FBC at Vendex
It’s been a hectic year for Fox’s Burton’s Companies. It began with the company’s introduction to the vending market place and it ends with a a swathe of new customers and new product listings with ARN. Along the way, FBC received a ‘Highly Commended’ award from NIVO in its coveted ‘Supplier of the Year’ category.
All of which is well-earned reward for FBC’s National Account Manager – Foodservice, Adam O’Brien.
‘I’m happy with the progress we’ve made’, Adam says. ‘We’ve built up some real impetus and now, its all about getting more lines listed with ARN and, of course, enticing even more operators to give our products a try.’
Fish’n’Chips and Nerds are the two biggest vending products on the FBC vending roster and Adam has been particularly encouraged by the success enjoyed by Broderick’s. ‘They are our largests single operator customer’, he says. ‘Theirs is an ideal case history for us, as it gives us real data to demonstrate the strength of our products to potential customers.’
Adam is clear that the year has not been marked by ‘huge wins’, but rather by incremental increases in sales, month on month. It’s been steady, sustainable growth. There have been some serendipitous events, too; not least ARN’s successful bid to win the Bannantyne’s Gym account…
‘It was a lucky break for us’, Adam says. ‘Bannantyne’s have been successfully selling two Fox’s lines, Fox’s Chocolatey Rounds, and Fox’s Cookies. They’re not necessarily made for vending, but ARN took them on so they could continue with Bannantyne’s supply. Subsequently, other operators have given them a try; five cases here, ten cases there… It’s starting to add up!’
The same could be said of Nerds: to begin with, just two operators were placing regular orders. Now, the product is growing in the marketplace, because others have noticed the success and want a part of it for themselves.
Adam receives regular data updates from Broderick’s – a spin-off of Brod’s acclaimed management system, which was recently the subject of an academic treatise, ‘Vending Machine Product Demand Prediction Using Machine Learning Algorithms’ , produced by MMU. (More information on that is HERE). ‘It’s excellent input for us’, Adam says, ‘because it demonstrates clearly the strength of Nerds in particular locations; notably shopping centres, further education establishment and airports. That kind of information is proving to be a powerful tool in our sales process.’
Adam and the FBC team will be at Vendex Midlands, on Stand 14; giving you the ideal opportunity to investigate how adding FBC products to your offer can boost sales by satisfying consumer demand.
‘We have a great story to tell’, Adam says, ‘and I’m looking forward to sharing it at Vendex.’
There’s more: FBC news on Planet Vending.
*If you’re planning to visit Vendex Midlands and you haven’t registered yet, you can do it HERE. Highly recommended!
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