East Japan Railway Company (JR East) has acquired the vending machine business of Petrie Gough, which operates approximately 800 machines at major airports in London, through its local subsidiary JRE Business Development UK (UKBD) in the United Kingdom.
Since 2019, the JR East Group has been developing a digital vending machine business in the United Kingdom, and in 2024 it acquired all shares of Decorum Vending, operating around 1,000 machines mainly at railway stations. With this latest acquisition of an airport-focused vending machine business, the total number of machines operated at stations and airports will expand to around 1,800 units.
Going forward, from the perspective of smart retail utilizing AI and remote management technologies, the company will promote product lineups based on people-flow and purchase data, as well as promotions using vending machines equipped with advertising functions. It is also planning to roll out vending machines that offer regional specialty products. Initiatives already underway in London include sales of “TOKYO ONIGIRI” (Tokyo rice balls, supervised by Omusubi-dokoro Honnoriya), installation of ITO EN “Oi Ocha” vending machines, and sales of railway-themed goods and local products from Tsubame-Sanjo in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.
In the future, JR East aims to expand into other European countries by leveraging its network with local partners.
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