The man on a mission to change the face of vending in the UK

Meet John Broderick, the inspiring second-generation entrepreneur who is MD of independent, national vending and refreshments company Broderick’s.

John is a man on a mission to get #vendingtrending by embracing technology and healthy eating preferences to bring our workplace vending options right up to date, in order to appeal to today’s time-poor, health-aware millennials.

John is passionate about transforming our perceptions of vending from a mere distress purchase to a go-to refreshment destination of choice.

Broderick’s is a powerful, independent force to be reckoned with in a marketplace which has been dominated by large international corporates and John’s pioneering approach has been instrumental in catapulting this one-time Cinderella sector into a dynamic sales channel for multi-national household names and emerging niche brands alike.

Tell us more about Broderick’s

“At Broderick’s we see ourselves as pioneers who are changing the face of vending and making it relevant and accessible to today’s new generation of customers.

“The business was set up by my father John Snr. back in 1969, who is still very much involved in the business as our company chairman. Whilst technology, snacking product choices and the aesthetics of vending machine designs have changed dramatically over the years, we have stayed true to our roots and steadfastly maintained our founding father’s commitment to an exceptional customer service experience and that’s something that we’ve embraced for almost 50 years.

“Broderick’s offers café quality coffee in its nationwide network of vending machines located throughout the UK and Southern Ireland, in airports, universities, hospitals, libraries and office blocks.

“The Broderick’s of today is much more than just a vending company, as we have introduced a number of boutique coffee bars, including a celebrated venue – complete with grand piano – which has become something of a landmark in Manchester Airport’s terminal 2. This move was both a major step change in our company’s development and a massive boost to brand awareness.”

What was the thinking behind the ‘Broderick’s Better For You’ range?

“We pride ourselves on being vending pioneers who are leading the way on all fronts and re-defining vending & refreshments in the workplace. We have a great track record of ‘industry firsts’ and the Broderick’s Better for You range was introduced to feed the nation’s appetite for bespoke & healthy vending options which are in tune with modern day tastes and preferences.

“Our ‘Better for You’ portfolio offers a selection of healthier snack options including ‘free from’ & veggie choices together with low sugar snacks and it perfectly complements the traditional snacking staples options. This has proved extremely popular with customers in the healthcare sector and those companies employing shift workers.”

What else have you done to make vending more relevant to Millennials?

“Our suite of cashless vending options has proved extremely popular, together with our ground breaking ‘order in advance from the workstation services. With more than 50% of people in the UK now going to work with no coins in their pockets, the advent of cashless vending just had to take off. We introduced Apple Pay & note loaders a few years back, again ahead of the pack, and we’ve seen a 16% increase in turnover as a result of introducing these convenient payment options.”

What is media vend and how has it given Broderick’s a competitive edge?

“Media Vend is a great example of how our policy of embracing & applying new technology within the vending sector has given us a competitive edge.

“Media Vend is our Broderick’s – exclusive point of purchase advertising channel. Media Vend ads  appear on viewing screens on our SMART vending machines. Our machines are interactive and provide a valuable advertising channel which has attracted ad spend from big name multi nationals such as Nestle, Mars & Coca-Cola to name but a few!

“As well as an effective & proven advertising channel for household- name brands and smaller local companies alike, the Broderick’s Media Vend machines also offer valuable, real time data to brand owners, which is something that just hadn’t happened in the UK vending sector until the arrival of the Media Vend concept.”

You pride yourself on innovation and embracing technology – what is your latest tech initiative?

“We’ve just introduced the UK vending sector’s first loyalty App and cemented a collaboration with MARS and as a result our Broderick’s App. is mining valuable data for MARS on sales figures, purchasing habits and customer preferences.”

As a family firm you also have a long-standing & genuine commitment to the environment, so what are the latest developments in this area?

We were the first vending company in the UK to be awarded the prestigious ISO 14001 accreditation. At Broderick’s we always ensure that we deliver on our commitment to a better environment and again we were one of the first to move from plastic to paper cups for our machines.

We are continually sourcing the very latest recycling methods. Look out for news of our latest trail blazing initiatives in this area!