ATLAS Vending brings back 'classic mornings' with newspapers in vending machines

ATLAS Vending, an F&B vending operator across Malaysia and Singapore, is collaborating with Media Mulia, the publisher of Kosmo! and Utusan Malaysia, in a pilot programme that will see physical newspapers sold through vending machines.

The vending machines will be positioned in strategic high-traffic areas in the Klang Valley, such as the KL Sentral transportation hub and the LRT stations in Bangsar and Ampang Park. According to a press release by ATLAS Vending, this move marks a significant milestone for ATLAS Vending in the industry's expansion of vending machine applications, by being the first vending company in Malaysia to dispense and sell newspapers using vending machines.

In this pilot rollout, the placement of the machines at key transit points in the Klang Valley provides commuters and employees with increased convenience by giving them more alternatives to buy their daily newspapers rather than stopping at a newsstand, convenience shop, or gas station.

“We’re pleased to collaborate with Media Mulia in this partnership that not only expands the range of products sold through vending machines but also re-energise the practice of reading physical newspapers," said Amy Gan, vice president of marketing, Etika.

"We hope this new convenience for commuters wanting a quick way to purchase newspapers on the go will offer a more pleasant morning, by helping them skip the queue at the cashier counter with quick cashless payment via e-wallet, credit, or debit cards,” said Gan. She added that having a coffee and reading the paper are often intrinsically linked for many Malaysians, hence, ATLAS Vending also added the premium 100% Arabica instant coffee, WONDA Instant Coffee, to each newspaper purchased to "elevate their reading experience".

Meanwhile, Mohamad Azlan Jaafar, managing director and group editor, Media Mulia said: “Media Mulia is also pleased to partner with an innovative company like ATLAS Vending to modernise and increase the convenience of purchasing our newspapers Utusan Malaysia and Kosmo!.”

Early this year, ATLAS Vending also launched a fully-automated self-service concept in a separate project, called Mini Mart, which aims to highlight Minit Mart's convenience in offering quick purchases via automated cashless transactions round the clock. Launched ahead of Raya festivities, the Minit Mart outlets were rolled out at Caltex stations on the KESAS Highway and in Bandar Utama as well as at the Salak Tinggi station on the KLIA Transit line. The Minit Mart outlets featured a range of food and drink products and other handy supplies for travellers, from brands such as Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Wonda Coffee, 7 Days and many more.

Following the launch, the company said that it intends to set up Minit Mart facilities at 50 locations across Malaysia by 2023.

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