News

Tea – did you know?

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Sally

The Thirst Link team attended the Caffe Culture exhibition in London this week and considering the vast array of coffee machines and associated products on display there, you could be forgiven in thinking that we are a coffee drinking nation.

But according to the UK Tea Council this is not true – with 66% of the British population drinking tea every day – 165 million cups daily or 60.2 billion per year! The number of cups of coffee drunk each day is estimated at 70 million.

The largest per capita tea drinking nation is the Republic of Ireland followed by Britain.

Costa Express and Shell UK secure contract

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Sally

Costa Express and Shell UK have entered a long-term partnership to install Costa Express self-serve coffee bars in more than 550 Shell forecourts in the UK.

The nature of the agreement will also support the investment in technology, promotional support and customer service that will drive footfall, hot drinks sales and profitability for Shell, according to the company.

Costa Express was chosen as Shell’s new partner for the strength of the Costa brand, the choice of high street quality products and its user-friendly touch screen technology.

According to the company, in-house engineering support and the advanced telemetry systems within Costa Express machines will also help to maximise hot drinks sales ensuring proactive monitoring, preventative maintenance and category management at every site.

Shell’s decision to partner with Costa Express is closely aligned with the launch earlier this year of Shell’s exciting new ‘Deli 2 Go’ shop format, which the Costa Express offer will be an integral part of in many locations.

Eden Springs acquires water cooler and coffee supplier

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Sally

Eden Springs, has acquired the Spainish water cooler company, Todagua, strengthening its offering in southwestern Europe.

Established in 2002, Todagua operates from its headquarters in Madrid and serves more than 4,000 offices through its provision of HOD water and coffee provided in partnership with coffee company, illy coffee.

As well as increasing its revenue in Spain by nearly €2m, the acquisition will also enhance Eden’s efficiency in the country as both companies already share the same supplier base and have warehouses in neighbouring areas.

The integration of companies is expected to be completed by autumn 2012.

Raanan Zilberman, chief executive officer at Eden Springs, said: “This integration provides real opportunity to further improve our renowned water and coffee offer to workplaces and we’re excited about our future operations in Spain.

“There has been great cooperation between the management teams of both Eden and Todagua to ensure the success of our latest acquisition.”

Eden also recently confirmed the acquisition of Dutch coffee service company, Thécafé, as a further step forward in its longer-term strategy to roll-out a total coffee and water service across all of its 16 European markets.

Hug a Coca Cola vending machine to get a free Coke

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Sally

A vending machine in Coca Cola’s iconic red colour and with the words ‘Hug Me’ displayed in the brand’s signature white font, has showed up overnight at the National University of Singapore. What makes this vending machine special is that it responds to physical hugs before dispensing a free can of Coke.

Students on campus were pleasantly surprised to spot the Coca-Cola Hug Machine, which was installed as part of the company’s ‘ Open Happiness’ campaign. Before long, there were lines of people waiting to give their affection to the dispenser.

Leonardo O’Grady, ASEAN IMC Director, The Coca Cola Company, explained that: “Happiness is contagious. The Coca Cola Hug Machine is a simple idea to spread some happiness. Our strategy is to deliver doses of happiness in an unexpected, innovative way to engage not only the people present, but the audience at large.”

New research suggests chocolate could ‘make you slimmer’

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Sally

People who eat chocolate regularly tend to have a low body mass index (BMI), according to new research which has been published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Researchers have discovered that those who ate chocolate a few times a week were, on average, slimmer than those who ate it occasionally.

Chocolate has shown favourable metabolic associations with blood pressure (BP), insulin sensitivity and cholesterol level. Chocolate is rich in antioxidant phytonutrients like catechins that could contribute to favourable relationships of chocolate consumption to insulin sensitivity and blood pressure.

However, because chocolate is often consumed as a sweet and bears calories, there are concerns related to its intake. To evaluate this, the researchers examined the cross-sectional relationship of chocolate consumption frequency to BMI. The scientists suggest that the benefits of modest frequent chocolate intake might extend to reduced fat deposition, potentially offsetting the added calories.

The findings come from a study of nearly 1,000 US people that looked at diet, calorie intake and BMI — a measure of obesity.

