Whilst most are looking forward to their holiday or are currently holidaying somewhere nice, the VI team are looking ahead to the final quarter for 2007. There’s much going on in the industry at the moment and we are planning on keeping you abreast with the shows and new product launches coming up. In this edition we have a preview of Eu’Vend in Cologne later this month, we also touch on Vending in Retail and look at the opportunities for Forecourt Vending with a show dedicated to this area in 2008 - part of IFFE.

ExCeL, London Docklands
Sunday 17th to Thursday 21st February 2008

Following the huge success of the Sunday opening in 2006, Hotelympia, Europe’s largest exhibition for the foodservice and hospitality industry, will once again open its doors to visitors on Sunday 17th February 2008.

ExCeL, London Docklands
Monday 18th to Tuesday 19th February 2008

Careers in Hospitality is the only event dedicated to bringing together employees and employers with an interest in the hospitality industry. Now in its third year, Careers in Hospitality attracts recruiters as well as those looking to advance their career.

ExCeL, London Docklands
Monday 18th to Thursday 21st February 2008

Hostec-Europe, the only dedicated event for technology within the hospitality industry, will open its doors on Monday 18th February 2008.

AVEX, the premier vending event, which was in 2007 joined by the Cooler Show welcomed the cream of the vending and cooler industry who came to Earls Court in numbers ready to learn, commit and buy. AVEX 2007 featuring the Cooler Show ranks as one of the best attended AVEX exhibitions since their inception in the 1960s.

The last 12 months have been exciting time at NRI, but Eu’Vend (20-22 September 2007 Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany) starts another 12 months that will be even more exciting.

Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany - www.euvend.com

Those of you who are not looking forward to the long winter after such a short summer will be pleased to know that you can yet still jet off for a few days in the name of business. Vending’s European event Eu’Vend takes place late September between 20th and 22nd in Cologne. Following successful 2003 and 2005 exhibitions this show is fast becoming one of the leading European trade fairs for the vending industry.

Becktech Limited has appointed Robert Webb to its board of directors. Rob’s challenge will be to lead the company through its next stage of evolution, building on Becktech’s 25 year track record in the vending industry.

Seaga UK Ltd, manufacturer and supplier of world-class vending equipment, has appointed Vicki Armstrong-Smith as Sales and Marketing Manager. Vicki will play a key role in helping the Seaga UK management team to develop its business in the UK and throughout Europe. Vicki brings over 10 years of sales and marketing experience to the Seaga UK team.

After 10 years as Marketing Director Andrew Marsden is resigning from Britvic. He will stand down as Marketing Director from 1 August. He leaves a worthy legacy. As Category Director from 2000 Andrew has established our reputation for insight led retail category strategies.

Guy Elliott will join Cadbury Schweppes’ Board as a nonexecutive director, effective from 27 July 2007. He will also be a member of the Group’s Audit Committee from that date.

Transaction Network Services (TNS) has appointed Steve Smith as general manager and executive vice president of its International Services Division (ISD) to grow the company’s market share outside of the USA and Canada.

Bravilor has appointed Espresso Service to provide technical support for their extensive UK distributor network. Espresso Service is the only independent service provider in the UK operating nationally and focusing solely on coffee machines.

Vending ‘bashing’ is rearing its head yet again. A recent TV advert for a fast food chain shows quite clearly that the machine overflows and hence coffee pouring onto the floor. Cue - Mirth and Jollity at our expense.

Leading UK manufacturer of water boilers Instanta Ltd, has had a complaint against one of its competitors upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority (A.S.A). Instanta claimed that rival manufacturers were making misleading claims in their sales literature and advertising material with regard to the hourly output of their boilers and after studying the evidence, the A.S.A. agreed.

UK vending services provider Selecta is seeing a steady rise in client satisfaction levels since the introduction of Selecta Connect, a telephone-based feedback performance measurement system which lets clients rate the company’s services.

The rise in the number of offices looking for quality coffee solutions is driving new business for Springbank Industries, who have been awarded a contract with Weaver Vale Housing Trust (WVHT).

When former business partner Owen MacNeil of Canada explained of his plan to climb a mountain for a good cause, it didn't take NRI long to decide. “We take our social responsibility seriously,” explained Gary Partridge, company Marketing Director. “Thus, when Owen came to us with his idea we were all ears.”

N&W will now be operating its delivery service across the UK, with a brand new fleet of trucks to enhance the service provided. The fleet replaces the former group of trucks, which had been in operation for a number of years. The new vehicles, a range of Scania branded 15-ton trucks, and a 7.5 ton MAN vehicle, will operate out of N&W’s UK base in Bilston, West Midlands.

Leading vending services provider Selecta has been awarded a £200,000, 4-year contract to provide vending at the Royal Hospitals in Belfast.

Microchips, smart cards and other identification technologies are set to revolutionise the supply chains across a whole range of industrial sectors.

Jordi Roure Boada is the new President of the International Restaurant, Hotel and Group Catering Equipment Show and of FELAC, co-organiser of the event with Fira de Barcelona. Roure takes over from Jesús Mora, current President Emeritus of Hostelco and former president of FELAC.

According to reports, UK sales of sugar-free Diet Coke and Coke Zero are set to overtake standard Coca-Cola sales for the first time.

