The UK vending market, having recovered from lockdown, is experiencing huge growth – but is not yet in Japan’s league
Long gone are the days when vending machines would simply swallow your money. Nor are they limited to offering a savoury snack or sweet treat. Instead they have quietly transformed into hi-tech cashless devices selling everything you could possibly need on the move, from false eyelashes to milk, and now books.
The publisher Penguin Random House is showcasing a book vending machine at Exeter St Davids railway station in Devon. The titles available include Taste by Stanley Tucci, but what is sold will change regularly, partly based on key moments in the year such as Black History Month.