The latest CBRE Food and Beverage report found that 67% of visitors to shopping centres had something to eat in the last 12 months, but only 7% of visitors to shopping centres in EMEA rated their last F&B visit as excellent.
Shopping centres across Europe and the Middle East are being advised to close the gap between the shopping experience and current food and beverage offerings. The report shows that 45% of customers want to see more healthy and organic food, with 43% looking for innovative offerings. Across the 22 markets in EMEA, 34% expressed the desire to see more pop-up restaurants or new concepts while 33% would like to see more independent coffee shops and cafes.
Andrew Phipps, head of retail research and consulting, CBRE EMEA, commented: “Customers are becoming more discerning and are raising the bar in terms of expectations. They are becoming more engaged by quality and their expectations in terms of a well-rounded shopping centre ‘experience’ is getting higher and higher. Customers are looking for the full retail experience where luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton sit comfortably alongside Gordon Ramsey. Currently there is a lack of parity and the growth of aspirational retail is not translating into the food and beverage offer in shopping centres.”
Peter Gold, Head of EMEA Cross Border Retail, CBRE said: “The concept of a food court has developed. The ‘new’ food court has to be supported by the provision of small ‘collections’ of operators in dedicated spaces around the centre or in having operators dotted between relevant retail brands. Retail brands are no longer hesitant as they once may have been about having a food operator next door. They see the benefit in someone perhaps taking time over an espresso to think over a purchase decision.”
These findings are important as Europe Real Estate reported last month that almost a third of all visitors to shopping centres across Europe, South Africa and the Middle East will visit for the sole purpose of eating or drinking, however 40% of those will visit shops even if their primary reason to visit was to eat or drink.
To find out more, download the full report here.
Source: CBRE