Scottish soft drinks company Sangs is sold for £10m in a management buy-in.

Britvic launches £1.4m advertising campaign for its new Robinsons Fruit Shoot 100% juice, a new pure fruit juice for children.

UK bottled water company Highland Spring sets up sponsorship deal with Formula 1 driver David Coulthard.

THE RISE OF THE MACHINES

We all lead busy lives. We want to be able to shop 24 hours a day 7 days a week. That’s why automated retail and vending machines have become a vital part of the consumer landscape.

IFFE 2008
International Forecourt & Fuel Equipment Show

April 6-9, 2008 - Birmingham NEC

This month we are looking at Vending In Retail and VI’s Becci Knowles talks to numerous types of Retailer to see how they perceive vending machines fitting into their business in her article which appears on pages 10 and 11.

The snack and confectionery market continues to be buoyant; every few months we see a new or revamped product advertised on the TV and in magazines. Cadbury’s cream eggs are an all year round product now and although we keep preaching healthy, you really can’t beat a high calorie munchies at 4pm in the afternoon to keep the sugar levels up until tea-time!

For vending operators who are looking for an incremental sales opportunity whilst satisfying the consumer need for mouth freshening, Wrigley's Extra Handy Box is the ideal product. Packaged in a convenient flip top box, the Extra Handy Box is available in Peppermint and Spearmint flavours and is perfectly suited for vending. With a recommended retail price of 75p for 25 pieces, it is the perfect solution for consumers on the move!

Meteor Crunch is the latest innovative product to be launched by Swizzels Matlow. This all new children’s snack consists of a rice and maize ball (similar to Rainbow Drops but bigger!!) coated in deliciously crunchy caramel flavour syrup, and is available in three bag sizes i.e. 10p, 25p and 80g. Lower in fat than crisps, Meteor Crunch makes an ideal alternative for the lunch box or the after school snack.

The new third generation design launched at AVEX in April 2007 maintains all the features that make it such a highly reliable drinks system, perfect for smart offices, meeting rooms and reception areas, but now with improved consumer appeal and usage design.

The last ten years have borne witness to ever changing British tastes in what we eat, with a continually growing emphasis on health, determining what consumers are willing to part with their cash for.

The Big J healthy soft drinks are renowned for their ‘free from’ credentials and tick all the boxes in terms of convenience, lifestyle and indulgence, however in today’s competitive soft drink category, it is product quality, affordable price and their innovative use of packaging that has set their brands apart.

Crane Merchandising Systems (CMS) has launched a new range of eyecatching graphics across its snack, food and cold drinks machines to promote healthy vending. The vibrant ‘healthy fresh’ branding, which was showcased at this year’s AVEX, has been developed in direct response to customer requirements to promote the healthy vending concept.

Health is a central question for today’s food industries and it is now widely accepted that a healthy and varied diet must be a balanced one - without of course excluding the concept of pleasure. Barry Callebaut Beverages has developed a chocolate drink containing 50% less sugar than in traditional recipes.

Smoothie Smile® bag in box is proud to be listed with ‘Energy Bar’, an exciting new healthy eating concept which has an interesting twist and is about to rolled out to schools throughout the country.

The increased awareness in health and government legislation banning so called unhealthy drinks in schools has created a gap in the market that hot beverages can fill.

Castus 100% natural Fruit Bars have gained in distribution and popularity since The Health Education Trust (HET) approved Castus Fruit Bars for the REAL CHOICE initiative raising the standard of school food and drink vending provision and reflecting best practice.

Ideal for all ‘grab and go’ vending opportunities the new Müller® One A Day™ range of yogurts and yogurt drinks each contain one fruit portion in each serving, offering a convenient ‘route to fruit™’ for the 86% of consumers who are failing to hit the recommended 5-a-day intake of fruit and vegetables.

There are currently over 500,000 refreshment vending machines in use in the UK, with consumers spending as much as £1.5 billion annually. One of the biggest users of vending machines are secondary schools, with 57% concentration.

Although it contains no nutrients, water is a vital component of our diet and is essential for the growth and maintenance of the body. An adult’s total body weight comprises of 50% to 70% water and it must have regular top-ups for the body's survival.

ExCeL debut for flexible pizza vending system
Stand 59, October 16 & 17 2007, ExCeL, London

Food Now, the specialist hot food vending company, plans to launch its latest ‘Pizza Now’ hot pizza vending machine at Food On The Move 2007. Featuring an entirely new design of storage and cooking unit, the latest Pizza Now machine offers more flexibility, more reliability and better results than previous versions, says the company.

Kiosks are fast becoming one of the most popular ways to service the public’s needs effectively whilst saving time and money on staff. When thinking about ‘printers’ in the context of kiosks, most people would immediately think of tickets, receipts or vouchers as the obvious output, but recent innovations are heading in a new direction - towards card printing.

Café Bar, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of hot and cold beverage systems, understand the importance of using quality ingredients to deliver tasty, satisfying drinks. To this end, the company supply an extensive range of ingredients - teas, coffees, chocolates - in dispense, roast & ground, concentrates & powders, bagged and loose - the configurations are practically endless. However one range fast becoming one of Café Bar’s most requested is Fairtrade.