplace Management 2009 show, taking place at Olympia on 7-8 October. Minima Office offers business a compact, low-cost solution to the problem of recycling plastic drinks bottles and metal cans.

To help retailers capitalise on the extra sales opportunities at Halloween, United Biscuits UK, is launching two seasonal limited edition variants, McVitie's Jaffa Cakes Lemon and Slime and Jaffa Cakes Spooky Mini Rolls.

A new category of refreshment beverages designed to soothe and relax rather than stimulate and energise is emerging in the US.

When it comes to serving gourmet beverages like speciality coffees, it has become commonplace for operators to recognise the importance of training, which has led to a rise in skilled baristi who can be found in coffee shops and cafés up and down the UK!

Slazenger S1 sports drinks are now available to independent retailers throughout the London area in 69p price marked packs.

The new packs create an opportunity to capitalise on a previously untapped market for a branded sports drink at a value for money price point in the steadily growing sports drinks sector. The rebranded bottles stand out on shelf and encourage impulse purchasing by consumers, which will help boost sales.

Richard Hall, Chairman of Zenith International, specialist consultants to the food and drink industries worldwide, reports in his beverage industry blog that the pace of food and drink company acquisitions continued unabated over the summer months.

Boost your sales by creating some monstrously good Halloween treats with California Raisins this autumn.

The ‘healthy eating' message is important throughout the year, but certain celebrations call for some mischief. Halloween is a festival all about indulging in a little wickedness, and your customers will be looking for cookies, cakes, muffins and pies with that little something special.

Universal Smart Cards has strengthened its management team with the appointment of Deyrick Allen as sales manager based in the north west.

Food and drink suppliers may be finding life tough in the recession, but their enthusiasm for product development remains undimmed, new research reveals.

Ty Nant Natural Mineral Water, famed for its iconic cobalt blue glass bottles, are delighted to announce their involvement with the Pink Ribbon Foundation and the launch of a new ‘Pink' version of their curvaceous ‘ice like' bottle to help raise awareness of breast cancer this October.

Rexam, the world's largest beverage can manufacturer, is delighted to announce that its Milton Keynes plant was Highly Commended by the judges at the Best Factory Awards held on Friday 18th September.

September is harvest time for California Raisin grapes, and many growers in the region are currently drying their crop on paper in the open air. Naturally, this drying process relies upon steady sunshine, which can usually be expected at this time of year in the region. Of course, the weather is never something that can be guaranteed, and light rain in the middle of the month caused nerves to heighten amongst packers.

Swan Mill Paper Company Ltd (‘Swantex') and F Bender Ltd (‘Benders'), two of the UK's leading food services manufacturers have announced the sale of Benders' tabletop business to Swantex.  The deal will complete in early January 2010. 

Hot chocolate drinkers can now enjoy pure indulgence while at work following today's launch of Galaxy® hot chocolate. Available exclusively to Mars Drinks customers, this premium addition to the Flavia® hot drinks range is made with real Galaxy chocolate.

Britvic has reduced the amount of glass in bottles of its much-loved juice drink J2O as part of its ongoing work to reduce packaging and energy use within its corporate responsibility programme.

Abbeychart's new ABC ‘Value Range' injection moulded polypropylene in-line cartridge filters for use in cold and ambient water applications combine ease of fitting and changing with an affordable price for low-cost and low use applications from vending, table-top and POU water coolers to light commercial and domestic under-sink installations, glass/ dishwashers and small boilers.

Mobile Star Corp. is developing an entertainment vending machine that provides a personal karaoke experience. The free-standing booth enables an individual to digitally record their voice singing to hundreds of songs. The unit then publishes a computerized disc featuring the singer's voice and the selected background music.

Creating more moments of pleasure, Cadbury is introducing a host of exciting plans to bring magical moments to Christmas 2009.

Manufacturers are developing ever more energy efficient equipment, as well as looking at ways their designs can save on the use of other resources such as water. However, it's not always necessary to buy new models to save energy - there are plenty of ways to minimise the consumption of resources on the equipment already installed.

United Biscuits UK (UBUK) is bringing back Mini Cheddars to the UK's TV screens after an 11 year absence in a £1m, eight week campaign to further drive sales growth. The advertising will emphasise the brand's personality and the fact that the range is now made with real cheese.

