As this issue of Vending International was about to go to press, the Automatic Vending Association announced the publication of its 2008 Census which, of course, reflects the figures for 2007. While some of the main findings of the survey follow, an in-depth report will appear in the next issue.

Crane Merchandising Systems (CMS) been named ‘Vending Equipment and Component Supplier of the Year' by Associated Vending Services (AVS), for the third time in the past six years.

Bravilor Bonamat is bouncing back following a major burglary that saw the removal of tens of thousands of pounds worth of beverage equipment, plus major damage to CCTV and server hardware. Now back in business following a two-day shut down, the company is urging others in the industry to take immediate steps to ensure that they are not the next victim.

Westomatic Vending Services is showing all the signs of getting warmed up already for AVEX, with the launch of not one but two new machines in one month. First comes the ‘Sigma', a new hot and cold drinks unit with 12oz cups and gourmet beverages, and this was followed by the stylish new  ‘SnackPoint Trio' which can hold 360 cold drink and snack products in a machine just 765mm wide.

From this month The Kenco Coffee Company is adding a new freshbrew product to its sustainable farmed, ethically sourced vending range. New Kenco Sustainable Development Freshbrew is sourced entirely from coffee farmed on Rainforest Alliance Certified^TM farms, and has been specifically blended to deliver a high quality, great tasting roast and ground vended coffee.

Vending operator Automatic Retailing, Scotland, has developed an energy-saving product for the vending industry that, it believes, will have great impact on the environment on a daily basis. The company currently has it sited at the Scottish Parliament, NHS Scotland and other sites.

More members for AVS

Associated Vending Services has won two new members - Mount Charles Catering, of Belfast, and Vendworks Holdings, St John, Jersey.

EAO, the expert partner for Human Machine Interfaces, is displaying a selection of custom-built control panels at an online presentation: www.eao.com/cp The presentation includes panels which have been developed for a diverse range of applications.

Operators in the United Kingdom and Europe now have more convenient access to Bunn beverage equipment through the Bunn warehouse in Manchester and to parts through the Bunn facility in Milton Keynes.

OmniVend, a supplier and operator of a network of electronic vending systems, has developed a unique system that allows multiple products to be ‘vended' (sold by unattended kiosk).  Products that can be sold by this method include mobile phone top-up, international call credit, mobile phone content (games/ring tones/logos/ text alerts), redeemable gift vouchers and coupons, cinema/concert tickets, travel tickets, bill pay and cash collection and advertising media content.

Despite tough economic times, ethical business commitments continue to be a priority at Mars Drinks. As part of its continued commitment to sustainability, the company is now sourcing coffee beans for three of its popular Flavia Creation 400 coffee machine fresh-ground coffee drinks from Rainforest Alliance Certified^TM farms.

In EU countries the vending industry has been present for several decades so coffee, snack and ticket machines are already something that we take for granted. Vendmarket, however, is offering high quality, modern-designed, wall- mounted vending machines that open the way to new niche markets for distribution of non-food products via vending machines.

During my recent route march through the NEC from Birmingham International Station to the halls in which the LIW exhibition was being held, it was good to see a variety of well stocked vending machines offering a host of snacks, confectionery and cold drinks - and they were being used!

The leisure industry has been important to vending for many years, and some of the most impressive examples of vending in action can be found in leisure centres, theme parks and other places where people go to have fun out of home. With that in mind VI was looking forward to visiting this year's Leisure Industry Week exhibition.

Carvill Vending/Topsec Sports is about to launch into the UK a unique, new swimwear vending machine, which enables visitors to a leisure site or hotel to obtain all their swimming needs - from swimming suits and goggles to trunks and armbands. The TS-Sport products are all manufactured or sourced by Topsec Sports.

Darren Cavill, Head of Retail at Bourne Leisure, Britain's largest leisure company, with Warner Hotels, Haven and Butlins as part of its portfolio, understands exactly what it takes to make a business a success.

