On the
BUTTON Andrew Barrow, Evoca UK Ltd sales director, takes us through the exciting opportunities for vending and food to go. The FTG sector is growing exponentially. How is your business looking to benefit? Whether in the workplace or public locations – such as airports or train stations – there are places to grab food wherever you look. Each site has a different need, however, in terms of the type of vending machine required. There are many variables, like the product itself, footfall and available space. Any site needs to ensure they take these factors into consideration when selecting a machine – and for multi-site businesses, one single brand that can meet all those requirements means consistency across all locations, which is important. There are similarities across every machine in our range, making it simple for operators to program, manage, instal and maintain. We have a saying: ‘If you know one Necta machine, you know them all.’ We ensure our machines have similar characteristics to make them as easy to operate as possible. Talk to us about relationships with the FTG sector and 2024 ambitions. This year holds many exciting opportunities. Necta is a very
well-established brand, with an extensive network of distributors who operate the machines. But we have witnessed an upsurge in enquiries from new operator businesses in recent months, ensuring an even more extensive network of partners to take the machines to end users. We are in a strong position to respond to evolving market needs – for example, the increase in hybrid working since 2020 has changed demand in many offices, and some locations have reduced in-house catering facilities. This has necessitated a flexibility in the provision of food in the workplace, and the machine configurations that we manufacture guarantee that employers can continue to offer staff a wide range of snacks and meals. Vending is becoming more technically advanced. What are you seeing in the market? The big watchword for 2024 and beyond is telemetry – we will be launching our Amiclo telemetry service in 2024, and this allows operators to push and pull data from the machines. It will make a huge difference, providing data that enables
them to manage stock and plan routes more efficiently. It can even diagnose faults remotely, making the lives of engineers much easier. It’s something we’re very excited to launch, so watch this space! While drinks are a major focus for your business, how are you approaching the food offering? Necta is just one of the brands in the Evoca portfolio. We also manufacture both Gaggia Milano and Saeco coffee machines. There are a number of machines – both vending and tabletop – in the Necta brand too. So, while it is true that we have an extensive hot drinks portfolio, Necta snack machines are a large part of our range. What this means is that we can respond to customer needs across all of their out-of-home refreshment requirements. Our range of snack vending machines is extensive – from our top-of-the range Orchestra Touch, with its bright white internal lighting and flexible tray configuration for an enticing retail experience, through to Vivace, which has been designed to fit in more compact locations or those with a lower footfall. We also
50 I www.sandwichandfoodtogonews.co.uk
S&FTG_209_Jan24_p50-55_Vending_G AB.indd 50
25/01/2024 17:15