Industries

Retail

Modern vending technology can provide customers with a simple, familiar purchasing experience while giving operators greater visibility behind the scenes.

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4.8/5 average rating
3,000+ UK sites served
98% first-time fix rate

Vending That Does More

Smart retail without the traditional shopfront

Modern vending can be used to sell far more than drinks and snacks. From food and everyday essentials to merchandise, technology products and premium items, smart vending gives retailers a flexible way to sell products 24/7 while reducing the need for staffing and large retail footprints.

Refreshment Systems can help create automated retail solutions that work as standalone units, alongside existing stores or as part of a wider self-service strategy.

Health and personal care products
Clothing and merchandise
Electronics and accessories
Travel essentials
PPE and workplace supplies
Premium and higher-value items

VendSmart Media machine showing Football England Merchandise in football stadium

Product Loss

Reducing the risk of shoplifting

Automated retail can help reduce product loss by keeping stock securely contained within vending machines or smart lockers until a transaction has been completed.

Unlike open-shelf retail, customers only gain access to the product they have paid for, helping businesses reduce opportunities for theft while still offering convenient, self-service purchasing.

This can make vending particularly valuable in high-footfall or unattended locations where maintaining a fully staffed retail area may be difficult or costly.

Products stay securely enclosed until payment is completed.
Reduces open-shelf theft by removing direct access to stock
Stock monitoring helps identify discrepancies and unusual patterns
Suitable for unattended locations without needing a member of staff present at all times
Higher-value products can be sold more securely than through open retail displays
Controlled dispensing means customers receive only the item purchased

VendSmart Media Vending machine showing electrical items, baby products, cleaning products

VendSmart Connect

Manage your machines on one platform

The VendSmart platform gives merchandising teams greater visibility and control across their estate, bringing together telemetry, payments, reporting, content and remote management in one place. This helps simplify day-to-day management, improve service efficiency and deliver a more consistent experience across multiple sites.

Real time Telemetry
Monitor performance, stock and machine status in real time
Proactive Fault Detection
Reduced downtime and emergency engineer call-outs
Live Reporting
Access accurate data that improves replenishment and decision-making
Digital Content
Manage screen messaging, promotions and advertising opportunities
Remote Management
Make updates, review performance and stay in control from anywhere

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Automated Retail Lockers

Convenient collection around the clock

Smart locker systems provide another way to extend retail beyond traditional opening hours.

Customers can purchase or reserve products online and collect them securely from a designated locker using a PIN, QR code or other digital access method.

Lockers can be used for:

Click and collect
Equipment collection
Online retail orders
Larger products
Glass or breakable items
Premium and higher-value items

VendSmart Vault showing expensive items such as perfumes, cameras

Awards

Shortlisted for retail innovation

Refreshment Systems was shortlisted for Most Disruptive Retail Technology at the 2026 Retail Systems Awards, recognising the innovation behind our VendSmart technology.

VendSmart transforms the traditional vending machine into a fully automated retail point of sale, combining cashless payments, digital advertising, real-time sales data, automated stock control and smart technology in one platform.

The recognition reflects our ambition to push vending beyond traditional snacks and drinks and create flexible, secure and commercially effective automated retail solutions for a much wider range of products.