The 'Green Box' for Schools, Colleges and Universities

Out of the Box Retail Solutions is a specialist vending provider, based from offices in West London. The company works with over 500 education institutions to maximise the revenue potential of their vending operations , as well as providing complete technical and marketing support .

Chris Johnstone, one of the founders of Out of the Box said about the changing face of the market;
 

“2 years ago, we set up Out of the Box in order to offer a wide range of products through vending. This range now includes hot paninis, healthy drinks and snacks, convenience items, groceries , Fair Trade hot drinks and a cross manufacturer range of chocolate, crisps and soft drinks.” “Each location is different and needs a tailored vending package. Universities want hot food, traditional snacks and fair trade hot drinks - while schools typically want healthy products and the option to fill the machines themselves. Through Out of the Box, sites can access cross manufacturer free on loan equipment and can choose to fill machines themselves or let Out of the Box manage the entire process. Of paramount importance for us is that Out of the Box machines are full, clean and working at all times - providing the products that consumers actually want to buy .”

OBRS currently has Boxes placed in 500 schools, colleges and universities around the UK , and covers locations as far afield as London, Cumbria, Preston, Loughborough, Manchester, Birmingham, York, Bristol, Exeter, Kent, amongst others . The company is able to distribute machines and products to customers nationally, and because of the wide offer, flexible finances, and focus on customer service OBRS continues to win significant new contracts.
 

“One of the key offers that has captured student and parent attention is the Green Box for healthy product vending. The range of products that can be offered in schools food trust guidelines compliant sites is quite limited at the moment, but we are working with key UK product manufacturers to expand this range and the type of products which can be offered. At the moment the best selling lines are milkshakes, juice, mixed juice and water and plain water in compliant schools. What has also worked quite well for us, is having a healthy set of products designed for adult sites, including baked snacks, low fat crisps, flavoured water and fair trade juices."

Turnover per machine is of course very dependent on the machine type, pricing and mix of products - but those sites who are excited about healthy eating, and who pay attention to the filling and cleaning of their Green Boxes can exceed £1,000 a month per machine ,” reported Chris.

Show us the money?
Figures suggest that the UK’s vending market was worth £2.42 billion in 2005 and has shown groth of 33% since 1997 , however this has primarily been due to increased machine numbers and price increases. A huge market, which is very fragmented, and not known for its customer service or reliability!
 

Said Chris, “Consumers are becoming more demanding and more discerning with greater disposable income than ever before. Vending is a great way to meet consumers ‘on-the-go’ lifestyles and desire for convenience and 24/7 accessibility.” Recent research from Out of the Box suggests that schools, colleges and universities are missing out over £100m in annual revenue by not developing their vending operations to meet the needs of their students.

Recent government legislation in schools meant the removal of all confectionary, crisps and fizzy drinks from schools and many have yet to replace the old vending offering. “Our Green Box is fully compliant with the new guidelines set by the Schools Food Trust.” Confirmed Chris.

“Looking at colleges and universities; consumers in these locations no longer want the traditional vending offer of chocolate, crisps, fizzy drinks and poor quality instant coffee. Consumers are becoming ever more demanding and in our experience many educational institutions have yet to meet their needs.”

“Today’s consumers want to be able to enjoy quality, fresh hot food offerings, make "distress" purchases from vending ‘stores’, choose healthy snacks such as dried fruit and smoothies and find a complete range of best selling chocolate and softdrink brands in any machine that they approach. Vending it seems, has an opportunity to finally come of age,” concludes Chris.

More information?: www.outoftheboxretail.com