A newly designed, stan­dalone drinks machine dispensing Calippo slush, offering margins of more than 75%, is now available to independent retailers.

Premium iced drinks supplier Polar Krush Group has been working with Unilever for the past 18 months, and began trials of the revamped Calippo Burst in conveni­ence stores at the end of last year. The machine, which dispenses two flavours, is 1.96 metres tall, 56cm wide and 87cm deep.

Polar Krush chief execu­tive Simon Hewitson told Better Retailing that in a bid to ramp up distribution, a launch offer is available for a lim­ited time. This includes a £199-per-month lease, free stock equivalent to 3,455 free drinks worth £10,190, five-year full servicing, free PoS and marketing, and free delivery and installation.

“The machine is pur­pose built for carbonated beverages, and provides a premium product, rather than standard slush,” he said. “Historically, we’ve been more leisure-focused, but we are moving more into retail.

“There is real excite­ment for these products in convenience, and this offering will definitely enable them to become a destination. We are trying to give retail­ers a really strong offer, because we think this brand has strong affilia­tion and nostalgia. This isn’t something that can be recreated at home, and instead becomes a habit with shoppers.

“We want to help retail­ers get this machine in their stores quickly. These products perform well all year round, but there is definitely an uplift when the weather gets warmer, and we want them to take advantage of that.”

There are five flavours available: Straw­berry, Magic Blue, Orange, Cola and Lime. All are vegan and free from sugar, allergens and gluten.

“Magic Blue, Orange and Strawberry are our big­gest flavours right now,” said Hewitson. “We are in discussions with sites that are going to have more than one machine, so they can offer multiple flavours. We will be looking at prod­uct development moving forward.”

Retail packs include branded medium-sized and large cups, lids and spoon straws, as well as the liquid concentrate. Hewitson said the RRP for a medium cup is £2.95 and £3.50 for a large.

Speaking about support to partnered stores, Hewitson explained: “It’s part of the agreement that we provide ongoing main­tenance, available seven days a week. We want to build a partnership with our sites.”

To qualify for a ma­chine, high electrical throughput is required, as the machine has a com­mando electric socket, rather than a three-point plug. “It does need to be next to a water source, too,” added Hewitson.

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