Pokka Sapporo Exits Vending Machine Business Amid Soaring Costs, Sparking Public Regret
Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage (hereafter Pokka Sapporo) announced on the 5th that it will withdraw from the vending machine business. The company has decided to sell its vending machine operations, including approximately 40,000 machines, to Life Drink Company. Key factors driving this decision are the escalating costs of equipment maintenance, electricity, transportation fuel, and labor. This move follows a similar decision by Dydo to remove unprofitable vending machines, underscoring the growing difficulties faced by the vending machine sector across the entire Japanese beverage industry. A subsidiary of Sapporo Holdings, Pokka Sapporo plans to redirect its management resources towards its alcoholic beverage business, beverage development, and particularly its highly profitable lemon-related product lines. By categorizing the vending machine business, which had been experiencing market contraction and declining profitability, as non-core, the company's divestment is viewed as...