The Micro Market – A Solution for All Seasons.
It’s hard to dispute the impact that micro markets have had over the last five or so years, with the unattended retail setup becoming more and more popular with larger workplaces since they arrived on the UK’s shores back in 2016.
Micro markets offer a great alternative to catering setups, particularly for organisations with large site-based workforces who have moved to a hybrid model or have reduced the size of their operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Switching away from costly staffed catering setups, micro markets offer 24/7 food and drink and can be easily retrofitted into canteens where the space is no longer needed for food preparation.
What happens with seasonal food and drink options though, once catering has been removed? Will staff love access to their most loved seasonal selections over a cold winter or a boiling summer? In this article we look at how micro markets are truly a solution for all seasons.
Winter warmers and Christmas favourites
With food heating and preparation areas, micro markets are able to provide a far greater range of quality hot food items than in vending machines and offer much better availability than catering setups (who typically operate within standard business hours). During the colder months you can expect a Deli Café micro market to be stocked full of warming soups, tasty pastries and have lots of great hot beverages to keep you toasty and happy throughout the day.
A micro market is also great for seasonal specials, with Christmas food items typically hitting shelves during November and giving staff access to some amazing limited edition festive bites such as turkey, stuffing and cranberry sandwiches and Christmas toasties. You also may see some chocolate santas and reindeers in your micro market confectionery range!
If you’re one of our Deli Café micro market customers, we can also provide festive coffee syrups such as gingerbread and hazelnut, for that extra homely touch during the work week.
Spring treats for Easter and beyond
As the country begins to slowly emerge from the winter cold, micro markets will start to be restocked with items appropriate for the Easter period and spring, more broadly. You’re likely to see limited edition confectionery hit the shelves, such as Mini Eggs and Crème Eggs and other great Easter themed products, for the lead up to the break.
You can also expect your micro market to have some great new fresh food options available from Spring, as well as paninis and toasties to offer even more variety for the team.
For some micro markets where high-end office coffee machines have been implemented, typically fresh milk coffee machines, staff will also likely be starting to utilise cold brew coffees to cope with increasing temperatures.
With the warmer weather also comes the introduction of a product range that is rapidly growing in popularity, particularly in micro markets – sushi. These refreshing rice and fish based lunch options are a great alternative to the standard sandwich and wrap options, for those staff who want something healthy during the Spring.
Light summer bites and refreshing drinks
During the lighter and warmer days, your workforce don’t necessarily want to be eating heavy, hot foods at lunch, which is why we offer lighter options to keep lunch fresh and tasty. You can expect to see our micro markets full of delicious salads, wraps and snacks like hummus pots with crisps.
Most micro markets have meal deals that will offer promotional discounts to staff when they buy a certain selection of products, and during the summer we make sure our own Deli Cafes are full of great summer drinks, kept nice and cool for everyone to enjoy.
Whether you like low sugar energy drinks like Tenzing, a classic Coca Cola or something a bit different like Vit-Hit vitamin drinks, we’ve got options. If you aren’t sure which drinks will be best for your team, there’s no need to worry, through our fully managed micro market service we constantly monitor the products in your setup to maximise sales and keep a good variety for staff.
Autumnal flavours for a cooling UK
During the later months of summer and early autumn, you’re likely to see some new items introduced to your micro market, such as noodles and curry pots, which are great for helping workers transition from the sunnier, warmer summer months and towards the cold of winter.
Some soups will start to hit your micro market shelves at this point, with hearty tomato, chicken and vegetable options typically being available for staff to enjoy.
This is also when you usually see the coffee machines starting to get more traffic once again, with hot chocolates, teas and coffees helping staff adjust to the colder period and darker mornings.
Some things don’t change – year-round favourites
Beneath this backdrop of seasonal food and drink changes, is a core range of tried and tested sandwiches, wraps, crisps, cold drinks, hot drinks, confectionery, snacks and more, so that whatever the weather, there’s always something available to meet all tastes.
This range is paired with leading confectionery, snack and soft drinks brands, to give an incredible range that staff recognise and enjoy all year round. Although it’s the core of micro market product ranges, this also evolves based on brands releasing new products, and will be impacted by low or high sales for different product lines.
Looking for information on buying a micro market?
You’re in the right place – we’ve been working with leading brands throughout the last 7 years to transform their workplace food and drink provisions with unmanned retail environments. Check out our Portals Paper Deli Cafe case study to see how we improved product range and availability across shift patterns!
Alternatively, give our expert team a call on 01865 341011, submit a contact form or drop us an email to find out more about what we can offer.