Cucina is among the first contract caterers in the country to use Red Tractor meat showing Cucina's commitment to sustainable catering.

An unusual pairing between Nestle Japan and Ito En has seen the release of a vegetable flavoured confectionery called KitKat Enhancement Vegetables. The ingredient lists boasts apple, carrot, grape, lemon, celery, capsicum, asparagus, chinese cabbage, kale, parsley, cabbage, herbs, radish, and spinach. The back of the box states that the vegetable powder is in the cream between the wafers, and the apple and carrot flavour is in the chocolate coating.

Creating more moments of pleasure, Cadbury is excited to announce that Wispa Gold has returned for a limited run. The iconic Wispa Gold is available in-store from September 14th while stocks last. 

Campaigners at the Children's Food Campaign have welcomed Government initiatives to improve the quality and take-up of school meals, but called for more investment on school facilities so that all pupils have the opportunity to enjoy hot midday meal freshly prepared on site.

Cevat Riza, Managing Director of Seymour Valentine, one of the UK's most successful privately-owned vending companies, has unveiled a re-branded and refurbished Fairgrounds Ethical Coffee House in Soho.

LIW, the largest show for the leisure industry, is introducing 21 initiatives this year to celebrate its 21st birthday.

The Fairtrade Foundation has appointed Mike Gidney to the role of Deputy Executive Director in a move that will help the organisation deliver its ambitious objectives for 2012. These include increasing the impact Fairtrade is having on poverty, doubling the number of producers who benefit from Fairtrade and reaching £2bn in annual sales in the UK.

Coca-Cola Enterprises sets a target to reduce its carbon footprint by 15% by 2020 as part of its ‘Commitment 2020' program.

In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority rules that Scandinavian dairy cooperative Arla Foods can continue advertising its lactose-free milk after it rejected a claim that the advert was misleading.

Lavazza, Italy's favourite coffee, has partnered up with Slow Food UK to support the growing interest and awareness of the Slow Food movement in the UK. The partnership underpins Lavazza's affinity with the world of gastronomy and culinary innovation, coupled with its interest in sustainable and quality produce.

Marco Beverage Systems, one of Europe's leading designers and manufacturers of filter coffee making equipment and water boilers, has made its products available on CaterQuotes software.

A new fast and economical installation and maintenance service for the vending and beverage industries covering the entire UK mainland has been announced by filter specialist Pelican Technical Services.

Aluminium cans are now being used to sell mobile phone SIM cards from vending machines in the Ukraine thanks to Rexam's innovative technology. The move is designed to appeal to a younger audience who are looking for a quick and convenient sales platform.

The unique partnership between bottled water brand Thirsty Planet and the charity Pump Aid has earned them a coveted place on the shortlist of the Third Sector Excellence Awards. The awards recognise outstanding work by registered charities, not-for-profits, social enterprises and campaigning groups.

The TUCO exhibition is the annual conference of the University Caterer's organisation, and is regularly well attended by caterers, chefs and those in charge of catering options for universities across the UK. The event showcases foodservice and vending products, previews new launches, and gives visitors a chance to speak directly to the experts. This year's event at the University of Birmingham was attended by Vending Operator Seymour Valentine in collaboration with Lavazza, Italy's favourite coffee. 

Grolsch has introduced the new ‘Cool meter' on their cans in the Netherlands, using a recently developed Thermochromic ink. This temperature sensitive ink, which has been developed in partnership with Rexam, indicates when the beer inside is cold enough to drink. The ink, which begins to change colour at 11°C, turns blue when the beer has reached the ideal drinking temperature (between 6° - 8° C). The new ‘Cool meter' will be available on all Grolsch 330ml cans in the Netherlands from this summer on.

Creating more moments of pleasure, Cadbury is thrilled to announce that Trebor, the UK's leading mint brand, is now extending its offering into the gum category with the introduction of Trebor Extra Strong Gum. In addition to the launch, Trebor has also re-designed the UK's number one selling mint range, Trebor Extra Strong Mints and Trebor Softmints with a strong, bold, contemporary new design.

