Whilst l am writing this with sunny thoughts the weather outside is not so! We include as a major part of this month’s edition the 2007 Vending Machine Guide; this section lists current machines and their specifications from some leading manufactures - a great read if you are looking to build up your portfolio or a superb product to keep for later use. I have also included a brief history of the vending machine supported with some fascinating old photos kindly supplied by our manufactures.

FFI the coffee people, unveiled their latest project at the Caffé Culture exhibition in May. They believe this exclusive partnership with In Cup Plus will further the FAIR INSTANT proposition.

Yorkshire Water Services, part of the Yorkshire Water Utility, is joining the EPDWA (European Point of Use Drinking Water Association), a further sign of its growing influence in shaping the POU Water Cooler Industry.

The EPDWA has more than 150 members, 65% plus of which are Water Cooler/ Vending Distributors.

Win tickets to Britain's Favourite Events with NESCAFÉ the Nation’s Favourite Coffee. An inspiring initiative for the vending sector has been unveiled by Nestlé FoodServices.

As a result of continued business success, Abbeychart, distributor of parts and consumables to the vending, water-cooling and beverage sectors, has expanded to incorporate an additional 5,500ft_ purpose-built premises. Located just 200 metres from its existing residence at Stanford in the Vale, Oxfordshire, Abbeychart’s managing director, Peter Best, cut the ribbon on the new building on May 1.

A picture of paradise, long sandy beaches, lapping waves and the endless sunshine of the Gold Coast, could become a reality for one lucky consumer, courtesy of Nestlé FoodServices.

A broader range of information and more userfriendly aspects are just some of the features of a new, improved website which has been launched by leading UK vending services provider Selecta.

According to reports, Cadbury Schweppes is to initiate a £200m cost-cutting strategy aimed at lifting profit margins with the relocation of its central London offices.

Danone Waters (UK & Ireland) is reportedly planning to spend £20m on marketing campaigns across its soft drinks portfolio.

Research, co-commissioned by the American Peanut Council, and carried out across secondary schools in the UK has revealed that unsalted peanuts are extremely popular amongst teenagers. After taste trials, a staggering 95% of pupils confirmed they would buy ‘healthy’ snacks containing unsalted peanuts and dried fruit mixes if they were on offer.

The deadline to enter the 2007 bottledwaterworld awards is fast approaching. Besides judging which packaging formats for water are the most attractive and effective as a frontline marketing tool, the categories this year also cover developments in functional and designer waters, with further awards for best label, best marketing campaign, best website, best children’s concept and the best ethical and environmental scheme or product.

NRI are pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Pfeil as Eastern European Sales Manager. Michael joined NRI in April 2007, taking the number of new sales appointments to three in the last two months. This position covers all markets that NRI sell in to.

World leading energy and transport organisation, ALSTOM, have signed a five-year deal with vending operator, Springbank Industries.

The agreement, which runs until 2012, will provide a fully automated catering service at the company’s Rugby site, which employs 900 people. ALSTOM first approached Springbank in 2001 after reviewing their catering function and now has 25 machines across the site, housed in professional shopfitted units.

Waterbrands, the bottled w a t e r company that produces Harrogate Spa Water and charity brand, Thirsty Planet, has appointed James Cain (33) to the newly-created role of operations director. A specialist in logistics, James will be responsible for all stock management, production and distribution for the Harrogate-based company.

Britain’s largest single-site university, has awarded national vending operator, the Coffee Point Group, a five-year contract to supply and operate high quality vending services across the university.

Student Services Group plc, the rapidly expanding provider of healthy food vending services to schools, colleges and universities, has acquired 200 vending machines selling healthy products from a subsidiary of Spring Fine Foods – a leading provider of healthy, organic and fair trade drinks and snacks in the UK - through its subsidiary, Out of the Box Retail Solutions Limited. With this acquisition Student Services becomes one of the largest providers of healthy vending to education institutions in the UK.

Abbeychart, supplier of parts, spares and consumables to the beverage dispensing, water and vending sectors, has awarded warehouse worker Jayne Iveson its Employee of the Year Award. Hailing from Stanford in the Vale, the mother of two has worked for Abbeychart since 2005.

Over 300 children took part in a cooking with kids at the prestigious London store Harrods over the bank holiday period.

Fiona Bird, Masterchef finalist UK, and creator of the healthy eating initiative for children Stirrin’ Stuff created various easy cook recipes for children using California Raisins and performed interactive food demonstrations.

In a leading global design contest, the ION™ by Natural Choice® received “Appliance Design” magazine’s annual EID award in the small appliance category.

With LIW 2007 (Leisure Industry week) coming up in September, VI has been told this is due to be the biggest and best leisure event of the we take a look at how the Leisure Industry is embracing the Vending Industry…

Lucozade Sport is building on last year’s massive 33% growth*, with the launch of Lucozade Sport with Caffeine Boost – a category innovation that is set generate interest and excitement among consumers and presents retailers with a great opportunity to drive sales.

