CBRE: Nearly 20% of visitors go to shopping centers to eat

“It is clear that the presence of a compelling food and beverage offer is key to driving footfall and revenue to a shopping center. The days have gone when a limited fast food offer or a drab food court was sufficient reason to visit. Now they are a draw themselves and the lure of a well-conceived and excellently delivered eating and drinking experience is what really gets consumers excited,” Andrew Phipps, Head of Retail Research and Consulting, CBRE, EMEA said.

Researches proved that food courts’ supply, comfort and cleanliness have significant importance for visitors, the press release noted. Therefore, Pólus paid special attention to refurbishing the environment of its food court and the ice rink, located in the central area of the mall, according to the press release.

“We refurbished the facade of the restaurants and cafés, changed the tiles and modernized the furniture, providing a brand new atmosphere to this part of the mall. During the refurbishment works we rebuilt the entrance of Pólus Cinema and moved it to the neighborhood of the restaurants. As a result, the food court became much more transparent and comfortable, with increased seating capacity. Following the refurbishment, we welcomed new tenants such as Salad Box to the food court that chose Pólus Center for its first location in Hungary. In addition, we have further ongoing negotiations with other restaurant chains,” said Fruzsina Monok, Center Manager of CBRE-managed Pólus. She added that “our research proved that customers prefer spending time in the renewed environment, which is reflected in the over 10% turnover growth on year to date basis of the food court tenants.”

CBREʼs global survey reveals that shopping centers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) are the preferred destination for eating and drinking. The views of 22,000 consumers in 22 countries across EMEA showed that 41% preferred to eat in shopping centers compared to 10% in restaurants and cafés on the high street, and 7% in retail parks, global data suggest. A third of those interviewed visited shopping centers with the sole intention of eating or drinking. Four out of ten then went on to shop even if their reason for visiting the center was just to eat or drink, CBRE added.