Train stations: the new shopping Meccas? While airports have always been used to flog perfumes, sweets and luggage to a captive audience, train station operators have been much slower to make the most of on-site retail. Major new developments like St Pancras or London Bridge in London have included sprawling retail and dining options, much to passengers’ delight. So what are the opportunities and how can technologies like WiFi be used to better understand rail passenger shopping habits?
In June, British sandwich chain EAT announced plans to shut down 10% of its high-street stores across the UK and focus on retail opportunities in transport hubs. Alongside the traditional airport duty-free spaces, the brand said it will aim to open more branches inside railway stations like the one recently inaugurated at London’s Liverpool Street station. The move saw EAT join a host of retailers that have chosen to focus more on transport hubs – and particularly railway stations – in the past few years.
International brands like Mac, Rituals, The Body Shop and Hamleys, for example, have all booked a spot in Network Rail’s newly revamped London Bridge station, which has a 2,000ft2 area with over 70 units reserved for retailers.
As the railway industry works to deal with a rise in passenger numbers – Network Rail customers are projected to grow from 850 million to one billion by 2020 – new requirements are shaping the face and role of railway stations.