Vending Machine Operators NAICS 445132

Jan 20, 2026 - Slower Growth Expected

• Sales for the US vending machine operators industry are projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.92% between 2025 and 2029, according to an updated forecast from Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. The expected growth rate is slower than the overall economy‘s anticipated growth. The report projects sluggish but positive economic growth in the coming years. Factors that continue to limit consumer spending are lower consumer sentiment levels, higher interest levels, and elevated price levels. Real disposable income is being limited by a slow rise of employment and higher consumption prices, with a projected increase of real disposable income of 1.8% in 2025 and 1.6% in 2026. The report noted that some shifts in consumer behavior persisted in 2025, including increased online shopping.
• Employment by convenience retailers and vending machine operators was flat in August 2025 compared to the previous year, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the past decade, industry employment fell 2.9%, lower than the 13% growth in the overall private employment during the same period. Wages at convenience retailers and vending machine operators fell 2.6% in August 2025 year over year, reaching $16.41 an hour. According to Census Bureau data, sales for miscellaneous store retailers, which includes vending machine operators, were up 13.7% in July 2025 year over year.

• According to a report in Vending Market Watch, the rollback of US reciprocal tariffs on coffee, tea, tropical fruits, juices, cocoa, spices, and nuts is expected to ease cost pressures for the vending machine industry. President Trump’s executive order on November 14 removes these products from the 10% global tariff and related duties, effective for imports entered after Nov. 13, 2025. The White House cited strong US demand and limited domestic production capacity, alongside new trade deals with Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala, and El Salvador, as drivers of the exemptions. For vending operators, the changes could reduce volatility in key categories and lower the cost of goods sold, particularly in coffee and cocoa, which are staples of convenience services.
• Preliminary January 2026 data from the University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumers show the Index of Consumer Sentiment rose to 54.0, up from 52.9 in December, marking the highest reading since September 2025 and a 2.1% monthly gain, though still about 24.7% below January 2025 levels. The Current Economic Conditions Index climbed to 52.4 (up 4.0 month over month, down 30.2 year over year) and the Index of Consumer Expectations rose to 55.0 (up 0.7 month over month, down 20.9 year over year). Year-ahead inflation expectations held at 4.2%, the lowest since January 2025 but above last year’s 3.3%, while long-run expectations ticked up to 3.4%. Director Joanne Hsu noted sentiment improved mainly among lower-income consumers but fell for higher-income households, with ongoing concerns about high prices and a softening labor market.