H2O International UK has been established as the sole UK distributor of a water filtration/ purification system at the heart of a range of water filtering products for commercial and domestic use with a pedigree of proven success in the USA and South Africa over the past 20 years.

The Kenco Coffee Company now offer a fantastic total solution to serving hot drinks on-the-go with the introduction of the new Kenco FreshSeal 2Go. The simple to operate hot drinks system works in conjunction with Kenco FreshSeal products and makes it possible to serve great quality branded hot drinks even in the most operationally challenged environments!

In the current economic climate we are all looking at ways to reduce outgoings and increase efficiencies. Responding to the drive to cut costs, GiroVend are pleased to announce the launch of their HOSTED cashless payment solution, the simplest and most cost effective way to introduce a cashless solution into your organisation.

Huhtamaki is proud to be a founding member of The Paper Cup Recovery & Recycling Group, which, following successful trials at several mills around the UK, is now able to recycle paper cups - including those manufactured by Huhtamaki!

The launch is supported by a massive £7 million media campaign including TV and outdoor advertising, digital, sampling and PR; all strategically designed to target a 16-34 year old audience, to drive awareness and trial and increase category growth. The campaign even includes a 4-week presence on the BFI IMAX in London. In addition, Nestlé Professional® has produced a range of stand-out POS material to help maximise impulse sales and drive revenues within the Out of Home sector.

Huhtamaki is proud to be a founding member of The Paper Cup Recovery & Recycling Group, which, following successful trials at several mills around the UK, is now able to recycle paper cups - including those manufactured by Huhtamaki!

Nebrak is one of the latest group of successful companies to join a leading edge scheme, designed to help industry improve its safety record.

If you're developing new products, or enhancing old ones, be it in the bakery, confectionery, snacking or foodservice markets, why not give California Raisins a try?

The company, Jakob Gerhardt GmbH, was created in 1969 as a trading company for Vending machines, ingredients and technical service. Its founder, Mr. Jakob Gerhardt, had an idea to manufacture a vending machine for hot drinks that would feature improvements in comparison to other regular vending machines in 1994. The result today is a company that has become a leader in the vending machine manufacturers industry, managed successfully by Mr. Gerhardt's two sons, Bernd and Ralf. Its products combine workmanship, sound innovative technology and design.

The European Vending Association has announced the launch of its vending market and consumer survey, co-drafted with the premium business information and market analysis provider, Datamonitor.

Packaging manufacturer Huhtamaki has revamped its hugely successful Specialty cup design to give it a fresh NEW look!

The Green Week is the biggest annual conference on European environment policy.  In its ninth edition held 23-26 June 2009 in European Commission's Charlemagne Building, Brussels, the European Commission focused on climate change, under the slogan "Climate change: act and adapt". For the second consecutive year, the European Vending Association attended the event as an exhibitor.

Pelican Technical Solutions of Waterlooville has been appointed sole UK distributor of the internationally known Expresso range of small goods handling equipment specially designed for beverage and food products.

Abbeychart, supplier of quality components for the vending industry, has introduced a new free brochure containing details of hundreds of standard spare parts for most makes of espresso machines plus filters, cleaning products and consumables. The fast-track service is ideal for owner operators and service engineers needing parts fast.

Britvic and PepsiCo have announced a new initiative with Nokia with an on-pack promotion giving Pepsi consumers the opportunity to win a Nokia 5800 Comes With Music every 10 minutes. 

One in five companies in the UK Automatic Vending industry could change ownership as a result of the current economic climate, claims a new study by leading financial analysts Plimsoll. With a surprising number of "cash rich" competitors waiting in the wings, the market could be set for a prolonged period of consolidation.

UK beverage machine manufacturer Westomatic Vending Services, has worked with Northern Ireland catering organisation, Mount Charles, to provide an innovative hot beverage catering solution to Moy Park Ltd.

Irish food and ingredients firm Kerry Group, opens US$50m innovation and technical centre in Wisconsin, US to provide product solutions for America's food and beverage industries.

The Coca-Cola Company wins Point of Sale category award at the 2009 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival for its new interactive video vending machine, developed in partnership with Samsung.

