Case Study

Maximising breaktimes through self-serve retail

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by Gemma Hill

Circet Ireland & UK are leading providers to the Telecommunications, Transport Infrastructure, and Power Sectors in Ireland and the UK. They employ 4,700 people across four sites and are recognised for their innovative and proactive approach to delivering client solutions.

Sustainability is a core focus for Circet, particularly in workforce wellbeing and reducing carbon emissions. In 2023, Circet was awarded Bronze by Ecovadis, demonstrating their commitment to sustainability best practices.

The Challenge

Circet’s head office accommodates 250 employees daily but is located in a remote area with no easy access to shops or food outlets. The only on-site option was traditional vending, which offered limited choice and no fresh food.

Employees frequently faced challenges in sourcing meals, often lacking the time or means to travel to nearby shops during breaks. This situation impacted employee satisfaction and overall workplace wellbeing.

The Objective

Circet sought to enhance employee wellbeing and engagement by offering fresh, convenient food options on-site as well as operational efficiency.

Their primary goal was to provide staff with greater meal variety while ensuring they could maximise their break times rather than spending them travelling off-site.

The Solution

We decided to propose a Smart Fridge to allow for a range of delicious fresh sandwiches, salads, wraps and snacks to be available all day.

A snack market and digital vending machine also ensured there was a better range of snacks and drinks available to employees.

Together these created a refreshment solution that:

Offered a wider range of ambient snacks and cold drinks for all day refreshment and snacking
Enabled employees to enjoy healthier fresh food without the need to travel outside of the office
Gave the Management team a simple solution that was easy to manage through one supplier and required no staff time to run.

Real-time telemetry data allows the product selection to be optimised based on actual consumption trends, ensuring employees always have access to the products they enjoy most.

The Results

Since the installation of the Smart Fridge and digital vending solutions, employee engagement with the new service has been overwhelmingly positive:

3,500 transactions were recorded in the first eight weeks demonstrating strong uptake
Employees appreciate the expanded fresh food selection and the convenience of an on-site solution.

Encouraged by the positive response, Circet is now considering rolling out additional solutions to its depots, expanding the benefits across the organisation.

This self-serve retail solution delivers a number of benefits to Circet.

Employee wellbeing: encourages healthier eating habits and allows them to enjoy more of their break time.

Data-driven convenience: provides clear reporting to enable range optimisation and minimal waste

Fully-managed: eliminates the need for staff to run the solution and enables fast response time.

“Since introducing Selecta’s Smart Fridge and vending solutions, our employees have enjoyed a much better food experience on-site. It’s made a significant difference to morale, and we’ve seen fantastic engagement with the service. The ability to track product performance and adjust stock accordingly has been invaluable.”

Find out more about our self-service retail solutions

Smart Fridges for Workplaces

Smart fridges are transforming how organisations provide food and drink. Whether in offices, hospitals, universities or high-footfall public spaces, they offer a secure, fully managed way to deliver fresh food, healthy snacks and chilled drinks 24/7.