What Automatic Refreshments does

Automatic Refreshments (Midlands) Ltd is an independent vending machine supplier and operator headquartered in Hinckley, Leicestershire, with a secondary warehouse and wholesale operation in Riddings, Derbyshire (trading as Vending Superstore). Founded in 2007 by industry veterans, the company sells, leases, and operates commercial vending machines across the East Midlands, West Midlands, and South Yorkshire, covering more than 12 UK counties. Its product portfolio spans hot drinks machines (bean-to-cup, fresh leaf tea, soup), tabletop coffee units, snack and confectionery machines, fresh food vending, cold drink dispensers, and plumbed-in water coolers, sourced from manufacturers including Coffetek, Azkoyen, Bravilor, and Evoca. Differentiated hardware features include A+ energy-rated machines with energy learning modes (up to 30% energy savings), I-Detect transaction reliability, and the NEO Q combined coffee-and-water fountain.

The business generates revenue through five streams: outright hardware sales, multi-year machine leasing (1+12 or 1+20 quarterly payment structures), fully managed vending services (machine operation, stocking, cleaning, and maintenance on customer sites), recurring transaction fees from Nayax contactless payment integration (~£12.50/month plus 4-6% per purchase), and wholesale supply of vending ingredients and consumables through Vending Superstore. Go-to-market is sales-led: dedicated sales managers conduct on-site consultations and site surveys across the Midlands region, supplemented by a direct phone/email channel and an e-commerce wholesale site. The company has no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and is founder-controlled under Managing Director Adam Bates, with the three directors actively involved in daily operations. Service-level metrics include a 4-hour average engineer call-out time and a 97% first-fix rate, and the customer base spans automotive, retail, healthcare, hospitality, media, and manufacturing sectors with enterprise relationships including Toyota, DFS, Waterstones, Haven Holidays, Abbott Laboratories, and Channel 4.

Name

Automatic Refreshments

Legal name

Automatic Refreshments (Midlands) Ltd

Website

https://automaticrefreshments.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vending Machines and Managed Vending Services

NAICS

Vending Machine Operators (445132), Convenience Retailers and Vending Machine Operators (44513)

SIC

Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040), Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

Beverage Service (Coffee/Tea/Juice) & Refreshment Stations (HSACAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee, Espresso & Tea Appliances Retail (CRACADAC), Coffee & Tea Service Supplies Wholesale (AFAIALAH), Refrigeration & Freezer Retail (Refrigerators, Freezers, Wine/Beverage Coolers) (CRACACAB)

Keywords

• Vending machines
• Office refreshments
• Coffee machines
• Managed vending
• Water coolers

Headquarters

HQ city

Hinckley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Vending Machine Sales: Direct sale of vending machines to businesses, including hot drinks machines, snack machines, cold drink machines, food vending machines, and water coolers. Machines can be purchased outright.
2. Machine Leasing: Leasing arrangements for vending machines with typical terms of 1+12 or 1+20 quarterly payments. Once the lease period concludes, customers can upgrade equipment with a new lease agreement.
3. Fully Managed Vending Services: Comprehensive operated vending services where the company keeps machines clean, stocked, and maintained. Typically charges a 'cup cost' for hot drinks or invoices for total drinks vended when not charging customers directly.
4. Cashless Payment System Fees: Monthly service fees for Nayax contactless payment system integration, approximately £12.50 per month plus 4-6% transaction fees per purchase.
5. Vending Supplies (Wholesale): Sale of vending ingredients and supplies through Vending Superstore website, including coffee brands (Kenco, Nescafe, Lavazza), whiteners (Milfresh), hot chocolate options, and accessories like sugar, stirrers, and biscuits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Automatic Refreshments sells, leases, and operates commercial vending machines for UK businesses across the Midlands and South Yorkshire. The company supplies hot drinks machines (bean-to-cup, fresh leaf tea), tabletop coffee machines, snack machines, fresh food vending machines, cold drinks machines, and water coolers. It provides fully managed services including installation, stocking, cleaning, and maintenance, as well as wholesale vending supplies via its Vending Superstore sub-brand.

Product overview

Automatic Refreshments is an independent vending machine supplier and operator offering a comprehensive portfolio of vending solutions. The core offering consists of multiple vending machine categories including hot drinks vending machines (NEO Q, NEO, Zensia, Maestro), tabletop coffee machines (Vitro X series, Krea Prime, Kalea, Bolero, Esprecious, Sego, SPRSO), snack vending machines (Swing, Minisnakky, Twist, Palma, Mistral), fresh food vending machines, cold drinks vending machines, and water coolers. The company also sells refurbished vending machines. Services include fully managed vending (full operation, stocking, maintenance), self-operated vending support, and cashless payment integration via Nayax. Products are available for purchase outright or via leasing arrangements (1+12 or 1+20 quarterly payment profiles). The company operates across the East & West Midlands and South Yorkshire, serving over 6 million hot drinks annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vending Superstore: Wholesale division of Automatic Refreshments selling vending machine ingredients and supplies online.

