Vending Operator Sales

According to the 2005 Automatic Merchandiser State of the Vending Industry Report, the vending industry took advantage of a slowly recovering economy to report its first sales gain since the current recession that began in 2001. The vending industry’s total sales rose a full percentage point in 2004 to $21.26 billion. This was mainly driven by higher product sales. Despite being able to increase product prices, Antares vending operators were also faced with an increase in operating costs.

A recent study shows that consumers are drinking more specialty coffee. There is a daily increase in the percentage of Americans who drink coffee daily. Although consumers are drinking coffee in their workplace, they are also getting coffee from outside the office. This opens a huge market for coffee vending machines.

Over the past years vending operators were faced with having to pull equipment out of large traditional industrial accounts. The manufacturing/warehouse/fabrication accounts that have traditionally been the vending industry’s largest customer base fell below 30% of the total customers in the vending industry in 2004. These shifts in the customer base are reflective of the changes witnessed in the nation’s workforce.

In 2004, it was reported that many vending operators, including Antares vending operators, retreated from accounts from schools and correctional facilities. The operators realized that these accounts were based on commissions and must be periodically rebid. School officials viewed vending machine operators as direct competition, rather than a support service to their schools. School accounts were also greatly compromised by growing nutrition restrictions. As an Antares vending operator you can place healthier foods in the vending machines.

Automatic Merchandiser reported that extra-large vending operators (those with $10 million or more annual sales) largely increased their share of the vending industry. Over the years these extra large Antares vending operators were able to increase their total market share at the expense of other vending operators. Even though they were unable to increase their share of the vending industry, large vending operators also reported some gain. They reported that that they were able to invest more resources in new equipment, training, marketing and technology. Antares vending operators have discovered the advantage of investing in technology is that it allows vending operators to increase efficiency.