Selecta developed an innovative concept for self-service food and beverage in the workplace and beyond. Branded FOODIE’S in mainland Europe and Express HUB in UK and Ireland, our Food Markets are particularly attractive solutions across workplaces in Europe and offer a self-service, ‘grab, scan and go’ refreshment solution.

Our FOODIE’S Food Markets offer businesses the flexibility of an unmanned solution which is available 24/7 with no restrictions on opening hours, offering a greater and healthier variety of products compared to traditional self-service retail. In response to today’s mindful consumer and with a focus on taking care of both the individual and the planet we offer fresh foods, such as sandwiches, salads or fruits, and innovative and healthy hot meals, snacks and drinks, such as vegan, organic, plant-based and protein offerings. FOODIE’S Food Market also offers a lower-cost alternative for consumers to office cafeterias with similar offerings and limited times of operation.

In 2018 the first pilot of the FOODIE’S Food Market was introduced, followed by a full pilot phase in 2019. Since then, over 200 FOODIE’S have been installed in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, Ireland and the UK. We plan to grow this number to 1,750 by 2022.

Our FOODIE’S concepts are unique when compared with other Food Markets for two reasons; firstly, they are designed as modular concepts, so they are highly flexible in terms of size and space – you can place a FOODIE’S anywhere in the workplace. Secondly, we have focused on an attractive and stylish design, which allows our clients to elevate the quality of their facilities even higher. Last year, the individuality of our concept was awarded with the Image of Vending – Customer Initiative of the Year 2019 Award by the European Vending Association.

Both the initial investment and the running costs are considerably lower than a catering restaurant, meaning the ideal client for our solutions is a workplace with 100 to 400 employees, in locations with the need of long opening hours, such as call centers and companies in urban areas with a high degree of millennials as employees.

Due to the worldwide pandemic workspace management has significantly changed. Working hours have shifted as well as the time spent at the office, with a decline in the number of workers in offices. FOODIE’S offers a highly relevant solution for all industries that need to respond to the fundamental change in workplace dynamics, with people visiting the office less often and on an irregular basis. FOODIE’S increases business continuity and enhances the company culture, as today’s office is all about connection, collaboration, innovation and inspiration. Creating a nice place where employees want to be and can be serviced 24/7, is essential.

Compared to traditional vending solutions, our FOODIE’S offers a greater selection of products including healthier, high-quality fresh food, beverages and snacks, from breakfast and lunch to dinner and everything in between. A vending machine usually holds 30 SKUs, whereas our FOODIE’S averages around 200-250 SKUs. The dynamic product assortment available ensures that the offering meets the needs of consumers whilst minimising food waste. This allows us to genuinely contribute to the wellbeing of organisations and the eating habits of employees.

All our FOODIE’S are connected to a cloud-based system that provides us with real time data on which products have been sold and when, and what needs to be replenished the next day. It also allows us to check remotely whether any equipment requires servicing. The data gives us great insight in consumer behaviour, and we can adapt our category management accordingly.

Selecta offers data protection compliant video security, which is shown within the market and has proven successful as a safeguard against misuse.

We have introduced a range of measures to further promote hygiene and support social distancing for office spaces that remain open across Europe. The grab, scan and go stores’ scalable design means they offer a convenient and cost-effective alternative for companies’ necessity for unattended catering options. This way we are enabling consumers to say goodbye to fear and hello to caution.

Innovative, self-service solutions are needed now more than ever. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, and with the entire landscape of office catering having shifted at tremendous speed, businesses increasingly seek more flexible solutions and the demand for our adaptable and compliant FOODIE’S Food Market has increased.