Closed 2025
Vending machines in Madrid, Spain
VendKing
Since 2021 · owner Diego Martín
Closed Jan 20252021–2025
$34,090Final 12-mo revenue
$4,200Best month
$30,500Money lost
1Employees at close
12 months to Jan 2025Verified via SumUpFinal statement
Why VendKing closed
VendKing's machines were in offices, and the offices emptied. As Madrid companies moved to hybrid work, footfall at Diego Martín's sites fell by more than half, and machines that had earned $340 a month dropped below $115, less than the cost of restocking them.
Main cause: Low-footfall placementsTrading 2021–2025Money lost $30,500
Part 1What happened
The owner explains what the first year looked like and what changed once regular customers came back.
Most of the work came from a few dependable sources, and the owner says which ones paid off and which did not.
Prices were set early and checked again each season against what similar businesses charged nearby.
Part 2How Diego built it
Part 3The numbers behind it
In its final 12 months VendKing took $34,090, 26% less than the year before. Its best month in the last year was Dec 2024, at $4,200. Its last full month, Jan 2025, brought in $2,856: 32% below that peak.
They lost $30,500 in total, against a startup cost of $27,300. Every revenue figure here comes from SumUp, so the decline can be seen month by month in the chart below.
Part 4What Diego learned
Most of the work came
The owner explains what the first year looked like and what changed once regular customers came back.
Prices were set early and
Most of the work came from a few dependable sources, and the owner says which ones paid off and which did not.
A slow month taught them
Prices were set early and checked again each season against what similar businesses charged nearby.
Part 5Starting a vending machine business? Watch for these
Warning signHow to avoid itCheck before you commit
Warning sign
The owner explains what
How to avoid it
Most of the work came from a few dependable sources, and the owner says which ones paid off and which did not.
Check before you commit
Prices were set early and checked again each
Warning sign
Most of the work
How to avoid it
Prices were set early and checked again each season against what similar businesses charged nearby.
Check before you commit
A slow month taught them to keep cash
Warning sign
Prices were set early
How to avoid it
A slow month taught them to keep cash aside and to plan the quiet weeks before they arrived.
Check before you commit
The owner explains what the first year looked
Part 6How common is this?
0% of closed vending machine businesses on HumDays name “low-footfall placements” as the main reason they closed, one of the most common reasons.
Most vending machine businesses don't fail: 59% of those that start in Europe are still trading three years later. The ones that make it tend to do the things above from the start.
Main reason for closing, closed vending machine businesses on HumDays
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Financial snapshot
How it compares
Average month vs 83 verified vending machine businesses in Europe. In its final year it earned more than 31% of them.
This business
Bottom 10% $1.4kTypical $4.4kTop 10% $13.9k
Middle halfMiddle 80%Typical
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