For decades, vending operators have accepted a certain level of “complicated.”

Coins jammed in machines.
Vans parked all weekend with thousands in loose change.
Customers walking away empty-handed — either because they didn’t have coins or the machine failed to deliver.
Fraud risks.
Refund complaints.
Unknown stockouts.
Unnecessary visits.

These weren’t just industry-wide problems — they were Broderick’s problems, too.
Until they decided they didn’t have to be.

Broderick’s made a clear call: go fully cashless — and do it with a partner who could support every step of the transition: Coges.

Our client – Broderick’s

Broderick’s began in Manchester in 1969. What started as a small family-run business today has grown into the second largest vending operator in the UK.

With a fleet of over 2,000 machines across offices, universities, airports, gyms and retail sites, Broderick’s serves thousands of customers daily. But scale isn’t what defines them — it’s their mindset.

“We used to count £15 million in coins a year”

Cash was part of the business — but over time, it became the part that held everything back.

“Every week, vans sat parked with thousands in loose change still onboard. In the depot, staff counted to £15 million in coins every year, manually.”

It wasn’t just time-consuming. It was a security risk and a cost centre.

“It was slowing us down”, admits John.

Connected estate that is virtually 100% cashless

When Broderick’s partnered with Coges, the goal was clear:
stop relying on coins and start building a connected estate that is virtually 100% cashless.

What we’ve seen since partnering with Coges is a drop of about 87% in all coin-related issues, John explains. No more coin jams. No more wrong change. And that’s huge in places like airports and universities.

ⓘ Learn more: Card readers

When you go cashless, there’s nothing to steal

Additionally, removing cash did not just improve operations.
It’s made machines less vulnerable to theft and vandalism.

“When you go cashless, there’s nothing to steal,” John says.
“We’ve seen almost no break-ins since the switch. Machines just aren’t a target anymore.”

We don’t rely on clients to report problems anymore

The decision to go cashless changed how Broderick’s runs its entire operation.

With Coges, every machine is now part of a connected estate. Live data from each machine gives the operations team a clear view of stock levels, machine performance, and sales trends — across every site, in real time.

ⓘ Learn more: Connectivity for smarter vending management

“We don’t rely on clients to report problems anymore,” says John. “The system alerts us before they even notice something’s wrong.”

• Machines are restocked based on actual sales, not fixed schedules.
• Drivers are sent to the right places, with the right stock — reducing wasted visits and increasing efficiency across the board.

Clients love seeing live sales data. They can see we’re putting in the products that actually sell. And we’ve seen revenue per machine increase — sometimes by 33%, sometimes even 100%, depending on the site.

Refunds resolved instantly

In vending, refund handling can define a company’s reputation.
And Broderick’s has made it nearly automatic.

“No one loses money in a Broderick’s machine. With Coges, it’s just not possible,” says John. “Even on weekends, refunds happen 24/7. That’s something many of our competitors just can’t offer.”

With Coges connectivity, the refund process is immediate. If something goes wrong, the customer starts a live chat — and by the end of the conversation, the refund is already in their account.

Money’s in bank account the next morning

For a business running at scale, cash flow is everything.

Before, it could take days — even weeks — for vending sales to show up in the bank account. With Coges transfers sales revenue daily.

“Sunday night sales hit our account by Monday morning,” says John.
“That makes a real difference. No delays, no waiting on transfers. It gives us predictability — and a better handle on forecasting and payments.”

It’s a small change on paper. But for finance and ops teams, it changes the rhythm of the whole business.