Explaining vending

About the Industry

Vending (or "automatic retailing" as it is increasingly known) has a long history. The Greek mathematician Hero seems to have got the ball rolling in 215BC, when he invented a machine to vend holy water in Egyptian temples.

Vending has moved on since then, and today's sophisticated machines and services are technologically advanced and designed to provide top quality, hygienic and reliable service 24 hours a day.

Consumers in Britain annually spend some £1.5 billion through the slots of more than 418,000 refreshment vending machines. Every day, 8 million cups of coffee and 2 million cups of tea are vended.

Almost anything can be automatically vended, but the principal food and drink products are:

• Hot and cold beverages
• Cold drinks in bottles, cans or cartons
• Confectionery and savoury snacks
• Sandwiches and snack foods
• Cook/chill dishes (for heating in an adjacent microwave)
• Plated meals
• Ice cream