What you need to know

In most instances the primary reason for visiting travel hubs is not to visit stores: retailing is an added extra as part of a journey. The task for retailers in such hubs is to appeal to consumers in the limited time they spend there and provide retail formats tailored to the way in which consumers travel through each of the distinct hubs. It is crucial that retailers that operate in travel hubs do not apply a one size fits all approach to their formats; each hub possesses inherent strengths and weakness for retailing and formats must be tailored to fit the needs of the in-transit consumer base travelling through them.

Areas covered in this report

This is designed to give an overview of the travel retail market within the UK. It includes research on motorway service area (MSA), railway station and airport terminal retailing. It combines market data, including drivers in the market and detailed information on the key players, with Mintel’s consumer research to build a picture of the travel retail market.

Our consumer research supplied within this report covers the following areas:

  • Which travel hubs have been visited in the last 12 months and for what reason?

  • Which outlets, both foodservice and retail, have been purchased from in each of the three travel hubs in the past 12 months?

  • The frequency with which outlets are visited in each of the three types of travel hub.

  • Consumer behaviour in each of the three types of travel hub.

  • Attitudes towards what would improve the shopping experience in each of the three types of travel hub.

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