Vending Market News

Sabbers & Associates is a broker for the vending/coffee service/coffee roaster market. Its other lines include Nesquik, White Castle, Florida's Natural, Sweet ‘N Low, Kerry, Rockline, Wilbur Curtis, Pod Pack and Slim Fast.

Vend Marketing Institute members exit Better Vendors co-op
Vending company members of the Vend Marketing Institute, a group of vending companies that work together through joint marketing and purchasing programs, recently resigned from the Better Vendors Association (BVA), a vending purchasing cooperative. Chris Stave, executive director of the VMI, which is based in Louisville, Ky., said it was in the best interest of VMI members not to belong to a purchasing cooperative.

Brian Faley, executive director of BVA, said the board decided that membership in VMI presented a conflict of interest since VMI is viewed as a buying cooperative. Shortly after this determination was made, the VMI members resigned from BVA.

Stave said that the VMI's main purpose is marketing and promotions, but the group does have some cooperative purchasing agreements with suppliers. He said some of its members still belong to the Vendors Purchasing Council, another purchasing cooperative.

Illinois council creates Perricone scholarship
The Illinois Automatic Merchandising Council has created the Peter F. Perricone Scholarship Program to benefit employees, sons and daughters of employees of member companies. The program is administered by Scholarship Management Services, a department of Scholarship America, a national, nonprofit educational support and student aid service organization that seeks to involve and assist the private sector in expanding educational opportunities and encouraging educational achievement. IAMC members and staff are not involved in the scholarship selection process in any way.

Applicants must be employees or dependent children of full-time employees of member companies of IAMC. Employees must have a minimum of two years employment at the time of application deadline. Member companies must have been IAMC members for two years. Four awards of $500 each will be given.

Application requests will be honored between March 15 and May 1, 2006.

For information, contact the IAMC/Peter F. Perricone Scholarship Program, Scholarship Management Services, One Scholarship Way, P.O. Box 297, St. Peter, MN 56082; Phone: 507-931-1682; Fax: 507-931-9168.

Crane Streamware launches consulting services group
Crane Streamware, a Crane Co. company, has launched a consulting services group to help vending operators improve their operation with new processes, methodologies and business models. The consulting services group's offerings will cover a broad range of knowledge areas, with a focus on improving profitability through best practices implementation, improved route, office and warehouse efficiencies; cash and product controls; and enhanced merchandising.

Rich Horrigan, Streamware's director of customer relations, said the consulting services group was a natural outgrowth of the company's long-term experience with vending operations. Under the leadership of Peg Barcelo, Streamware's consulting group will help operators use VendMAX and DeliveryMAX.