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The attitude of the consumers: what do they expect, how you can influence their decision in favour of bigger consumption which will lead to more sales |
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Development of the vending market |
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Development of the vending market in the newly accepted EU countries |
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EU Legislation frames concerning the vending industry |
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Financial schemes for buying Vending machines |
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Remote Monitoring of Vending Machines |
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Hygiene requirements and food safety while working with vending machines |
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On 28th October 2005 Via Expo organised a Business Vending Forum as part of the accompanying programme of the International Specialised Exhibition Balkan Food & Drinks which took place from 26th to 29th October 2005 in Festivalna Hall, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Lectors from the European Vending Association and the Polish Vending Association made an interactive presentation of the latest trends in the field. Delegates from Bulgaria, Poland, Belgium, Italy and Macedonia attended the forum. They represented companies for manufacture and distribution of vending machines and suply of consumables, bank institutions supporting small and medium business enterprises, etc.
The audience learned about vending development in Europe, hygiene requirements and food safety of vending products, as well as telemetry (remote monitoring of vending machines).
At the forum participants asked questions mostly on practical matters. Mrs Nina Poumpalova from the European Vending Association, Mr Mihal Piotrviak from the Polish Vending Association and Mr Deyan Kyuchukov from First Investment Bank gave comprehensive answers to them
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Regarding this event
Mrs Catherine Piana,
EVA Director General, kindly answered to some questions |
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| New trends in the European vending industry? |
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In the last few years there has been a rise in the area of Public Vending. Although the rise is slow it is constant which is very encouraging for the whole industry!
In the area of Cashless Payment Systems an increased penetration has been noted throughout Europe. Chip and Key Cashless Systems are installed on a growing number of vending machines and are being increasingly used by operators.
Furthermore telemetry and standards have evolved and allow operators to have a very specific and quick account of their machines 24h/day.
Last but not least recent sales figures (source: European Vending Machine Manufacturers' Association - EVMMA) indicate that the overall trend in machines sales in Europe is quite positive. The sales of can/bottle machines are somewhat declining compared to earlier years, but there is a growth in most other machine segments, particularly in hot&cold drink machines, but also in espresso, including both table top and free standing machines. There is however a threat predicted in the French market. Due to the recent school vending ban in France an important drop in sales in his area is forecasted by the European machine manufacturers.
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| New European legislation concerning the vending machines? |
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There is hardly any EU legislation that specifically mentions or covers vending machines. It is therefore the EVA's role as "EU Legislation Watchdog" to constantly monitor new Drafts being proposed by the European Commission so as to find out if it impacts the vending industry. On that basis, if necessary, the EVA elaborates a lobbying strategy in order to highlight the likely impact on vending to the Commission, and promote the vending industry’s interests within the new legislation.
In some areas, such as diet and nutrition and the fight against obesity, the EVA is an advocate of self-regulation, as opposed to legislation.
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| What has the EVA done in the area of hygiene and food safety? |
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The EVA has been actively involved in the drafting of EU legislation on hygiene. It has informed the EU Institutions of some of the specific characteristics of vending, and as a result, the vending industry has been taken in due account in a number of provisions.
However, the EVA is not content with just reacting to proposals for legislation. It also takes initiatives, for example it drafts guidance documents for operators, which are a vending-specific digest of existing complex legislation. A recent project has been the publication of a hygiene awareness booklet. In the very near future, the EVA will also produce a vending-specific tailor-made software that will enable any operator to set up and run his own HACCP system in a very simple and straightforward manner.
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| How does the vending industry develop in the new European countries? |
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Vending is developing rapidly in the New Member States. This is both due to the dynamism and interest shown by the local companies for the vending industry, and to significant investment made by companies already very active in Western Europe. Consumer habits in the new Member States are developing in a similar manner to Western European consumers’: out-of-home consumption and “nomadic” lifestyles.
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| What are the benefits being an EVA member? |
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The EVA is the Gateway to the EU Institutions for its members, but there are an additional number of advantages of being an EVA member.
Whenever an EU-decision is in preparation, EVA informs and consults its members from the very first stages of the decision-making process, when the chances of influencing a Commission proposal are still very high. If a member has a particular problem in his business, the EVA can set up meetings with EU officials or MEPs and set up a specific lobby structure.
EVA is a platform for exchange of information and trends. It also works specifically in areas of interest to the vending industry, either on EU draft legislation or on own-initiative issues, such as Food Law, Diet and Nutrition, Cashless Payment, Standards and other Technical issues. This is an opportunity for competitors from all over Europe to sit around the same table and discuss common business challenges.
Every second year the EVA organises seminars and Pan-European Vending Conferences on hot topics in different EU Member States. Members get reduced rates and have the benefit to participate more actively during these events. Next EurOps takes place in Athens in 2007.
EVA produces several publications for its members some of them being a quarterly newsletter, regular Information for Members and keeps an open channel of quick communication via email and “the members only page” on the web of course.
And much more…
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VIA EXPO Ltd.
