The AVA 2025 Census & Market Report is now available. This year’s census revealed that the UK’s vending, office coffee service and automated retail industry generated £3.78 billion in revenue in 2025, making the sector larger than both the UK’s entire biomass and hydroelectric energy generation industries.
Key findings include:
Smart fridges double in a single year as hybrid working reshapes workplace food and beverage
Cashless customers now spend twice as much per transaction (year-on-year) with 62% of payments made by mobile – up from just 8% in 2017
90% of operators forecasting further growth in 2026
80% of cold drinks now meet low-sugar health standards; plastic cups virtually eliminated
Traditional vending and Office Coffee Services combined, delivered £3.13 billion in total revenue, with product revenue growing 6.8% (year-on-year) to £2.28 billion, now almost 10% (9.7%) above pre-pandemic levels.
‘The 2025 Census confirms an industry that has not simply recovered from Covid, it’s transformed in the process’, AVA Chief Executive, David Llewellyn, said. ‘This industry has always been underestimated and while the rest of retail has been struggling with customer demands, vending and automated retail has been quietly growing by investing in technology that actually improves the customer experience, raising its game on quality and finding new opportunities to shine.’
The full report is free for AVA members and available to non-members for purchase. It’s an essential resource for strategic planning, benchmarking and spotting new opportunities.
You can download your copy, learn more at our website or if you have any queries, please contact pa***********@*****va.com
There are more AVA series on Planet Vending, HERE
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