Our customers make us who we are…

It’s difficult to believe we are nearing the end of another year and even more daunting to realise it’s also the end of another decade. Yes, the 1st of January will see Excel Vending enter its fourth Decade; founded in 1993, we are incredibly proud of just how far we have come in the last 27 years.

Every year we have grown in Turnover and maintained our profits and 2019 has been no different – indeed we have set another sales record! We are absolutely delighted to have welcomed many new clients, but more importantly, we have seen our existing customers renew their contracts with us, many of which have been with us over 20 years. 

This customer loyalty is frankly humbling and is down to the incredible Excel Vending Team who really care about doing a great job. Our regular Customer Service Surveys make us all feel so incredibly proud!. Financial growth and Customer satisfaction enables us to do the things that matter to us the most; it allows us to look after our people, our environment, our community and our customers. In a nutshell, we really do care about the people in and around our business.

Our People

We’ve won numerous awards over the years, many for our customer service, and we know this is directly attributable to the quality of our people. We value each one of them, and we continue to invest in personal development to ensure they and Excel Vending continue to grow.

This year, we worked closely with Poverty Alliance Scotland and Living Wage Scotland to meet the criteria to be awarded accreditation as a Living Wage Employer. Contrary to popular understanding, this accreditation is for employers who pay the voluntary ‘Real Living Wage’. This has recently increased to ￡9.30 per hour, rather than the mandatory Minimum Wage rate of ￡8.21 per hour. We believe that all our employees should be paid a fair salary, and they, in turn, reward us by always “going the extra mile.”

We want to take this opportunity to thank the whole team at Excel Vending publicly. Your efforts are ALWAYS much appreciated.

This year, we said “cheerio” to Carol Williams, our much-loved Office Manager who retired to enjoy a more relaxed life with her husband, Joe. We wish them well as they start ticking off “the Bucket List”. However, she has already made reappearances bearing chocolate doughnuts and sweeties lol. Carol made a significant contribution to the business over the years, and we will always remain friends.

Our Environment

Those who follow our blog will know that we are committed to the environment and a sustainable future. We don’t just talk about this, we invest in it, and we actively pursue solutions to a worrying problem. We are one of very few vending companies to have been accredited with the Environmental Standard ISO 450001:2018.

We were delighted to hear the Scottish Government’s announcement of a Deposit Return Scheme, something about which we are very passionate. It was our passion and vision that led us to introduce Reverse Vending as far back as June 2017. We were early adopters, investing in the technology long before the introduction of this year’s Deposit Return Scheme. Our decision to equip the showroom with a working Reverse Vending Machine enabled many Press, Government and environmental bodies to witness how it works during the consultation period.

Not only that, we have been busy taking the equipment to schools to ensure the young, and environmentally conscious, generation know about the positive impact it will have in the future.

This year we also announced our partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful when we committed to becoming a founding partner of the

#GlasgowCupMovement. We have been busy working with them during the year and we will be announcing a major campaign in collaboration with Keep Scotland Beautiful in January. Watch out for this announcement early in the new year.

In 2020 we will continue to champion environmental issues; we accept that we must play our part in creating a sustainable future.

Our Community

We care about our community; we continue to offer healthy choices in our machines, and, whenever possible, sourcing local produce.  

Most importantly, we are, as ever, committed to giving something back. Excel Vending support the incredible work done by the charity sector in increasingly challenging circumstances. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is not a ‘buzz’ word banded around the office – where possible we get involved. We have donated to and raised funds for our chosen charity partners during 2019, and we have made many other ad-hoc donations to deserving causes. 

Our Customers

We will continue to lead the way in being early adopters of new technology and new products. We don’t wait till the end of contracts to “upgrade” equipment – we do it as and when required DURING the term. We have invested in Customer Service – we have 2 full-time employees whose sole job is to make sure our customers are getting the level of service we promise.

We also play a leading role in the vending industry via our membership and contribution to the AVA (Automatic Vending Association) and AVS(Associated Vending Services).

Finally, and most importantly, we value our customers; without them, we wouldn’t be able to do any of the great things we have achieved in the last year. In fact, over the previous 27 years. We appreciate your business, and we look forward to working with you in 2020 and beyond.

So as we say “Cheerio” to this Decade may we finish by wishing all of our wonderful colleagues, customers, suppliers and partners a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

In Memory of Mark Edwards 10/05/61- 4/02/2013 and Jim Martin 23/ 07/56 – 5/08/2019