PICTURED: Abercromby MD Tracey Graham with the AVA’s Jonathan Hilder in 2010
Vending operators have always complained about low margin drink sales but now, according to Westomatic, there is a vending solution that delivers coffee shop quality drinks that deserve the £1 plus price tag.
12oz paper cups with sip lids for on-the-go convenience.
The days of ‘wet and warm’ are long gone and consumers not only expect the froth of a cappuccino and the option of hazelnut syrup in their latte, they expect tall 12oz paper cups with sip lids for on-the-go convenience.
Some operators fear the higher drink prices will put off thirsty consumers but high street coffee shops are proving otherwise. Even with the economic climate causing consumers to tighten their belts we will still spend £3.00 of our restricted disposable income for a good cup of coffee!
This is the market that all vending operators want a piece of and, according to Abercromby Vending MD Tracie Graham, the Sigma Touch is the machine to do it.
According to Westomatic’s Press Office, the Sigma Touch was designed to meet the ‘retail’ demand that vending hadn’t been able to fill. With additional advertising opportunities on the 19 inch interactive screen the ‘Touch’ not only delivers great tasting drinks with high-street froth and vanilla syrups but also allows vending operators to generate further incremental income from advertising – as well as generating increased demand for snack and confectionery from nearby machines.
2,000 vends per week
Abercromby Vending Services have seen and welcomed this ‘retail’ demand at one of their busy hospital sites and are already seeing record sales with the Westomatic Pour Moi branded Sigma Touch. Installed on site in November last year, four machines have delivered approximately 20,000 drinks with one weekly record reaching 2000 vends! MD Tracey Graham told PV: ‘The Sigma Touch is not only end user friendly but it’s also ideal for public sites, delivering a great drink in a 12oz paper cup and sip lid all from one refreshing retail package.
Meanwhile, Westomatic Managing Director Richard Brinsley expressed his delight at Abercromby’s success: ‘we began the development of the Sigma Touch after an AVS conference in 2009 where operators agreed it was necessary to become automatic retailers’, he told PV. ‘It is great to see examples such as the Hospital site of Abercromby where the Sigma Touch is successfully tapping into the ‘high-street’ market! The Sigma Touch was carefully developed to cater for the end-user with multiple languages and accessibility options where all selections are available below the 1.2 meter guideline. The addition of large capacity canisters and the messaging and advertising capabilities on the high definition screen make the Sigma Touch a facilities managers dream!’