Barry Callebaut, the world's leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, signed an agreement with MISP Holding to acquire 100% of the shares of its subsidiary Eurogran A/S, with immediate effect. The acquisition of Eurogran underscores Barry Callebaut's strategic intention to further strengthen its position in the European chocolate and cappuccino vending mix business and to participate in the consolidation of this market.

The first snapshot of how the automatic vending market is changing as a result of the UK economic slowdown has just been released by industry analysts Plimsoll Publishing.

Liverpool City Council's decision to stock Thirsty Planet bottled water in vending machines in all of its 15 leisure centres has benefited 20 rural communities in Malawi and Zimbabwe which now have a constant supply of clean and disease-free water for the first time.

UK drinks firm Nichols announces positive results for Q1 2009, driven by strong sales of core brand Vimto, up 11.8%.

We all know by now that consuming fruit and vegetables every day is vital in preventing disease and fatal illness. And it's easier than it sounds to make up this quota. A piece of fruit after each meal or as a snack, and vegetables with both lunch and dinner, and you're nearly there. But don't forget the simple snacks too. California Raisins are a great way to add an extra portion to your diet, and they contain all the healthy goodness that fruits are famous for.

Proctor & Gamble will have to pay a tax bill of £100m for past VAT, plus a further £20m a year, after judges ruled that its Pringles snack contains "enough potato content".

Aimia Foods has acquired Spring Cool Soft Drinks from Norbev, the Northern Ireland-based soft drinks, packaged water and juice producer. The Spring Cool Soft Drinks business with a £3 million turnover sells products such as Spring Cool Irish Spring Water, Spring Clear 105, and Spring Cool X-ite - all of which will be integrated into Aimia Foods' portfolio with immediate effect.

Vendia announced record sales growth of over 5% - beating the Group's trading budget by 2% - with profit levels reaching a five-year high during 2008 and also achieved industry recognition in 2008 with its Café Joe range of Fairtrade hot beverages being nominated as a finalist in the industry's Brand Innovation Awards.  

The European Vending Association announced its new alliance with the European Point-of-use Drinking Water Association (EPDWA) on June 11. The cooperation will benefit both Associations, being both complementary in their activities.

Motivated employees are key to a successful business, especially in the current economic climate. Research carried out by Mars Drinks highlights the need to maintain core benefits to keep employee morale high and at the peak of their abilities.

The Rainforest Alliance, an international non-profit conservation organisation, announces its 2009 honourees at its annual gala on 6 May at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Sustainability commitments from global businesses continue to grow despite the current economic recession, helping to further on-the-ground conservation efforts. The annual gala recognises companies and individuals - which includes UK tea favourite, Lipton - for their work with the Rainforest Alliance on making sustainable supply chain decisions or for their long-time support of conservation work. 

Nestlé Professional® UK, part of Nestlé® SA - the world's largest food and Drink Company has further strengthened its presence in the leisure sector with the announcement of its collaboration with one of the biggest and most exciting brands in the business - Merlin Entertainments Group. Nestlé Professional® will be enhancing its relationship with Merlin through its Yorkie® sponsorship of Stealth at THORPE PARK.

Independent service maintenance providers for all types of vending equipment, Technical Vending Services was founded by Brian Savage, a name known by many in the industry. Brian began as a young lad working with companies such as DAG & Banbury Drinks as a sales and technical rep and has never really wandered out of the Vending trade; over the years meeting many people who have themselves developed independent businesses in the Vending industry today.

Harrogate Spa Water, Britain's original spa water, has signed a deal to become the official water supplier to two major golf tournaments for the next two years.

Marco Beverage Systems has announced the appointment of Daniel Versey to the post of National Accounts Manager in the UK.

Thousands of farmers from Latin America to Africa will benefit as a coffee company passionate about quality and an international conservation organisation dedicated to protecting biodiversity launch a new phase of collaboration. The Rainforest Alliance and Nestlé Nespresso have signed a pact called "Ecolaboration". One of the shared goals is to reduce the environmental impacts and increase the social benefits of coffee cultivation in enough tropical regions so that 80% of Nespresso's coffee comes from Rainforest Alliance Certified^TM farms by the year 2013.

Café Bar recognises the need build on its commitment to brands and organisations supporting the developing world. With many suppliers working in partnership with recognisable organisations who support the needs of underprivileged farmers and producers - it is easier than ever to make conscientious buying decisions when selecting a product or supplier.

