Vending

French farmers boost sales deploying vending machines to sell produce

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December 10, 2020

Vending machines are popping up on highways and near farms in France, as farmers are discovering that customers prefer buying fresh food from vending machines rather than visiting stores, according to a Barrons report.

One farm, Le Casier Francais, expects to double the $1.5 million in sales it posted last year. The firm, based in northern France, designs and builds vending machines, including refrigerated models connected to the Internet. Business has been thriving since the coronavirus crisis pushed France to impose its first lockdown in March, according to the report.

Manual Moutier, company director, said the company gets a dozen inquiries per day regarding the machines.

Farmer Benoit Soufflet, located outside Lille in the north, installed a machine with 60 lockers in July. In three months, he has recovered the $36,254 he invested as he's seeing $12,085 to 18,127 in monthly revenue. Vending machines now account for 30%-40% of his sales.

For an update on how the coronavirus pandemic has affected convenience services, click here.