SPECIAL REPORT
22 ASIAN TRADER 17 OCTOBER 2025
ritain’s convenience retailers are no
strangers to long hours but veteran
retailer Mo Razzaq believes the
future of 24-hour retailing doesn’t
lie in tired staff or late-night shifts. It lies in
steel, sensors, and smart vending.
With labour costs rising and also energy
bills, Mo is betting big on automation. His
latest experiment is two gleaming vending
machines outside Premier Mo’s Blantyre in
Glasgow. Early results are in, making him
beam with pride.
Speaking to Asian Trader, Mo shared the
thought process behind the installation of the
machines.
“The idea of getting vending machines is
about serving our customers even when we
are closed.
“We were aware that our customers were
looking for basic supplies when out of hours
and this turned out to be a very cost-effective
way to remain 24 hours available without any
additional energy or labour costs.
“I am surprised to see that even in the day
time, people are increasingly using vending
machines who have come with just grab-and-
go mission,” he said.
So, what is inside these machines?
Forget the image of dusty crisps and flat
cola. Razzaq’s units, supplied by Sielaff UK,
look more like compact man-less convenience
stores in miniature form
Razzaq revealed, “The idea then was to put
in products that our customers buy the
most. I was aiming to catch the
market for customers who were
looking for basics in the night
when everything is closed, but
in a cost-effective way.
“A close look at the
demographic of the night
Are vending machines the next big leap for
convenience retail? Mo Razzaq tells Pooja
Shrivastava why he is betting on it
time customers helped me decide what to
keep in the machines. Like, there are people
going to work who were looking for snacks at
night.”
Constant trial and error is the key.
“We basically try and test constantly to see
which ones are selling more and which ones
are not. We removed the ones not performing
very well and reintroduced some other lines,”
he said.
Razzaq’s two vending machines contain
more than just crisps and cola.
Razzaq explained, “In one of the machines,
we have put household items. So there are
items like condoms, pregnancy test kits,
sanitary kits and baby wipes.
“I realised that with condoms, people were
a bit hesitant to buy them inside the store and
with the machines, and they can do it
discreetly without interacting with any of the
staff members.
“The same goes for pregnancy kits test.
Baby wipes, too, sell like hot cakes.
“The sanitary range is also quite a hit. We
are offering the same at an affordable range of
79p, which is below cost price.
“Our store is in a deprived area; ‘period
poverty’ is very much a thing here. So we have
put the price to really a low of 79p so that it’s
affordable for every woman. It’s the same
price as in the shop.”
The rest of the space is dedicated to food
and drinks.
Giving a peek into the machines, Razzaq
said, “We are selling a lot of Pringles.
Our individual cakes, small loaves
of bread, the medium Warbur
tons and pints of milk are also
selling well.
“We have many food-to-go
items as well, like pies, sausage
rolls, crisps, the Peperami range,
Russell’s burgers, sandwiches
and wraps.
“The machine also has M&Ms,
Maltesers, Haribo bags, Swizzles sweets and
bags of Galaxy – as well as bigger bars of Dairy
Milk and KitKat.
“And then there are drinks. The machines
have a very wide range of drinks right from
Tropicana, Chocomel, two types of Costa
coffee, cans of Coke and Pepsi Max.
“The bestselling item from the machine is
energy drinks and water as well as confection
ery items. Also, I am surprised to see the sale of
sandwiches from the machine.”
Challenges and Concerns
Since having automated vending machines
outside a convenience store is a fairly new
concept, Razzaq revealed that he is facing
some teething issues as well.
Turns out running an unmanned outlet
bring its own puzzles.
He said, “We faced some problems in the
payment gateway. Since in the store, we do not
sell energy drinks to under 16s and the
machine has a wide range of those, we need to
find a payment provider who would grant that
sale to the cardholder of someone more than
16 years of age only.
“I am still trying to sort this out.”
And what about vandalism? Razzaq shrugs,
saying innovation always comes with risk.
“I am obviously concerned about it but we
already have the washing machines and
lockers outside the store. I have CCTV
coverage in the area but at the end of the day,
one has to take the risk to grow,” he said.
It’s just a couple of months since the two
machines were installed but Razzaq is already
planning to add a third hot food-to-go
machine very soon.
“I am thinking more on the lines of a pizza
machine. I can see many people working night
shifts like taxi drivers and ambulance drivers.
Nothing is open in the nighttime.
“If we can give a quick option of a hot meal
like a pizza or a sandwich, it would be a great
addition,” he said.
Future present?
For Razzaq, the vending project is about more
than sales; it’s about proving independents
can adapt quickly to shifting shopper habits.
“One needs to innovate to grow,” he said.
“If one does not want to open the store until
very late, yet catch the night-time sales,
vending machines are one of the best ways.”
With plans for hot food and everyday
emergency items, Razzaq is clearly seeing
vending machines as a practical extension of
the store. Thinking of expansion and more
tailored offers, Razzaq’s store is quietly
sketching out what the 24-hour convenience
store of the future might look like – always
open but still unmistakably local.
The store that never sleeps