Turning the coffee stop into a retail opportunity
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At UNITI expo 2026 in Stuttgart, one message came through clearly for mobility retailers: coffee is no longer just an add-on to the fuel stop. It has become a business-relevant category that can influence footfall, customer loyalty and retail profitability.
For Franke Coffee Systems, UNITI expo 2026 was an opportunity to demonstrate how professional coffee solutions can support this shift. The focus was on coffee as part of the mobility retail offer: a category that can attract customers into the store, support repeat visits and create additional value beyond the fuel transaction. Franke’s presence reflected a wider development in the sector: forecourt coffee needs to be fast, consistent and operationally efficient, while still delivering an experience that customers actively choose.
Across three days, conversations with headquarters, concept, operations and procurement teams showed strong interest in solutions that go beyond the machine itself. For multi-site operators in particular, the challenge is not only to serve good coffee, but to do so reliably across different locations, traffic peaks, service models and staffing situations.
This is where Franke positioned the New A Line as a platform for modern mobility retail. The new A600 and new A800 were presented alongside the Twin A800 and Mytico Vario, covering both self-service and served coffee concepts. The focus was not only on beverage quality, but also on throughput, uptime, workflow discipline and digital control — all key factors for petrol stations and convenience retailers that want to turn coffee into a stronger retail driver.
The New A Line combines Swiss engineering with intuitive interaction and modular configuration options. For high-traffic self-service environments, it is designed to make every step clear and simple for customers, from beverage selection to personalisation. At the same time, operators benefit from a platform that can be configured to different store concepts, menu strategies and service models.
Technologies such as iQFlow™ support consistent in-cup quality, while New FoamMaster enables a wide range of milk and foam-based beverages, including options with dairy and plant-based milk. For operators, IndividualClean simplifies cleaning through usage-based routines, while Franke digital services support better operational oversight across multiple sites.
Franke also used UNITI expo to highlight the role of coffee in broader retail concepts. Rather than treating coffee as a commodity, the company’s message was clear: a well-designed coffee offer can become a reason to stop, enter the store and return. This was also reflected in Franke’s UNITI expo forum session, which focused on transforming the coffee corner into a revenue engine and underlined the relevance of the topic for today’s mobility retailers.
Mytico Vario added another dimension to Franke’s presentation. With its traditional porta filter inspired design and supporting automation, it resonated with visitors interested in more premium, served coffee concepts within petrol stations or mobility hubs. This reflects a growing need for flexible formats: some locations require fast, unattended self-service, while others benefit from a more personal, barista-style experience.
For Franke, UNITI expo 2026 confirmed that mobility retailers are looking at coffee with a broader business perspective. The most relevant discussions focused on how coffee solutions can support higher quality at speed, consistent execution across locations, smoother workflows and stronger customer experiences.
As mobility retailers continue to redefine the stop, coffee is becoming part of the answer. With solutions for self-service, served concepts and digitally managed operations, Franke Coffee Systems aims to help operators build coffee offers that are efficient to run and meaningful to customers.
Discover how the New A Line supports coffee concepts for C-stores and mobility retail:
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