Retailers are recognising the growing value in travel hubs. At the end of last year, Sainsbury’s announced it was setting its sights on new horizons. It opened its first-ever airport convenience store at Edinburgh Airport as part of a major revamp of its offering.
Then last summer, WH Smith announced it was strengthening its food-to-go offer at UK airports, and introducing a new café format.
M&S and Waitrose have operated in travel hubs for many years. Trusted brands like these are needed and valued. We are on the move, we are habitual and, let’s be honest, we’re often grumpy when travelling. We know what we want, and they give us the security of knowing we can get it quickly. I know exactly which aisle my precious salt and pepper crisps are on.
Beyond supermarkets, what else do we have in the travel space? Well, in train stations, for a long time there have been different window dressings designed to sell the same thing: high-margin coffee in the morning and something stodgy or sweet in the evening.
The situation isn’t much more innovative in airports. Does anyone else scan the website in advance and hope there’s a new bar or restaurant where you can kick off your holiday? While I’d love to say my spirits are flying high as I approach the duty-free aisle, it’s not long before the mundane breakfast options and over-abundance of sunglasses carousels bring me crashing back down to Earth. I make do, but I’m not inspired.
There’s a huge opportunity for existing brands to bring some imagination to the travel space. Kudos to BrewDog for thinking differently and launching a podcast studio and a bowling alley within its pub in London’s Waterloo Station. It’s fun, it’s generous, it exceeds expectations. And it’s built to bring energy, enjoyment and ignite a bit of imagination.
Travellers’ food experiences could be more exciting, break the travel hospitality mould, and surpass expectations. People are either starting a holiday or not wanting one to end (or they’re expensing their food and drink anyway). We’re there to spend money and have a good time. Give us a good excuse to do so.
Having worked in this space, I understand the restrictions. IIt’s easy to invest heavily in ‘innovation’ that no one’s particularly interested in. There are also a tonne of different audiences, lots to balance, and you’ve got to be able to build an offer that can deal with hundreds of customers at once. Still, I’m greedy – I want to have my cake and eat it.
Post-Covid, there is a surge in demand for enhanced travel experiences. Are we choosing where we go at airports because we genuinely want to go there? Are we encouraging more of the same offering because we’re on the habitual holiday hamster wheel?
There are ample opportunities to bring more excitement and imagination to uninspiring travel hubs by rethinking what the experience should be. If we’re travelling for business, what have you got for me? If we’re there on a stag do, are you cramming us in next to families? If we think differently and focus on the needs, we can enhance experiences from the get-go. The sky’s the limit.
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