News

European vending machine installed base down 1% in 2012

May 28, 2014

The European Vending Association has published a report on the state of the European vending machine market in 2012.

The report said that the total number of vending machines in Europe fell by 1 percent year-on-year to 3.77 million in 2012, with total revenues of €11.3 billion ($15.41 billion).

As much as 80 percent of the machines are operated in six leading markets, the Big Six, Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the U.K, the EVA said in a blog. Of the 3.77 million machines, 60 percent are hot drinks machines, 19 percent are traditional cold drinks machines and 21 percent are glass-front machines, selling drinks and snacks.

The total number of items sold through vending machines in 2012 was 30 billion units, of which 24 billion items were dispensed in the Big Six.

The Netherlands has the highest penetration of vending machines per person, while the lowest machine penetration is seen in Russia.

The EVA said that Central and Eastern European countries, as well as Turkey, have shown remarkable growth over the last 10 years, yet are still far from the more traditional European market penetration rates. 

In the cold drinks and snacks categories, glass-front machines are increasing, while traditional cold drinks machines continue to decline. The rise of glass-front machines is mainly due to their ability to sell a wider range of products such as snacks and food, and not just drinks, the EVA said. Also, these machines support the transition from cans to 50cl PET bottles, which in turn allows for increased average selling prices.

The EVA is a Brussels, Belgium-based not-for-profit organization which represents the interests of the European coffee service and vending industry before European Union institutions and other European regulatory authorities.