When the new of Mall of Scandinavia in Stockholm opened in November, thousands flocked to the food court before setting foot in a store. With more than 20 restaurants, the mall reflects the ongoing retail trend towards making shopping centres a experiential destination that caters for more than just retail. Last month, it was found almost a third of all visitors to shopping centres in Europe, South Africa and the Middle East visit just to eat or drink.
“Eating significantly extends the length of time customers stay at the shopping centre,” confirms Jonathan Doughty, head of JLL’s food consultancy business, Coverpoint. “When you do food well, you can double the amount of money spent per customer and from the perspective of landlords and developers that’s very important.”
Research shows that consumers who eat during a shopping centre visit spend 18 per cent more and, on average, remain in the mall for an additional 27 minutes*.
Retailers are recognising the significance of providing a variety of high quality food and beverage options in shopping centres. At the Mall of Scandinavia, shoppers can choose from everything from juice bars to dining restaurants. “In the old days, especially at shopping centres in town, customers might leave to get their food – and sometimes they wouldn’t come back,” Doughty adds. “Now food doesn’t just hold them in a retail space. It looks after them and satisfies their needs.”
“The larger share of F&B concepts in shopping centres is closely related to the ever growing interest of people in the quality and variety of their food. This helps local concepts such as Sklizeno, Delmart and My Food Market. Sklizeno, for example, already has eighteen shops across the Czech Republic and has recently opened its first restaurant called Food Lovers in Campus Square shopping centre in Brno,” comments Kateřina Široká, senior retail consultant at JLL, on the situation in the Czech Republic.