Vivreau continues its overseas expansion with the launch of its Swiss  and Canadian operations. The moves follow the recent successful establishment of Vivreau USA.

Leading brands, Café Bar and Autobar (both part of the Autobar Group) have grown significantly over the past 5 years in the UK. 

The NIVO buying group has selected The Fuelcard People as its strategic fuel cards partner, to help its 240+ members to reduce and control vehicle running costs. NIVO chose The Fuelcard People following trials across the country during March 2009. These trials analysed service levels and savings and were carried out for NIVO by existing members. Graham Kingaby, NIVO managing director said: "NIVO exists to achieve value for members and this deal will offer them major savings from lower fuel costs and reduced administration. Fuel cards should offer more than just discount fuel and our recent trials have confirmed that The Fuelcard People offers our members the best combination of service, savings and security."

McVitie's Minis, the mini versions of the nation's favourite McVitie's biscuits, arrived on UK TV screens for the first time on 1 May. The TV advertising forms part of a broader £1.6 million marketing campaign to raise awareness of the brand and create sales and profit opportunities for retailers.

Watchdogs have banned an advertisement for pomegranate drink POM Wonderful that promised buyers that the drink would help them ‘cheat death', because it won't really make them immortal. The poster showed a bottle of the juice with a severed noose around its neck and the strapline: "Cheat death - the antioxidant power of pomegranate juice."

Multi Vend Solutions, the Halifax based vending machine refurbishment company are pleased to announce their transfer from probationary membership of the AVA to full membership, following successful accreditation to the AVA Quality Standard.

Unilever announce the launch of a global salt reduction strategy for its foods portfolio, covering more than 22,000 products.

GlaxoSmithKline's Ribena factory at Coleford, in the Forest of Dean in Gloucester in the UK, has been given the go-ahead to build a £70m bottling plant.

After many months spent contesting the Ofcom/FSA rulings regarding advertising certain foods to children, California Raisins have announced that raisins now pass the Nutrient Profile set out by the Food Standards Agency.

The e-Payments & Payment Card Solutions Conference 2009 concentrates on all aspects of Electronic & Commercial Card Payment Solutions and Services with a series of leading edge presentations, case studies, exhibitors and solution providers individual break-out sessions and workshops.

Huhtamaki is supporting the "Allegra Strategies UK Coffee Leader Summit 2009", a day of thought provoking debate and networking opportunities which is sure to develop delegate's existing knowledge and ideas of the UK coffee shop sector.

The AVA has organised the first in a series of training courses for vending engineers at N&W Global, on Friday 15th May 2009. This first course is focused on drink vending's principal raw material - water. The course ensures that engineers have an in-depth knowledge of issues such as drink quality, scale, water regulations and microbiology, making sure the service they offer to vending specifiers can continue to increase in quality.

Chester's funky DEE 106.3 radio teamed up with local bakery P A Davies and California raisins to help publicise California Raisins £1,000 holiday to the United States last month.

UK soft drinks company AG Barr posts a 14.4% increase in FY2008 sales to £169.7m, with an 8% rise in sales of its flagship Irn-Bru brand.

Mars Inc, and the Rainforest Alliance have unwrapped ambitious new goals in their ongoing campaign to help cocoa farmers get on the path towards sustainability.

PepsiCo is to trial a new all-natural refrigeration system in its Pepsi-Cola vending machines in Washington DC, according to FoodWeek Online.

Packaging manufacturer Huhtamaki is showing its support to this year's BEV-E Awards by sponsoring the ‘Coffee Cart/Mobile' sector.

Gatorade is to a launch a classic British flavour exclusively to the UK - blackcurrant. New blackcurrant flavour Gatorade will contain no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners and no preservatives, in line with the rest of Gatorade's UK soft drinks portfolio.

Mars Drinks has launched a new revitalisation and modernisation project to improve conditions for over 1,700 farms based at the Kandara Farmers Cooperative in Kenya.

Kraft Foods has launched an exciting and unique new chocolate biscuit snack specially designed for on-the-go snacking. Perfect for vending, Mikado is a sweet treat which offers consumers a great alternative to standard countlines which have tended to dominate vending.

