Rhea Vendors has been selling vending machines for many, many years all over Europe and now, the company is preparing to target the UK with a new category of machines that they are calling the FS Range. It’s an eagerly awaited addition to Rhea’s UK offer. Rhea UK MD, Steve Rossington, explained how the new range came about – and what it will mean for UK’s vending operators.
‘The new range couldn’t have been created without the input we’ve had from our customers.’
‘The new range couldn’t have been created without the input we’ve had from our customers’, he begins. ‘Decision makers from many of the major buying groups, including Cover Group, the AVS and Refresh, have been out to Italy in the last couple of years and they’ve added their UK experience and expertise to the design process. By sharing what they want from a machine, as well as what they need, they have had a significant influence on the new range, not least in the internal layout. We’ve also focussed on providing larger models, with bigger screens, in response to their input.
‘In Europe, we’ve been successful with our Luce Zero range but in September, in the UK, we’ll be launching our brand-new FS range. ‘FS’ stands for floor standing. Despite the fact that these machines have a distinctive, some might say ‘futuristic’ look, which makes them stand out from our competitors’ machines, we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. In fact, the new machines make use of many of the components that have proved their effectiveness and durability over the years in our popular table-top models.’
Speaking of ‘futuristic looks’, the stand-out feature of the FS1 Touch is its 21-inch touchscreen. Having said that, Rhea Vendors has learned from its customers that touchscreens aren’t always ideal. For example, for factory floor locations, customers will be able to opt for a button selection version.
‘I’m pleased that these machines have a distinctive ‘look’’, Steve says. ‘We’ve got a 21-inch screen which is built into the door and a 24-inch which slightly protrudes out and there’s even a 32-inch version. These screens are perfect media for running video advertisements, promotions and in-house news.’
Whilst the new range looks leading edge, it comes with proven technology as standard
Whilst the new range looks leading edge, it comes with proven technology as standard, as Steve explained: ‘Our tech, as our customers know, produces consistently excellent drinks, including a really good cup of tea, the importance of which cannot be overstated in the UK marketplace. The new machines also tick another important box in that they’re compatible with SB Software’s popular Vendmanager technology and other VMS solutions.
‘The new machines will be a welcome addition to our Saphirh brand products. They’re an excellent, proven staple of our vending offer, which consists of three snack machines – the Saphirh Snacks – and a food machine, the Saphirh Shop. The trade knows that a gap in the market has opened up for such a product and that the Saphirh Shop is ideally suited to bridging that gap. Our customers are already backing this machine in the form of significant sales.’
The new FS range, added to the Saphirh products, create a substantial offer in themselves, but Rhea Vendors UK customers will be pleased to know that the company’s Luce range will remain available, albeit with an emphasis on those models which are equipped with bigger screens, together with modern technology and software.
‘We’ve been successful in the UK tabletop market and because customers enjoy having those machines in their portfolios, they’ve been asking us, for some time, to bring the characteristics they like so much into a vending machine range’, Steve says. ‘By acknowleging and acting on this request, we’re joining the ranks of the ‘one stop shop’ suppliers: customers can now procure a machine for any purpose, all from under the Rhea Vendors ‘roof’.
‘That’s a landmark development for Rhea Vendors in the UK and the main reason that we’re so excited at the prospect of adding to our product offer.
‘Most of our tabletops are next-day delivery and we’ll be working towards that with the vending machines. To begin with, though, we’ll be looking at a lead time of three or four days; because every machine will be tested prior to shipping, to eliminate the possibility of out of box failure. What’s more, underpinning the expanded range will be Rhea Vendors celebrated – not to mention award winnimg – customer service.
‘These are exciting times, Steve concludes. ‘Roll on September!’
*The FS range of vending machines from Rhea Vendors will be available from September. To find out more – and to get your orders in – contact your Rhea Vendors UK Account Manager.
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