Walmart Removes Wine Vending Machines from Pennsylvania Stores

Simple Brands Wine Kiosks

Walmart has just pulled out of an agreement to put 23 wine kiosks in its stores in Pennsylvania.  Walmart has struck the agreement in March to put these wine kiosks in about two dozen stores.  The wine kiosks, operated by Simple Brands, have been set back by technical difficulties.

Wegmans is another Pennsylvania based retailer with Simple Brands’ wine kiosks in place.  They too have decided that there have been too many technical difficulties with the kiosks.  Wegmans has asked the Liquor Control Board to remove the kiosks from its stores.

Real Store of the Future Wine Vending Machine - Dusseldorf, Germany

The Simple Brands kiosks are 10-feet tall and each cost $100,000.  They charge $1 convenience fee per transaction and can hold 500 bottles per kiosk.

RetailNet Group encountered a similar kiosk in the Real Store of the Future in Dusseldorf Germany.  The futuristic store has a wine vending kiosk in the shelf (See Right).  Shoppers are able to enter their loyalty cards into the vending machine in return for a taste of the wine before purchase.

It seems that while wine kiosks may be effective in other parts of the world, Simple Brands will need to do some testing before they are ready to be rolled out again.