00:03banks of vending machines have long been a part of any japanese townscape
00:07selling drinks and much more to passers by
00:11but their heyday may be over as many are hauled away soft drink maker daido is retiring 20 000
00:19vending machines around 7 percent of its units because they are not making money another major
00:25operator poca sapoto food and beverage is selling off 40 000 of its own for some consumers high
00:32prices and cheaper alternatives simply make vending machines unattractive yeah prices have
00:39gone up a single bottle is now 130 yen and even for water it ends up being around 130 yen
00:46if you
00:46go to a convenience store you can sometimes get it a bit cheaper and places like drug stores often
00:51sell it for quite a low price as convenient and entrenched in japanese life as they are
00:57the machines are far from vanishing completely in places where there aren't any convenience stores
01:03i do think it's actually pretty handy to have one i buy bottled drinks from vending machines i work out
01:10regularly so i need to hydrate before and after training and i often end up buying them in front
01:17of the gym the market analysts say shops offering discounts and an eco-friendly trend of people using
01:26their own refillable bottles are indeed driving customers away from the old vending machine and
01:32for companies that use the machines to sell their products that means new business strategies are needed
01:39rather than simply going into steady decline i see the industry attempting to shift from volume to value
01:47in other words the move now is toward being more strategic and selective in terms of placement of
01:52vending machines as prices rise and habits shift a business model that's left an imprint across japan is
02:02changing too and it may be that the venerable vending machine is not so easily dispensed with
02:08yuan duan john ventriest and yvonne young for taiwan plus
02:12you
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