KUALA LUMPUR: Etika Sdn Bhd (Etika) announced the expansion of it business portfolio after acquiring Advend Systems Pte Ltd. (Advend Systems), headquartered in Singapore.
Advend Systems is a leading operator, refurbisher of vending machines and systems solution provider for the vending industry.
This acquisition includes its vending businesses in Malaysia and Singapore operating under the name Atlas Vending.
Etika Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei chief executive officer Khalid Alvi said following the acquisition of Atlas Vending, Etika is now able to be present in a larger number of vending machines, making it the number one beverage company with vending machine presence in the country.
“With this acquisition, Etika is now the number one player in vending with more than 10,000 vending machines across Malaysia.
"We will be able to vend hot beverages as well as confectionery products, following the completion of this acquisition,” said Khalid.
He also said Etika are constantly on the lookout for new ways to innovate its offerings for the consumers.
“Etika’s acquisition of Atlas Vending provides a major growth opportunity for us as we provide increased convenience to our consumers who can now access their favourite beverages, in many more locations,” he added.
Etika said with the acquisition of Atlas Vending, it will be able to offer consumers a great number of options to purchase and consume their favourite products.
“Atlas Vending machines come in various formats and some are equipped with proprietary telemetry technology that eases everyday operations such as stocking machines, inventory management, operating status, and stock levels, that reduce machine down-time and stock out situations,” it said.
This acquisition will enable Etika to offer multiple payment options at its vending machines such as e-wallets, cash, credit cards, contactless payment and more.
While not all machines will carry all payment modes, Etika can choose to strategize its vending machine make-up to suit the local market.
Be it cashless or cash payments, consumers will be guaranteed convenient, on-the-go access to their favourite beverages.
“For Etika’s expanded business services, these analytics will help to map the entire consumer journey while obtaining key insights such as in-demand products and popular locations, assisting the company to better serve their loyal consumers,” it added.
The acquisition of Advend Systems Pte Ltd by Etika will be completed by first quarter of 2020.