With over half of the stand space already sold, AVEX 2009 is on course to be a fantastic show.  Special ‘early bird' preferential rates are still available, although these end on July 31st. So book your space now for the best rates.

Each year millions of cups of coffee, tea and other hot drinks are consumed out of disposable cups from vending machines at work. A significant number of these paper cups have an integral oil-based plastic lining in order to prevent leakage.  Manufacturing these liners requires significant fossil fuels, and results in a product that is difficult to recycle.  In an era where the need for businesses to reduce their environmental impact is a legislative and moral requirement, these issues are concerning for customers and staff worldwide.

GWD Media, suppliers of remote management solution VeoVend, has successfully achieved the acclaimed AVA Affiliate Membership status, with the help of sponsors N&W Global Vending and Options Management. Joining the AVA highlights GWD Media's commitment to developing cutting edge solutions to address the current and future needs of vending and kiosk operators.

F Benders, one of the UK's leading manufacturers of paper cups and disposable tableware, has just won an exclusive two-year contract to supply paper cups to Associated Vending Services (AVS) members in the UK and Ireland.

http://www.benders.co.uk/

The Kenco Coffee Company has announced a strategic partnership with vending and dispense equipment design and manufacture company, DarenthMJS.

Bristol-based Lyons Group has achieved the Distributor of the Year Award, for the second year running, while 7 Day Catering took the accolade for Partner of the Year, in the 2008 N&W Distributor and Partner of the Year Awards.

Marco Beverage Systems, one of Europe's leading designers and manufacturers of filter coffee making equipment and water boilers, has strengthened its sales presence in the UK with the appointment of Michael Inwood, as National Accounts Manager.

Britvic and PepsiCo have launched a new advertising campaign for sports drink Gatorade, supported by a £5 million marketing campaign, which will comprise outdoor, press and online advertising as well as a PR campaign, targeting physically active consumers and professional athletes.

Bringing together two technology leaders has resulted in a unique collaboration between electronic point of sale specialists, MCR Systems and proven cashless payment experts, VMC.

Launched in March 2008, KitKat Senses is the perfect combination of light crispy wafer, creamy hazelnut centre and smooth milk chocolate, all contained within five pieces - ideal for portion control. With only 165 calories, KitKat Senses targets two of the leading trends on confectionery and snacking, indulgence and permissibility, offering healthy minded female customers a well deserved, everyday treat - without compromising any effort made to eat healthily throughout the rest of the day.

Müller® UK is boosting the appeal of Britain's biggest selling and most popular yogurt brand1/2  with a fresh new look, being introduced across the entire portfolio of 18 different Müller® Corner® varieties.

Keith Brown has been appointed Regional Operations Manager of independent contract caterers 7 Day Catering, to manage the operations for 12 key sites in the Midlands region.

The AVA has introduced a special logo to enable Affiliate Members to demonstrate their involvement in AVA on their websites and letterhead.

With Europe's premier event for customer facing technologies and digital signage only months away, KioskCom Self Service Expo Europe has launched its 2008 show website and, with an added interactive element, manufacturers can play a part in demonstrating the future of retail technology.

Sielaff, a leading European manufacturer of top-end vending machines and merchandisers has extended its Robimat range with the introduction of the high capacity Robimat 99.

Corven Vending Services, of Par, Cornwall, has become a member of Associated Vending Services (AVS).

The Drury Tea & Coffee Company, London-based coffee roaster and tea blender, is giving its customers the option of taking its roasted coffee beans in 12kg hessian sacks rather than the more conventional packaging of 10 x 1kg foil bags to a cardboard outer. The company says that this will not only help the environment, but it will also reduce the cost of the product by 20 per cent.

Ribena, the UK's number one juice drink, has launched its first new range for three years and entered a new category with its biggest ever NPD launch: Ribena 100 per cent Pure Juices.

Operators should prepare for the hottest summer yet, thanks to a hot and spicy new Limited Edition range from McCoy's called ‘Extreme'.

Setting it right makes a come-back

I think it is fair to say that UK plc is facing tough times right now. The economy is still in trouble internationally, and the Bank of England is struggling to set rates that will keep inflation low. What many people do not know, however, is that finance companies do not set their rates based on the Bank of England's base rate. The figure that they use is the rate by which banks lend money to each other, known as LIBOR - and this has important implications when it comes to the provision of finance.

I'm talking about ‘stagflation' - the result of a situation in which the economy is not growing, but prices are. Before Kevin Reed raised it in the April issue, as the subject of the first of his new series of articles under the heading of ‘The Numbers Game', I'm fairly sure I had never heard of it. Today, the word is becoming an everyday term, cropping up almost daily in the media.

Not so. Today, fairtrade extends way beyond coffee and tea to include everyday items like sugar, fruit, biscuits, honey, jam, food products, flowers and even clothing. Furthermore, this year the Fairtrade Foundation claims that 2007 saw an increase of 81 per cent (to £493 million) on estimated retail sales of fairtrade products. Today, coffee represents only about a quarter of that total in value terms.

The Fairtrade Foundation recently held the fourth annual Fairtrade Universities and Colleges Conference, at the University of Derby, which attracted over 100 university commercial buyers and procurement managers as well as students, academic support staff and campaigners.