Choices in favour of the environment continue to be pursued with organic and health conscious products being strongly marketed now in the UK. Hot beverages constitute a significant part of vending products ‘under the microscope' with growing attention to product origins and ingredients which are increasingly important to the consumer.

Two hotels in Birmingham are the first in the UK to install an innovative new hot food vending machine which uses technology first pioneered by Nasa in order to deliver a range of hot foods in just 90 seconds.

‘A canteen in a vending machine' is how leading Spanish vending machine manufacturer, Jofemar, is describing Gourmet, its latest hot snacks vendor with integral microwave.

Addressing the largest-ever gatherings of Bunzl Group employees in the UK, at The University of London Royal Holloway campus at Egham, Surrey, and at Manchester University Conference Centre, James Cunningham, Managing Director of Bunzl UK & Ireland, set the tone at the landmark ‘begreen' events by declaring: "We're here to discuss a topic that goes beyond our business"'

Now in its third year, the exhibition KioskCom Self Service Expo Europe has established itself as a European business portal for the latest in self service and kiosk technology. Reflecting the expansion of the show, it was joined for the first time by The Digital Signage Show for this year's event, held at London's Olympia in October.

With the arrival of the latest Purity C range of filters BRITA has further extended its professional range of filter solutions, to incorporate an option for all sizes of beverage vending machines. This new range combines ease of use, and flexibility with technology and recyclability, enabling users to consistently provide the best tasting drinks whilst protecting their investment.

The increased consumption of cappuccino and latte style drinks in the high street has been mirrored in the vending market. This has led to a growth in paper vending cup usage to create a more premium beverage offering. Huhtamaki has developed its 12oz paper-vending cup, which is a great way of boosting profit, and allows customers to upsize their choice of hot drink without having to leave their building.

Tri-Star, the food packaging solution provider, has designed and developed the first-ever biodegradable and biocompostible, PLA base web sandwich pack for The Sandwich Factory, one of the largest sandwich suppliers in the UK and the first retail supplier to run with this innovative packaging solution.

Solo Cup Europe is backing an office-based recycling scheme in a bid to get businesses recycling lunchtime and food packaging waste.

Last year, over 1.2bn litres of bottled water were drunk in the UK, with shoppers spending over £69,000 an hour on the commodity. Key product drivers within the bottled water segment include the UK's number one and number two bottled water brands, Evian and Volvic respectively.

AA First claims that its SIP Ozone Self-Sanitisation system for water coolers can reduce sanitizing visits by half, saving some £100 in electricity costs and reducing carbon output by 490kg.

Deutsche Werbe- & Wassertechnologien GmbH (DWT) designs and manufactures innovative fresh water dispensing systems, combined with information and communication technologies.

The Chairman of Zenith International, Richard Hall, raised an interesting issue recently when he commented on our usage of ‘virtual' water and cited some little known facts in relation to the amount of water it takes to produce some popular items*:

I have previously written about the EVA's exciting Market/Consumer Survey Project, for which I was looking for Investors. Well, I am delighted to report that we have successfully signed up a sufficient number of Investors to launch the project in line with our timing.

This month, the EVA Operators Forum meets for the fourth time to continue discussing issues of common interest for operators. After Paris, last spring, the Forum is being organized in Germany, with the support of the BDV, the German Vending Association.

Following almost two years of development, the EVA has adopted a new energy measurement protocol for vending machines. Manufacturers will be able to label the energy consumption class of their equipment in a user-friendly and transparent way. The association describes it as a pro-active and voluntary step towards a more environmentally-friendly vending world.

Operators and vending suppliers are urged to mark these dates in their diaries - March 26th/27th 2009. The EVA team and Executive Committee are busy preparing an exciting programme for the next EurOps conference - the association's flagship, biennial event.

The EVA is closely following the debates on the Commission's proposal for a Regulation on Consumer Information. According to the current proposal, machines will have to display any allergens that are present in the ‘loose' products, such as milk powder or syrups.

Two new faces have joined the EVA team in Brussels - Günther Pauls, Communications Manager, and Julie Barth, Office Manager.