Caffè Culture is delighted to announce its continued support for Macmillan's World's Biggest Coffee Morning following a successful launch of the partnership in 2008, which helped the event to raise a staggering £7.7 million. Macmillan will again be present at the show, which takes place on the 20 and 21 May at Olympia, London, with a clear message for all visitors - coffee morning is good for business.

After 130 years, world-famous rugby region, the Scarlets left their famous Stradey Park ground and moved to a new home, Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli. This new, high tech 15,000 seat stadium has cost over £23m to build and was 14 months in construction. The budget for catering equipment alone amounted to half a million pounds and Space Catering, one of the UK's leading specialists in catering solutions, won the contract to design, supply and install the entire catering infrastructure. In turn, Space Catering appointed Marco Beverage Systems to provide the beverage equipment.

Cadbury Wispa is back on TV with a series of 10-second TV ads based on the "For the Love of Wispa" campaign.

The European Vending Association has created "The 24/7 blog" (www.vending-europe.eu/en/blog.html) and a Linkedin group, "The Vending Group" (www.linkedin.com).

Cups of hot sweet tea, packs of organic rice cakes, small bags of raisins, cheese and tomato sandwiches and drinking yogurts are just some of the products that are deemed ‘unhealthy' and are now banned from hospital vending machines in Wales thanks to new regulations introduced by Health Ministers.

AVA recently conducted a successful trial of the first in a series of training courses for vending engineers. The first course focused on drink vending's principal raw material - water. By ensuring that engineers had an in-depth knowledge of issues such as drink quality, scale, water regulations and microbiology the service they offer to vending specifiers can continue to increase in quality.

The Bunn-O-Matic Corporation recently strengthened and expanded its sales and service team.

National Vegetarian Week 2009 18-24 May 2009 is sponsored by Cauldron Foods. Cauldron Foods together with the Vegetarian Society are encouraging more people to discover the possibilities and benefits of vegetarian cooking.

Lavazza, Italy's favourite coffee, has launched its quarterly Newsletter - "GAZZETTA LAVAZZA" promoting its OCS & Vending area of the business in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Cadbury is excited to announce the launch of the Cadbury bitesize range. Activity will run from April, with strong marketing to support the launch including a new TV advert, sampling, POS and in-store merchandising, with a total investment to the value of £3m.

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA), in partnership with Vending Management Services Limited (VMSL), is pleased to announce the upcoming pilot of their Cashless Payment System and Cashless Reconciliation Engine (CRE) for Coke Vending. Coca-Cola Amatil is launching into credit card and scheme-based debit card payments at vending machines.

A study published by Siemens Financial Services (SFS) shows that nearly three in every four firms in the UK (71.5%) have invested in energy-saving equipment, ranging from ‘greener' office facilities, technology and vehicles to manufacturing or medical equipment. Furthermore, over a half (54.9%) have acquired equipment with a reduced carbon footprint.

People with high blood pressure or heart disease should avoid consuming energy drinks, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study

Highland Spring acquires Scottish bottled water firm Speyside Glenlivet Water with immediate effect, buying it out of administration.

Lavazza, Italy's favourite coffee, has once again served dedicated fashionistas their beverage of choice at February 2009 London Fashion Week, as part of the brand's established sponsorship of the famous fashion event.

The National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) will exhibit the returning Corporate Social Responsibility Showcase at the Spring Expo in Las Vegas.

Fracino, the UK's only manufacturer of coffee and espresso machines, has supplied the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy - host of the 2012 sailing events - with a Cybercino coffee machine.

Abbeychart has introduced new temperature sensitive self-adhesive safety warning stickers which turn from plain black to display a bright red CAUTION HOT warning if the surface heats to 50°C to prevent accidental burns.

Crane Merchandising Systems, a division of Crane Co., has announced that it will close its St. Louis area manufacturing facility in order to consolidate its vending equipment manufacturing operations in Williston, SC. 

In early March workers at the London Underwriting Centre were posed with an alternative City trading question - the actual worth of their tea or coffee. Ethical Trading Day was implemented by leading drinks vending provider Seymour Valentine and supported by Mars Drinks.