Caffè Culture 2007 has been hailed an outstanding success, with 4,377 visitors and over 165 exhibitors in attendance over the two days. A huge 30% increase in both visitors and exhibitors on last year now sees Caffe Culture well and truly established as the premier event for the café and coffee bar market.

Water is a key consideration for today’s health conscious population who are more and more aware of what they are consuming and health experts remind us of the benefits of drinking plenty of water.

Everpure has announced the launch of a ground-breaking new product that combines water softening with water filtration and pH control. The new products: EVERplus ESO 6 and ESO 7, represent a cost-effective, compact and reliable method of controlling hardness in water.

Foster Refrigerator is pleased to announce the launch of its new Drinking Water Cooler range, providing cost-effective and safe drinking water with a low carbon footprint.

There are two brand new models in the range: the Counter Top Water Cooler which is ideal for worktops and offices, and a new ‘Direct Chill’ Water Cooler - the cost-effective DWC 23 DC - as well as Foster’s existing popular range of three Drinking Water Coolers.

Clean, fresh, filtered water is an under-used resource for many businesses, restaurants, schools, and other institutions, as regular ‘watering’ can help a business to grow. Are people aware of the benefits filtered water provides in terms of increased productivity, beverage desirability, and also helping to protect expensive vending equipment from potential breakdowns and excessive servicing?

Visitors to AVEX 2007 have been able to see the importance of temperature monitoring for quality controls in the vending industry. The most important thing to any business in the vending industry is the safety of the food that they sell. Food Safety Regulations are naturally extremely specific and precise, and demonstrating the validity of food storage is vital to both manufacturers and suppliers to vending machines, as both are held accountable to the local Environmental Health Department.

EAO Ltd, market leading Switch Manufacturer and UK representative of Sanyo Denki offers the space-efficient, lightweight SANMOTION F Series of Stepper Motors with Internal Drivers.

Anew range of In Cup drinks has been launched by Nestlé FoodServices to enable end users to provide good quality café style drinks not only to keep consumers on-site, but also increase the frequency of purchase.

On the following pages you will see a selection of machines currently available from key manufacturers, we include a photo and all relevant details to help you make your choice. When making a enquiry please mention that you found their product through VI. On a light hearted note we have taken a look at some old vending machines and below is a brief reminder of the “History of the Vending Machine” to date!

WALL HUNG SMALL PACK

Size: 910mmH x 295mmW x 190mmD

Colours: Wrap-around stainless steel front cover for strength, long life and great looks; Branding available - subject to minimum quantities

WALL HUNG SMALL PACK

Size: 910mmH x 370mmW x 210mmD

Colours: Stylish wrap-around stainless steel cover finished in durable white powder-coat paint

Capacity: 6 column (4 full & 2 half) small pack vendor offering excellent product pack capacity; 5 column variant to accept larger or unusual pack sizes

A proven range of wall mounted spiral vending machines. Mains or Battery powered. See more details at www.cep.uk.com

For sales or technical information contact Barry Jeffery or John Lintott.

WALL HUNG CARD VENDOR

Size: 660 mm tall x 420mm wide x 290mm deep

Capacity: Approx. 200 cards of 0.8" thickness for each module. The standard size is a credit card size, in this version.

Selections: Illustrated is a 2 column machine. Up to 8 modules can be accommodated.

SNACKS & CONFECTIONERY

Size: 1830 x 888 x 875 (Palma H87)

Colours: Black, silver, white

Capacity: 200-700

Selections: 24-36

HOT FOOD VENDOR

Size: 1277 x 1027 x 1936

Colours: Black cabinet plus illuminated picture display.

Capacity: Up to 144 Portions

FREE STANDING GLASS FRONTED MERCHANDISER

Size: 1830 x 803 x 935

Capacity: Varies by products to be vended

Selections: 8 height adjustable trays with 7 channels per tray

HOT FOOD VENDOR

Size: 1830 x 960 x 850

Capacity: Varies by products to be vended

Selections: up to 60

COMBI MACHINE

Size: 1830 x 888 x 875 (Palma M87)

Colours: Black, silver

Capacity: 216 cans, 72 bottles (+72 cans)

Selections: 4-6 drinks, 5-7 trays of snacks

CANS, CARTONS & BOTTLES

Size: 1830 X 980 X 901mm (Palma B6G)

Colours: Black, silver, white

Capacity: 624 cans

Selections: 6

CANS & BOTTLES

Size: 1830 x 750 x 880mm

Capacity: Dependant upon configuration chosen

Selections: Standard configuration is 30 on 5 shelves of 6 selections. Up to 8 shelves possible.

CANS, CARTONS & BOTTLES

Size: 1830 X 1030 X 890mm (Mistral B85)

Colours: Silver, Black

Capacity: 350-420

Selections: 50-60

Size: 850mmW or 1000mmW x 1830mmH x 863mmD

Capacity: Variable according to product layout.

Colour: Silver (White Aluminium – RAL 9006)

Optional: VarioTemp combination model; all-drinks; snacks & confectionery.

