How catering to foodies is reinvigorating travel retail
Thomas Kaneko Henningsen, Partner at Blueprint, describes how the rise of compelling food & beverage concepts is reshaping the airport experience as we know it.
Name: Thomas Kaneko Henningsen
Position: Partner at Blueprint
As a business development ‘think tank’, we at Blueprint often get asked what travel retail may be like in 2030. The question keeps us up at night and the more Blueprint reflects on this, the more we believe that airports are transforming into Michelin star worthy dining destinations in their own right. One of my favourite travel experiences at the moment is provided by Qatar Airways, Hamad International Airport and Qatar Duty Free. From delicious inflight dining to the iconic Louis Vuitton Lounge by Yannick Alléno, Fendi Caffe and Harrods Tea Room, the offering is a draw card for foodies.
Back in December, I visited Tokyo for work and was blown away by Haneda Airport’s immersive experiences. Its Edo Koji concept features traditional retail and dining modelled on a typical street from 17th century Japan. Next on my list is Hungry Club by Avolta How catering to foodies is reinvigorating travel retail in collaboration three-Michelin-star chef David Muñoz (through Grupo UniverXO). In September, this bold restaurant concept debuted at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport's Terminal T4 Satellite, with more set to follow at Aena airports in Spain. Airports are increasingly turning to F&B as ‘the new black’ and it's no surprise. I firmly believe that the right F&B experiences excel at encouraging shoppers to arrive at airports earlier. This increases their dwell time which, in turn, helps to drive spend. Milan Malpensa Airport estimated in 2023 that increasing passengers’ dwell time by just one minute has a +3-5% impact on spend per passenger. Earlier this year, a study on the impact of dwell time on US airports’ non-aeronautical revenues, published in the Journal of Air Transport Management, found that a 10% increase in dwell time is associated with an uplift of 8% and 6% in F&B and retail revenue respectively.
By merging extraordinary F&B experiences with walk-through stores, we are opening up opportunities to increase footfall, conversion and spend. It's something stakeholders are taking to the next level as we speak and which I believe will play a key role in how travel retail environments will shape-shift over the next decade.