Sourcing Vending Machine Locations

[ReginaBSS]

Good afternoon,

I own an online beauty supply store and I’m in the process of expanding my business. I want to place vending machines that hold beauty products in a venue around London and was wondering if anyone has a space where I can do so.

Thank you
Natasha Lawrence Campbell

 

[fisicx]

Hi Natasha and welcome to UKBF.

A great idea but it's unlikely to be cheap. What sort of venue where you hoping to target? Malls, nightclubs, railway stations?

Had someone here a few years ago wanting to put an umbrella machine outside a mainline railway station and it was going to cost him thousands per year. I think there was a dragons den pitch abut it.

 

[WaveJumper]

Sounds like a very good idea as @fisicx has mentioned and can prove to be pretty expensive if you can find a location the key to your success is obviously going to be the right location with a good amount of passing footfall.

Shopping centres could be a good location however this would depend on the items you're actually trying to sell ie are they something that can't be easily bought from a store within the centre or maybe something a person may need last min whilst using the restroom facilities. If so being located in a lobby area within a centre or even a nightclub could be the way to go.

For a shopping centre generally they will have deals / contracts across multiple sites as renting out space for vending machines, kiddy rides etc is very big business and believe it or not runs into some very big numbers in terms of income for landlords. If you want to dip your toes into this area I would suggest looking at some possible locations first ie drive to a couple of centres and see what may already be there and is there an actual location which might suit. Then visit their website most will have contact details for someone responsible for commercial income, centres are always looking for new ideas, get a meeting and my advice would get them locally to agree to a trail run to test you idea out.

I can tell you now if it flies you could end up in half a dozen centres before you know it, maybe on a rent only deal but quite possibly rent (lower) and a % of turnover. One word of caution make sure you can service and top up machines ASAP or you're be out the door faster than you can blink.

Best of luck

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Good idea, but expand a bit on the product range, as this will drive the search for locations.

A wall mounted machine takes up different space than a full auto machine and cannot accomodate the same products.

 

[WaveJumper]

Good idea, but expand a bit on the product range, as this will drive the search for locations.

A wall mounted machine takes up different space than a full auto machine and cannot accomodate the sime products.

Bloody hell first glance i read that as slime products .......I've now cleaned my glass's ?

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Sorry. Fat fingers...

Same!

 

[Frimley111R]

Do the machines need power for contactless payments?

I used to do the kids toys vending machines years ago and we didn't pay for any site rental but provided 25% of the income to the site. The best sites though often have national contracts so don't assume you can get into big shopping centres easily.

I'd say vending machines were the easiest money I ever made though. Fill up machines, empty cash and repeat.

 

[fantheflames]

A typical vending machine in mails, stations etc will cost you a lot of money.

It might be cheaper to have these in public bathrooms in prime locations - smaller machines and potentially less costs.

 

[macScot]

If its a quality looking machine and product range also looks plush, could try getting into hotel lobbies or hotel toilets, you just need your foot into one chain to start off with to scale.