10 winners named in the Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation Awards 2026

by Richard Slawsky — Editor, Connect Media

Meet the winners of the ARKI Awards 2026, recognizing advances in self-service and unattended retail.

The kiosk shift, part 4: The real cost starts after deployment

by Ben Wheeler — Dir. of Business Dev. - Automated Retail, T-ROC

Operating a kiosk fleet takes more than low-cost hardware. Remote management, security updates, diagnostics, standardization and long-term support shape total ownership costs. This installment explores how Android and ARM platforms can help operators keep machines reliable, serviceable and economical at national scale.

Żabka Group expands vending network in Poland, Germany

Żabka Group, the Polish convenience store operator, has expanded its vending machine network to more than 350 units across Poland and Germany, recording more…

Vending

Vending machines service is the primary service for most convenience services operators. Vending usually refers to food and refreshment service machines, including candy/snack machines, cold beverage machines, hot beverage machines, refrigerated food machines and frozen food machines.