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!lIdustrll
Progress
by
PAUL W. BLACKFORD
The 1953 DIRECTORY AND SOURCE BOOK of the Coin Machine Industry marks
another year of 'I remendous growth and development. Particularly outstanding have
been the advances in vending. Materials shortages have curtailed the manufacture
of equipment to a considerable degree but despite this stumbling block the growth
and development has been constant and healthy.
At the present time it is estimated that vending machines are selling over a
billion dollars worth of products per year in the United States. While this is still
less than one per cent of the total retail sales, it does represent about 20 per cent
of all the cigarette sales in the country, 16 per cent of the total candy bar volume.
These are big chunks, and the vending industry also scored spectacular gains in
sales of hot coffee and cup beverages .
. In the years 1950 and 1951, vended cup beverages climbed from $59,000,000 to
$81,000,000 in sales. Where there were 1,400,000 vending machines in operation
in 1947, in 1951 there were 2,743,107. Some 250,000 new machines were put into
operation during 1951 alone. The growth of the music branch of the Industry
has been equally noteworthy with a current est'imate of 400,000 automatic phono-
graphs in operation in the nation today. Add to this the several th.ousand bar and
counter boxes, auxiliary speakers, etc., and the aggregate total invested in automatic
music reaches staggering proportions. Trend has been toward more records until
present phonographs offer from 80 to 120 selections for patrons to choose from.
Enlarged programs have provided a definite impetus to music sales and grosses
have spiraled accordingly.
On the supply side, this new Directory lists 1249 firms that manufacture some type
of coin-operated machine, or parts and accessories. This compares with a total of
1242 in the 1952 Directory, and 1109 firms in the 1951 book. Also are listed 540
firms that offer merchandise supplies to the automatic vending trade. This compares
with 520 firms in last year's Directory and 480 such firms in the 1951 book.
The list of firms distributing coin-operated machines and equipment in the present
Directory contains 1234 names. In 1952 this list numbered 1245.
Nineteen Hundred and Fifty-three is a year of great promise for the continued
growth of the Coin Machine Industry. The harmonious factors and various associa-
tions actively engaged in building goodwill and public acceptance have accom-
plished tremendous results and amplified programs for 1953 indicate a continuance
of these worthwhile efforts.
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1953 SOURCE BOOK