The Italian group has strengthened its presence in the UK with a new branch and prepares to face the challenges brought about by the evolution of the British gaming market
Comesterogroup is one of the world leading companies in the supply of payment systems and self-service equipment. Founded in Italy during the 1970s, the company quickly became an international group with branches in France, Poland, Spain, Germany and the UK, and with a representation office in South America.
The group’s wide and articulated product range includes coin and banknote validators, coin/banknote change machines, cash points, coin, banknote and ticket counters, locks and accessories for all types of gaming machines.
Comesterogroup UK, headed up by Emilio Bravo (managing director) and Philippa Drysdale (assistant manager) was created in 2009 as a natural step in strengthening the presence of Comesterogroup across Europe, by means of a network of structured branches well rooted in their territory.
"It is an honour for us to represent the group in the UK," said Bravo. "We are convinced we can meet the requirements of several markets with a complete range of product expressly devised for different needs - gaming and entertainment, vending, carwashes, laundrettes, ticketing and parking to name just a few."
The presence of Comesterogroup UK, in Richmond near London, represents a significant point of reference and the opportunity to have a reliable and highly competitive commercial partner for all customers operating in the UK and Ireland.
In spite of its recent creation, the company works in perfect synergy with the Italian headquarters and is currently engaged in organising customer support to ensure qualified consultancy, timely intervention and operating support for every need.
Comesterogroup has a long-standing joint venture in the UK with Namco, distributor of coin-operated games and related leisure equipment throughout the UK, Europe and Middle East.
Namco’s strategy for growth and success has always been based on the offer of a huge range of products together with specialist support for any possible need. It is no coincidence, therefore, that Comesterogroup has always trusted Namco’s partnership and chose this company as its official gaming centre of distribution and assistance in the UK.
"The UK is a region with tremendous opportunities," said export sales manager Piero Martellotta. "I am very satisfied with the goals achieved by our distributor, despite the current complex business environment."
Steve Short, reference manager at Namco for all Comesterogroup products, added: "The collaboration with the group is based on mutual trust and respect. It started in 2006 and has become closer and closer over the years. The commercial result we achieved is the natural consequence of the high quality/price ratio of Comesterogroup’s wide range of products.
"The secret of Comesterogroup products is their lifetime of reliability, as proven by many coin validators that are still efficiently working in the market and that often require no assistance after their installation. We plan to strengthen our ties further in 2011 through new goals. Through our collaboration, Comesterogroup has devised two new models of change machines: Dual Coin PRO and Nexus PRO, which meet the needs of the British gaming operators in a triumph of technological innovations and reliability.
"Another key product is the new RM5 HD coin validator, through which Comesterogroup has set a new high level standard in legal coin recognition and counterfeit discrimination. RM5 HD and RM5 coin validators are all ready for the new 5p and 10p. Thanks to updating tools for the RM5 and RM5HD, gaming machines in the UK will be capable of recognising the new coins and continue managing payments with the same efficiency as always."