HOT BEVERAGE MACHINE

Size: 1830 X 600 X 625mm

Colour: Black

Capacity: 700 cups

Selections: 18

HOT & COLD DRINKS

Probably the most cost effective free standing machine currently available

Dimensions: H:1830mm W:660mm D:740mm

Cup capacity: Up to 600, with the ability to take either paper or plastic cups, from 7oz to 9oz

HOT BEVERAGES (IN CUP)

Size: Height: 1830mmH x 630mmW x 700mmD

Colours: Five different fascias available - First Light, Skydrift, Sea of Green, Pebble Beach and Morning Calm

Capacity: 1328 standard cup capacity

Size: 1830 x 826 x 813mm

Capacity: Up to 330 products

Selections: 30

Colours: Available in a variety of finishes to complement any range

Size: 1830 x 895 x 830 mm

Capacity: Confectionery 312, Snacks 95

Selections: 39 subject to configuration

Colours: Black or fully branded

Suitability: All indoor sites

Size: 1830 x 945 x 910mm

Capacity: Up to 450 ice cream or frozen products

Selections: various depending on configuration

Colours: Black, generic livery or fully branded

Suitability: All indoor sites

Size: 1830 x 895 x 830 mm

Capacity: Total 320 items depending on configuration:
Confectionery 120 items, Snack 56 items, Bottles 48 items, Cans/Bottles/Cartons 96 items

Selections: 40 subject to configuration

Size: 1830 x 1181 x 813mm

Capacity: Up to 495 products

Selections: 45

Colours: Available in a variety of finishes to complement any range

Suitability: All indoor sites

Size: 1830 x 1067 x 813mm

Capacity: Up to 495 products

Selections: 45

Colours: Available in a variety of finishes to complement any range

Suitability: All indoor sites

Size: 1830 x 1067 x 813mm

Capacity: Snacks 132, Confectionery 200, Drinks 162

Selections: 40 - 10 snack, 10 confectionery, 18 cold drink.

Size: Height 300mm x 210mm very compact

Suitability: Leisure and entertainment sectors, Commercial sectors and general high traffic areas also.

USPs: The only machine of its type, invented by Beautiful Vending Ltd, acts as a customer feature in all types of units.

Kenco Singles is a stylish and reliable tabletop system which offers a great choice of freshly filtered hot drinks. It is very easy to maintain and tremendously reliable, making it perfect for small offices, meeting rooms and reception areas.

DESKTOP HOT DRINKS

Dimensions: (Main unit only) H:710mm(with bean hopper) W:300mm D:580mm

Capacity: Capable of serving up to 250 espressos or up to 180 Café Lattes per hour

TABLE TOP BEVERAGE MACHINE

Size: 740 x 480 x 560mm

Colour: Black

Capacity: 320 cups

Selections: 10

Size: 925 x 300 x 510mm

Colours: Stainless steel with matching red trim

Capacity: 6 litres

Selections: Coffee only

Suitability: Hotels, banqueting, conferences.

Size: 460 x 220 x 385mm

Colours: Stainless steel with black infill

Capacity: 2 x 1.7 litres

Selections: Coffee only

Suitability: All types of catering outlet

Having showcased its Office Coffee System (OCS) vending service at AVEX, Lavazza Coffee UK is predicting a successful campaign, with a number of vending operators interested in a partnership.

Size: 820 x 500 x 550mm

Capacity: Dependant upon configuration chosen

Selections: Up to 12 - Coffee/ Tea/ Sugar/ Whitener/ Chocolate/ Soup

Colours: Stainless steel/Black

Suitability: Particularly suitable for offices

FREE STANDING BEVERAGE MACHINES

Size: 1830 x 660 x 740mm

Capacity: 600 x 7oz squat

Selections: up to 14 hot beverages and 3 cold drink options

Colours: Various

SNACK & CONFECTIONERY MACHINES

Size: 1830mmH x 812mmW x 724mmD

Capacity: 32 selections: 168 snack, 216 confectionery items

Colour: Various

Selections: 32 or 40

FOOD MACHINES

Size: 1830 x 968 x 782mm

Capacity: Max. 225 items, min. 45 items

Selections: 9 tray levels, can be divided into 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 compartments

Colours: Various

COMBINATION MACHINES (SNACK & CONFECTIONERY BOTTLES AND CANS)

Size: 1830 x 968 x 1010mm

Capacity: 100 snack items, 136 confectionery items and 96 bottles or 50 snack items, 136 confectionery items, 34 food items and 96 bottles

TABLE TOP BEVERAGE MACHINE

Size 300: 680H x 295W x 487mmD

Size 400: 680H x 680W x 487mmD

Colour: Silver

Selections 300: Up to 9 drink selections

COLD DRINKS (BOTTLES & CANS)

Size: mm 1830H x 813D x 1181W

Capacity: up to 495 products

Selections: 45

Colours: various

TABLE TOP BEVERAGE MACHINE

Size: 756H x 544W x 597mmD

Colours: Various

Selections: Up to 12 drink selections

Versions: Instant, double freshbrew and bean to cup.