APE Smart Commerce Limited, a subsidiary of Macau-based gaming product distributor Asia Pioneer Entertainment Holdings Limited (APE), held a signing ceremony at the 26th Macau International Fair (MIF) on Saturday as part of a new book vending machine cooperation agreement.
The agreement will see APE Smart Commerce and another recently launched APE brand, KatKatMall, use the company’s smart vending machines in high traffic locations to make it easier for the public to buy Macau cultural books with a view to promoting the culture, history and cultural landscape of Macau to visitors. The machines are all equipped with electronic payment methods.
“Macau is a diversified international city and the intersection of eastern and western cultures,” said APE Smart Commerce director Herman Ng.
“As a local enterprise in Macau, we have always wanted to promote the culture of local and Portuguese-speaking countries to the rest of the world. The launch of the book vending machine in conjunction with The International Institute of Macau (IIM) is therefore a very significant milestone.”
APE revealed in March that it was launching the new vending machine business segment as a means of supplementing its core gaming interests due to revenue pressures brought about by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The machines, located in hotels, shopping malls, universities and public transportation hubs around Macau, currently sell local Macau products and daily necessities although APE said it plans to expand to the Greater Bay Area and launch the first vending machine E-Application and E-Mall to implement the business model of “Buy Online, Pick-Up in Machine”.
“The company will actively explore diversified products and business models, to build a fresh and convenient shopping experience for the public,” it said.
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