Automatic Merchandiser - 6

EDITOR'S NOTE

A Bright Future
Despite the tough days ahead, the outlook is good for
convenience services
LAST MONTH I WROTE TO YOU ABOUT A SENSE OF OPTIMISM IN

Abby White
Editor
awhite@
vendingmarketwatch.com

We'd love to share
inspiring stories
of how folks in
our industry are
responding to
these challenging
times.

the convenience services industry. This was written before the coronavirus
pandemic enveloped our country and massively impacted every industry.
The enormity of what our nation, and our world, is currently facing cannot
be denied. But I believe that optimism remains, even amid such tragedy.
Throughout 2019, most American businesses were riding the wave of
a strong economy and low unemployment. If you had consulted a Magic
8-Ball at this time last year, the outlook would have been good for companies in convenience services and unattended retail.
The threat of COVID-19 has challenged every business in unforeseen
ways. As travel restrictions, social distancing and lockdowns grind everyday life to a halt, people are wondering when we'll be able to return to
business as usual. Some question whether "business as usual" is a thing of
the past and suggest that we need to prepare ourselves for a new normal.
The most important thing an operator can do right now is to ensure
the safety of their employees and customers (and, of course, their loved
ones and themselves). As professionals who work with food and beverages, it's already necessary to operate with the highest standards of hygiene
and cleanliness, but operators have had to take additional measures to
prevent the spread of COVID-19. Tahoe Vending/Sonoran Coffee CEO
Jarrad Duxbury shared what his company is doing in this issue's operation
profile on page 30.
In our annual micro market forum (page 22), we talked with a few
industry leaders about the challenges operators currently face. The conversation immediately - and rightfully - centered around the threat of
COVID-19. While our sources acknowledged the difficult current state of
business for operators, they explained how our industry is uniquely poised
to respond to this challenge.
In non-coronavirus news, we're thrilled to present the results of our
annual Readers' Choice New Products of the Year Awards. Flip to page 14
to learn about the 10 products Automatic Merchandiser readers voted as
their favorite additions in 2019.
Normally, this is the time of year when we'd be talking about the
upcoming NAMA Show, which was scheduled for the first week of May in
Nashville. As you know, The 2020 NAMA Show was canceled due to the
coronavirus pandemic. While we're disappointed that our annual industry
get-together isn't happening, we hope to find ways to connect with each
other from a safe distance. We'd love to share inspiring stories of how folks
in our industry are responding to these challenging times.
Please email us at editors@vendingmarketwatch.com if you have anything to share, and take care.

Automatic Merchandiser * April 2020

Editorial
Advisory
Board
Joe Hessling
365 Retail
Markets

Josh
Rosenberg
CEO, PLNTSOP

John Reilly
Avanti Markets

Anant Agrawal
Cantaloupe
Systems
USA Technologies

Elyssa Steiner
Cantaloupe
Systems
USA Technologies

Carl Moser
Canteen
Corporate

Chuck Reed
Crane Payment
Innovations (CPI)

Jeff Whitacre
Food Express

Cory Hewett
Gimme
Michael Miller
Mondelēz
International

Paresh Patel
PayRange

Jeff Deitchler
Prairie Fire
Coffee

Jim Carbone
Tradecraft

Sandy
Thornton
VendEdge

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Automatic Merchandiser

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