Latest research commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation and launched to coincide with the recent World Fair Trade Day, shows more UK consumers than ever before - 70 per cent of the population - recognises the Fairtrade Mark, up from 57 per cent in 2007.

In today's world, what do we really want from our beverage and snack machine manufacturers - and do trends in the marketplace really affect our offering?

With companies keen to act responsibly and adopt the trend towards a more ethical approach to business, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is high on the agenda. Offering Cafédirect is one simple first step to communicating ethical values to employees (free branding is available for a variety of dispensing and freestanding hot beverage and vending machines).

With our Christian foundation, Liverpool Hope University is uniquely placed to spearhead the introduction of Fairtrade products across Higher Education. In conjunction with the Students' Union, we are committed to supporting and promoting ethical trade and together we have worked hard to secure Fairtrade status, which we received in 2007. Now, we are in a position to offer our students, staff and guests a significant range of Fairtrade food and beverage products.

Bunzl Vending & Coffee Point, the country's largest independent vending operator is a big supporter of fairtrade and ethically traded products where more ethical trading policies are adopted to ensure a better deal for producers, suppliers and their workers.

Lavazza's ¡Tierra! coffee, which has won the sought-after 100 per cent sustainable certification from the Rainforest Alliance, is being introduced into the vending market.

With a reputation of the highest quality freeze-dried coffee, Simon Kershaw, sector marketing manager for vending at Aimia Foods, explains how Buendia is much more than just a great coffee - it's a brand which, quite literally, transforms lives in Colombia.

The most important fair on a global scale for automatic distribution" is how the organisers of Venditalia '08 possibly optimistically described their excellent event, which took place in Milan towards the end of May.

It is my experience that many vending operators - probably echoing the sentiments of their customers - are becoming concerned about the sustainability of their credit lines in the ‘credit crunch'. They presumably believe that our position as an asset financier will be similar to that of the international banks - but this highlights several misconceptions about the difference between bank finance and asset finance. I would like to clarify these and assert my view that the current economic turbulence is having an unexpected effect - forcing many operators and customers to reassess whether credit lines are wholly suitable for the purposes to which they are being applied.

In delivering remote management solutions through ‘Software as a Service' (SaaS), VeoVend and Genkiosk - from GWD Media - are enabling vending and kiosk operators to access the latest technology without the need for costly IT investment.

According to a new report from independent market analyst, Datamonitor, British consumers have increased their consumption of bottled water at the fastest rate in Europe over the past five years.

Cater for everybody's taste, and put an end to the inconvenience of bottled water at the same time, with Instanta's CH1000 combined water boiler and cooler.

Water (for Work and Home), one of the largest independent UK water cooler companies, has announced its acquisition of Folkestone-based Cinque Ports, in a six-figure deal expanding the company's customer base by 10 per cent. The deal sees all Cinque Port's 800 water coolers incorporated into the business, serving in the region of 550 business and domestic customers.

The Chiller from Bravilor Bonamat serves fresh, cold and pure water. User friendly and low maintenance, its direct connection to the mains water supply eliminates the need for manoeuvring heavy water bottles. This also saves on storage space.

Over the last two years usage of bottled water in the UK has increased, despite a poor summer in 2007, but growth in consumption is projected at 3.4 per cent for 2008, with a rise to 4 per cent in 2012, due to the London Olympics. Any negative influences during 2007 were negated by an increased acceptability of water as a real alternative to soft drinks and the increase in consumption of pack formats designed for consumption of water on the move(1).

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) is advising small businesses to register online to improve their chances of procuring public contracts. Business-owners have been granted free access to the government website www.supply2.gov.uk, but only until 31st July. The FPB believes that, if the incentive paves the way for more small businesses competing for tenders, it should be made available to them indefinitely.

New methods of payment have been around for more than 40 years, and the so-called ‘payment revolution' has been signalled a number of times without ever actually materializing. There is a lack of clarity in the current situation where, on the one hand, plastic payment is well established and newer forms of payment are being developed and tested while, on the other hand, the demand for cash has never been higher, and is still growing.

The Russian National Vending Association (RNVA) has become the latest national vending body to seek membership of the European Vending Association, becoming its 19th Full Member.

At its Annual Conference in Hamburg, the German Vending Association (BDV) honoured Roger Williams, founder and owner of successful operating company Coinadrink, for his contribution to the foundation and establishment of the European Vending Association.

More than 200 Azkoyen vending machines are in use at the International Expo Zaragoza 2008, where more than 100 countries are participating, taking a surface area of 62,000 m2. The Expo slogan is ‘Water and Sustainable Development'.

PG tips, the UK's number one tea brand1 both in and out of home, announced in February that it was making friends with the Rainforest Alliance, to help revolutionise the black tea market.

Change is on the horizon says one UK machine manufacturer whose new tea brewer replicates traditional tea-making methods for the perfect cuppa. "Traditional tea, made by hand, is a simple process so why mess with a successful technique? That's the design philosophy behind our unique brewer which produces as cup of tea as if it were made at home", comments Mark Rhodes, Marketing Manager at Westomatic.