PRESS RELEASE
January 10, 1996
Picture-window minibar
for tomorrow's hotel room

The hardworking business traveller or the worn-out tourist will soon be making the acquaintance of a totally new type of minibar. Among its many features, this new product, known as Eurobar, will have 20 chilled compartments to hold items such as beers, wines, spirits, soft drinks, cheeses, cold meats, fruit, chocolate, etc.
Because of its new, compact, wall-mounted ‘picture-window' design with glass doors, the contents are continuously displayed to guests.
The product will be launched at the forthcoming IHA (International Hotel Association) exhibition in Amsterdam in February. It is the first part of a system concept using new technology which can convert the conventional hotel room into an attractive marketplace of the future.

Behind the new minibar design is Jan Hemberg, with many years' experience in hotel outfitting. He noted that many hotels have an interest in minibars with automatic recording systems.
‘The special factors about the Eurobar are that it is compact, attractively designed, environmentally-friendly (freon-free refrigeration), and that it offers individual recording of all items used', he says. ‘Combined with reasonable prices, the concept is unbeatable'.
Electricity consumption is low, using only about 10 W per year, and the minibar can be connected to the existing electrical and TV-aerial sockets. In this way, its internal information is automatically transmitted to the central computer at reception for convenient and reliable billing. Sales statistics per room, apartment, etc can be produced on a daily basis.

Future possibilities
The size of the market is indicated by the fact that Electrolux, with a 70% market share, provides chilled spirits, wines, and beers in some 3.5 million hotel rooms around the world. This use of information technology opens up the field of TV shopping and similar services in the future.
Sales information on new wines, beers, etc, can be screened on the hotel's internal TV service, and can be combined, for instance, with samples available via the minibar. Promotional activities such as Happy Hours, test marketing, or special offers in selected rooms or apartments can be offered.
Looking into the future, it is simple to place further cupboards alongside minibars offering other products such as glassware, souvenirs, hygiene articles, etc.
Eurobar, with its innovative design and its effective reporting system, is set to become a tough competitor.
The first hotel in Sweden to feature the new minibar will be Foggs Hotel in Nacka, outside Stockholm, and negotiations are under way with other hotels, for example Scandic and Grand Hôtel in Stockholm./ins


Captions
1. Jan Hemberg, creator of Eurobar

2. Eurobar is not only a wall-mounted picture-window minibar with clearly displayed contents - it represents a totally new system concept for hotel room sales.

For further information please contact:
EuroBar AB
Sten Johansson
Box 24
S-453 21 Lysekil
SWEDEN
Tel: +46 523 224 88
Fax: +46 523 228 44

N.B. This text is available on 3.5" disk (Word 5.1a) formatted for Macintosh or PC.