Senior members of The Wholesale Group recently visited Dublin to witness reverse DRS vending machines operate in a live retail environment as part of an educational trip ahead of the launch of the scheme in 2027.
Managing Director Tom Gittins, retail controller Kirsty Winkel and chairman Mark Aylwin travelled to Ireland in early February to observe how the system is functioning in practice and to assess the potential opportunities for independent retailers supplied by the Group’s members.
During the visit, hosted by reverse vending technology specialist Envipco, the delegation toured a range of retail sites featuring machines installed both inside and outside stores. The team also visited one of Ireland’s large-scale ‘Quantum’ machines, capable of accepting bags containing up to 200 bottles in a single transaction.
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Gittins said: “We feel that the introduction of DRS next year provides a big opportunity for local convenience stores, the customers of our retail members within The Wholesale Group,” he said. “We had seen statistics about how reverse vending machines drive footfall across other DRS territories, and we were keen to learn more.”
“We learnt a huge amount from seeing the scheme in operation,” he added. “Following the visit, we have already met with our Coca-Cola contacts to begin putting plans in place so that The Wholesale Group members can maximise the opportunities DRS will bring across the supply chain.”
