Remains family-run

Salzburg vending machine company UKO goes public

The family-run Salzburg-based UKO Microshops AG, which operates 24/7 vending machines, has now ventured to go public. The company decided to take this step in order to expand into Germany and Switzerland.

The company, which is part of the UKO Group, relocated from Golling to the Wissenspark Urstein just three months ago. Now the company, whose vending machines can be found in grocery stores, hotels and restaurants, has gone public.

The Unterkofler family of entrepreneurs will hold the majority of the shares. This means that the management structure will not change for the time being. "We will remain an owner-managed family business," says CEO Moritz Unterkofler. He has been running the company in the second generation since 2019.

According to the company, demand for the vending machines has risen sharply in recent years. Turnover, which amounted to 3 million euros in 2019, had more than tripled by 2023. This year, the 10 million euro mark is to be exceeded for the first time.

With the IPO, the company expects to be able to roll out its vending machines more quickly throughout the German-speaking region. It also wants to give employees the opportunity to participate in the company through shares.