Products and services

• NEO Q Coffee and Water Fountain Hot Drinks Vending Machine Combined hot drinks vending machine and filtered water fountain dispensing coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and cold filtered water from a single unit. Targets workplaces seeking both coffee and water service in one machine.
• Hot Drinks Vending Machines Commercial hot drinks machines offering bean-to-cup espresso, fresh leaf tea, instant coffee, hot chocolate, and soup for offices and workplaces. Includes NEO, Zensia, and Maestro models.
• Tabletop Coffee Machines Compact, stylish tabletop coffee machines designed for offices, conference rooms, and showrooms, including Vitro X-series, Krea Prime, Kalea, Bolero 32, Esprecious, Sego, and SPRSO 'The Little Bean Machine' brands.
• Snack Vending Machines Vending machines dispensing crisps, chocolate, sweets, and healthier snack options including Swing, Minisnakky, Twist, Palma, and Mistral models for workplaces and public spaces.
• Fresh Food Vending Machines State-of-the-art fresh food vending machines stocked with fresh sandwiches, salads, hot food, pasta pots, jacket potatoes, pies, pasties, sausage rolls, and breakfast items for 24/7 workplace access.
• Cold Drinks Vending Machines Can and bottle vending machines for chilled beverages including cans, bottles, fizzy drinks, energy drinks, and water, available in Swing Can & Bottle and Vivace models.
• Water Coolers Plumbed-in water coolers providing filtered, chilled, or ambient drinking water directly from the mains, including Hi Class Top 30, Aqua Point 60, Jazz 1100, Aquality IB, 3300X, and Arctic series models.
• Refurbished Vending Machines Pre-owned vending machines restored to 'as new' condition through rigorous cleaning, testing, part replacement, descaling, and quality assurance, available with custom vinyl wrap branding.
• Fully Managed Vending Services Comprehensive operated vending service covering machine installation, regular stocking, cleaning, maintenance, and 24/7 availability for businesses in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and South Yorkshire.
• Self Operated Vending Services Support service for customers managing their own vending machines, including equipment selection, site surveys, installation, training, and wholesale supply access through Vending Superstore.
• Cashless Vending Machines Contactless payment-enabled vending machines via Nayax partnership, enabling tap-to-pay with debit/credit cards and mobile payment apps including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.
• Installation Requirements and Support Free site surveys, installation planning for electrical (13-amp UK socket within 1.5m) and water supply (mains connection with 15mm isolating ball valve), and on-site engineer setup and training.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4-hour average engineer call-out response time
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NayaxcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership to provide contactless payment solutions for vending machines. Allows customers to pay using contactless debit/credit cards, Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, and Android Pay. The system includes magnetic swipe, contact, and contactless operations with secure transaction processing.
• National Independent Vending Operators (NIVO)minorOthersIndustry membership organization allowing the company to secure competitive pricing on vending machines and supplies through collective purchasing power, with benefits passed on to customers.
• Licensed Waste Disposal CompaniesminorOthersEnvironmentally responsible disposal partners for WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) compliance when machines reach end of lifecycle.
• Vending Machine Manufacturers (Various)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnerships with leading vending machine manufacturers including Coffetek, Azkoyen, Bravilor, Evoca, and others to provide cutting-edge technology and premium quality machines. Being independent allows flexibility in machine selection without restrictive contracts.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bluewater Vending: UK regional vending machine supplier and operator serving businesses with hot drinks, snack, and cold beverage machines. Comparable to Automatic Refreshments in scope (workplace refreshment, leasing, managed services) and in operating as an independent mid-sized UK operator.
• Total Vending: UK-based vending machine supplier providing machine sales, leasing, and managed services across workplace and hospitality customers. Closely matches Automatic Refreshments on product portfolio (hot drinks, snack, cold), service tiers, and UK regional distribution model.
• Express Vending: UK-based independent vending machine operator offering hot drinks, snack, cold drinks, and water cooler placements with managed services. Direct comparable on operating model (sales-led, regional coverage, machine sales plus full management) and UK market focus.
• Bewley's UK: UK-based vending and office coffee provider supplying hot drinks, snack, and water machines to workplaces. Comparable to Automatic Refreshments on operating model and UK focus, with particular overlap in office coffee and managed vending services.

Broad incumbents

• Costa Express: Self-serve barista-style coffee kiosks operated by Costa Coffee across UK convenience and workplace-adjacent locations. Adjacent comparable on unattended coffee service and cashless payment adoption, but with a different ownership/brand model (single-brand kiosks vs multi-line vending).
• Selecta: One of Europe's largest vending and coffee services operators, offering machine placement, managed services, and cashless payments across multiple countries. Highly comparable to Automatic Refreshments on business model (machine placement + managed services), but operates at far greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Nestlé Professional (Nestlé Vending): Global beverage and vending solutions provider offering branded coffee, hot drinks machines, and managed vending services. Comparable as a supplier of hot drinks vending solutions to workplace customers, but at significantly larger scale and with the backing of major coffee brands (Nescafé).
• Lavazza Professional: Office and out-of-home coffee solutions provider, offering bean-to-cup machines and full managed service for workplace and HoReCa customers. Comparable to Automatic Refreshments on hot drinks vending and managed services, with a stronger coffee-brand-led positioning.

Emerging players

• Waterlogic: Specialist manufacturer and supplier of plumbed-in water coolers and dispensers for workplaces. Directly comparable to Automatic Refreshments' water cooler product line and recurring dispense economics, though Waterlogic focuses on water only and not snack/hot drinks vending.

Others

• Lyreco: European distributor of workplace supplies and equipment, including coffee and vending solutions. Comparable as a workplace-provision channel and competitor for office refreshment budgets, though vending is one of many categories rather than the core focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arvending

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Automatic Refreshments