Ontario permits liquor vending machines in licensed establishments

September 11, 2026

Ontario, Canada, will allow liquor vending machines in establishments holding a liquor sales license, according to a government press release. The machines may…

Book vending machine targets rural reading gap in Washington

September 11, 2026

Save the Children is partnering with Washington state's Lake Quinault School District to install a book vending machine that will allow students to select free…

Oli Robotics targets 20,000 locations with robotic coffee shops

September 11, 2026

Oli Robotics has unveiled an artificial intelligence-powered robotic coffee shop designed to serve specialty beverages in hotels, supermarkets, airports and…

Texas A&M-San Antonio installs free naloxone kiosks

September 11, 2026

Texas A&M University-San Antonio has installed four kiosks providing free naloxone nasal spray to students and members of the surrounding South Side…

Automated food store opens in downtown East Lansing

September 11, 2026

Michigan vending operator VendHubb has opened a storefront containing 10 vending machines at 205 M.A.C. Ave. in downtown East Lansing, according to an East…

When the signal disappears: How vending machines handle cashless payment outages

by Richard Slawsky — Editor, Connect Media

Cashless payments have made vending machines easier to use, but that convenience depends on a chain of technology that usually remains invisible until…

Leaner automated retail, part 1: Cutting energy and unnecessary service miles

by Ben Wheeler

The sustainability conversation in automated retail should start somewhere practical: How can we operate the network with less waste?

Kentucky county adds 5 Narcan kiosks

September 10, 2026

Kentucky organization Madison County Harm Reduction has installed five new Narcan kiosks to expand public access to opioid overdose-reversal medication. The…

Starbucks to launch dedicated vending machines across Japan

September 10, 2026

Starbucks Corp. and Suntory Beverage & Food will begin introducing Starbucks-branded vending machines across Japan in mid-September, according to a press…

AFJ Vending expands services across Albuquerque area

September 10, 2026

AFJ Vending is expanding its vending services to businesses and other properties in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and nearby communities, according to a company…

Virginia bakery opens 24-hour dessert pickup lockers

September 10, 2026

Richmond, Virginia, bakery Shyndigz has opened 18 refrigerated self-service lockers that allow customers to pick up desserts around the clock, according to an…

Eboca, CDA form partnership to share vending expertise

September 10, 2026

Spanish vending company Eboca and Italian vending operator CDA, or Cattelan Distributori Automatici, have formed a partnership to exchange knowledge about the…

Pop Mart vending machine replaces cupcake ATM at USC

September 9, 2026

Pop Mart has opened what the company describes as its first college-campus vending location outside the University of Southern California Bookstore, according…

Broncos add beer vending machines, new food options at Empower Field

September 9, 2026

The Denver Broncos are adding beer vending machines and expanding food choices at Empower Field at Mile High for the 2026 NFL season, according to a Denver…

Pocahontas State Park launches self-service kayak rental kiosks

September 9, 2026

Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield, Virginia, has introduced self-service kayak rental kiosks that allow visitors to rent equipment without making a…

Melbourne suburb blocks naloxone vending machine

September 9, 2026

A planned vending machine offering free naloxone has been blocked from a proposed site on Victoria Street in North Richmond, a Melbourne, Australia, suburb…

Beyond the kiosk: Why AI in retail still needs a human purpose

We’re moving from technology that waits for the customer to figure out what to ask toward systems that can participate in the conversation, but the opportunity…

France drops mandatory nationwide deposit system for plastic bottles

September 8, 2026

The French government has dropped plans to require communities nationwide to establish a deposit-return system for plastic beverage bottles, according to a Le…

India airport to install sanitary napkin vending machines after online shaming

September 8, 2026

India's Chennai International Airport plans to install 36 sanitary napkin vending machines in its women's restrooms by the end of September, according to an…

Custom Vending adds cryptocurrency payments to OMNI machines

September 8, 2026

Custom Vending has introduced cryptocurrency payment capabilities for its OMNI Series vending machines through a partnership with RiverArk, according to a…