The Vendia Group has won an exclusive contract with Liberation, the world's only 100% Fairtrade Nut company, to market ‘Harry's Nuts!' - the Fairtrade salted peanuts from comedian Harry Hill - through its network of 4000 vending machines operating in offices and sports clubs throughout the UK.

Leading UK beverage machine manufacturer Westomatic Vending Services has hit the ground running in 2009 with an innovative series of customer roadshows.

Aimia Foods, independent supplier of hot and cold beverages, has expanded its vending offer with the introduction of Freshers Granulated Hot Chocolate.

Something new for visitors to AVEX 2009!  They will receive a unique cheque book of special offers from exhibitors, being produced by Vending International. The cheques (which will not bounce - important in the current economic climate!) are sponsored by exhibitors who recognise the opportunity to offer an incentive (small or, perhaps, large) to visitors to drop in on their stands during the show.

Cadbury has just launched Bassetts Red Liquorice Allsorts, which will include the introduction of a new character on-pack, called Betty.

Capita was fed up with the lack of face-to-face contact it had with the suppliers of its coffee vending machines, which were felt to be bulky and energy inefficient. Seymour Valentine, an experienced, privately-owned vending sale and after-sales service company, was appointed to improve the service.

Building on its range of kiosk printers, DED has introduced the Star Micronics TUP500 - based on the tried and tested TUP900 model, known worldwide for providing effective printing solutions in a host of applications. The new TUP500 brings new features along with versatility to the kiosk printing marketplace.

Operators are set to enjoy a boost to their sales with the launch of the latest McCoy's limited edition variant, McCoy's Twisted, from United Biscuits. This takes classic McCoy's flavours and adds a twist of chilli, and includes a Salt & Malt Vinegar with Chilli 50g handy pack and a multipack of three packs of Salt & Malt Vinegar with Chilli and three packs of Cheddar & Onion with Jalapeno.

Visitors to Ramada Jarvis hotels across the UK can now enjoy great tasting refreshments from Mars Drinks at any time of day. This forms part of a three-year extension agreement between Mars Drinks and Ramada Jarvis for Flavia machines across the hotel group's UK sites.

Gatorade, the world's most researched sports drink, is to help consumers Gear Up for 2009 with £1000 of sports kit to give away every day in a new on-pack promotion, designed to tap into consumers' fitness resolutions in 2009 and to drive trial of Gatorade around this market opportunity.

Bunzl Coffee Point has retained its business with law firm Dickinson Dees following a hard-fought tender process. The new deal will see the installation of 22 top-of-the-range vending machines in the company's premises in Newcastle and the Tees Valley.

Wall's is introducing a new range of savoury pastries. With its reputation for quality ingredients and traditional recipes already established among its loyal consumer base, the extension into pastries and pies is a natural progression.

Eating smart is all about being clued-up to make better choices available to you. Calorie-counting can become tedious, says Powerfruits, and often when you feel like you're depriving yourself of your favourite snack, you want it even more. How­ever, you don't need to worry about feeding cravings or feeling deprived again if you substitute your usual ‘sweet' or ‘calorific' snack for a tasty Powerfruit Fruit Supplement Bar.

Bottled water supplier Liquidcool has launched the UK's first mint-flavoured waters, containing no calories, and no added sugar, sweeteners or preservatives.

EAO has extended its range of robust keypads with the new S.series Lite - the first plastic keypad to look identical to a metal one.

Alistair Price, Managing Director of WPS, which he describes as the only sales agency specifically focused on the vending and coffee service sectors, is insisting that, although people are cutting back in 2009, consumers will still need food and drink.

It was 40 years ago this year that Keith and Maureen Midgley decided to leave their management positions and ‘go it alone', establishing the West Yorkshire based Consultant Services Group.

Qualitasse, the coffee equipment and supplies specialist, is now a distributor for Sanyo's new Automatic Espresso coffee equipment, which offers a range of speciality coffees, where each drink is freshly ground from coffee beans and then brewed.

Bunzl Coffee Point has announced two additional members to its northern sales team to further strengthen its service commitments by ensuring clients receive local support with immediate response.

VMC, a UK leader in the field of cashless payment systems, has appointed Jim Wilkinson to the role of Sales Manager.

The Automatic Vending Association has announced its first two new members for 2009.