The study suggests that it is how often you eat chocolate that is important, rather than how much of it you eat. The study found no link with quantity consumed.

Compass boasts good first half

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Sally

The food to facilities services company says the six months to the end of March saw strong trading across the group, though the UK and parts of Europe continue to face challenging times.

Compass reports that positive performance in the first quarter continued into the second, and its expectations for the full year remain unchanged. Total revenue growth is expected to be around 8.5% in the first half of the year, with organic growth set to be up by nearly 5%. The best performing sectors were North America and Fast Growing & Emerging Markets.

Overall, like for like revenue growth was positive, though it is below the levels of the first half of last year, Compass says. It attributes this to difficult economic conditions continuing to impact the UK and parts of Europe.

Looking towards the second half of the year, the company says that despite current economic uncertainties it remains positive about the opportunities to grow the business and it is encouraged by its pipeline of new business.

Eden Springs acquires Dutch coffee business

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Sally

Eden Springs has acquired Thécafé, signalling its strategy to dominate the Office Coffee Service (OCS) market in the Netherlands. This is the first step in Eden’s longer-term strategy to roll-out a total hydration service across all of its 16 European markets.

Based in Apeldoorn, approximately 60 miles south east of Amsterdam, Thécafé was established in 1999 and currently serves more than 1,000 customers.

Chief executive officer of the Eden Springs Group, Raanan Zilberman, is positive about the future of the business, despite the current economic situation. He said: “This acquisition will enable Eden Springs to offer all customers in the Netherlands with a complete hydration package, with mains and bottle-fed water coolers and a complete range of hot beverage solutions including premium coffee, hot chocolate, tea and even soup.”

In the Netherlands, Thécafé’s industry knowledge will help Eden to provide customers with the very best advice and a wide selection of water and coffee machine solutions, the company said.

Vending Machines in taxis?

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Sally

A proposal to put small venders inside New York City’s yellow cabs won praise this week at a city-sponsored contest for new business ideas. TaxiTreats is the brainchild of Brian Shimmerlik, a NYU Stern School of Business student who says New Yorkers want convenience.

Mounted next to the Taxi TV screens facing the backseat, the miniature vending machines could serve a captive audience. In practice, payment might be incorporated into the cab fare, and products would include energy drinks, snack bars, gum and mints, and OTC pain relievers.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission has not approved the idea!

Reliance and Norland to merge

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Sally

Reliance Facilities Management is to be combined with the managed services division of Norland from 1 April, forming a new business with a turnover of more than £100m.

Norland says the transition will be helped as both companies share a common parent. In fact, Norland came into existence in the early ‘80s as Reliance Environmental Services before being separated to stand on its own.

The full company, somewhat confusingly named Norland Managed Services, now employs 2,500 staff across 11 offices and has a total turnover of more than £300m.

Norland Chief Executive Ian Entwisle commented: “This brings together two leading players in the FM market that will enable the new business to provide a broader range of skills, services and capability to existing customers and will be better placed to meet the future demands of the market.

“The new joined business will certainly be synergistic, and will lead to some cost savings, although with Norland’s rapid growth, the intention is to re-deploy the majority of duplicated roles within the group.”

We understand that Norland’s Paul Saville King will lead the new enlarged business. Reliance CEO Paul Crilly has confirmed that he is committed to supporting the integration process.

Giant Doritos vending machine doubles as stage

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Sally

A music festival in the States featured a special stage for performers in the form of a giant vending machine as part of Doritos’ launch of their new “Jacked” tortilla chips. The Jacked Stage hosted a number of musical performances over the weekend including Snoop Dogg, The Cool Kids and Gemma Ray, and also served up product samples and prizes to festival-goers.

The 56-foot-tall machine (50 times bigger than a standard vending machine) featured real bags of Doritos with giant chips inside. The new Jacked chips are 40% bigger in size and thickness and come in two flavour combinations: Enchilada Supreme and Smoky Chipotle BBQ.

Festival attendees were given the opportunity to earn large Doritos-branded quarters that could be inserted into the vending machine to redeem products and special prizes.

Thirst Link

The Specialist Vending Consultancy