Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Rail travel on the rise
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- Figure 1: Average number of trips taken per person per year, by car/van and surface rail, 1995-2013
- Motorways continue to increase capacity
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- Figure 2: Average daily motor vehicle flow for major sections of the motorway network, 2013
- Airport passenger numbers recover following a dip
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- Figure 3: Total passenger numbers at reporting UK airports, 2003-14
- Travel hubs visited
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- Figure 4: Travel hubs visited in the last 12 months, March 2015
- Types of trip taken
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- Figure 5: Reasons for visiting a travel hub in the past 12 months, March 2015
- Purchasing shows a bias to foodservice
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- Figure 6: Outlets purchased from, by type of travel hub, March 2015
- Railways show the highest frequency of outlet visitation
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- Figure 7: Frequency of outlet visits in travel hubs, March 2015
- Factors that would improve the shopping experience
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- Figure 8: Factors that would improve the shopping experience at travel hubs, March 2015
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Motorway service areas: More encouragement needed to visit
- The facts
- The implications
- Rail stations: Diversifying the retail offering
- The facts
- The implications
- Airports: Making the most of a captive audience
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Economic factors boost the travel market
- As car usage declines, rail travel is on the rise
- London gains the highest levels of station footfall
- The MSA network benefits from an increase in capacity
- Rising passenger numbers at UK airports
- Holidaymakers dominate at Gatwick and Manchester
Market Drivers
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- Projected rise in number of 25-34s bodes well for travel retail
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- Figure 9: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2009-19
- Consumers begin to feel more confident about their finances
- Railway and motorway
- Cars prevail over other transport modes
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- Figure 10: Trip distance per person per year by main mode and purpose, 2013
- Rail travel on the rise
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- Figure 11: Average number of trips taken per person per year, by car/van and surface rail, 1995-2013
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- Figure 12: Average distance travelled by car/van and surface rail, 1995-2013
- Liverpool Street has the highest footfall
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- Figure 13: Footfall breakdown for selected Network Rail stations, 2014
- Rising number of cars on UK roads
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- Figure 14: New and used car registrations, 2009-14
- Increasing capacity on the MSA network
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- Figure 15: Average daily motor vehicle flow for major sections of the motorway network, 2013
- Reason for stopping at roadside service outlets
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- Figure 16: Reasons for stopping at roadside service station, August 2014
- Airports
- Growth in air passenger traffic
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- Figure 17: Air passengers at selected UK airports, 2010-14
- Figure 18: Total passenger numbers at reporting UK airports, 2003-14
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- Figure 19: Increase in air passengers for the largest UK airports, 2013 -14
- Reasons for travel at the major airports
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- Figure 20: Purpose of travel at selected UK airports, 2013
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Temporary retail space
- Vending machines
- Click-and-collect
- MSAs need to revitalise their offer
- Consumer desire for branded food outlets
- Favouring local producers
- Rail stations become retail destinations
- Airports invest in terminal upgrades
Innovations
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- Motorway service areas
- MSA favours local produce
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- Figure 21: Freshly baked bread at Tebay Services, Cumbria
- Supporting the local community
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- Figure 22: Gloucester services, 2015
- Hot food vending
- Tweet to eat
- Rail stations
- Shopping app
- Click-and-collect
- Engaging with a captive audience
- Shops pop up at Old Street
- Vending machine for fresh flowers
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- Figure 23: RockFlower vending machine in Blackfriars tube station
- Airports
- Vending machines
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- Figure 24: Benefit vending machine, McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas, January 2014
- Yeti ‘ice cold’ retail experience
- Beacon technology
- Virtual shopping walls
- Seasonal events
- Airport app driving customer loyalty
- Mobile working space
- Pop-up space
Travel Point Operators
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- Motorway service area (MSA) operators
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- Figure 25: Summary of the UK MSA operators, 2015
- Non-fuel sales drive growth
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- Figure 26: Revenues of the leading MSA operators, 2010-14
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- Figure 27: Operating profits of the leading MSA operators, 2010-14
- Acquisition activity
- Fast food outlets give unhealthy image
- Coffee brands improve quality perception
- Capturing the business traveller market
- Government scheme to improve roadside services
- Railway operators
- Network rail
- Financial performance
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- Figure 28: Network Rail financial performance, 2010-13
- Retail revenues
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- Figure 29: Like-for-like retail sales increase at Network Rail Managed Stations compared to the British Retail Consortium’s high street figures, 2012-14
- Doddle
- Rising retail space to bump up revenues
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- Figure 30: Network Rail retail income forecasts, 2014-19
- Retail space at NRMS
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- Figure 31: Retail space at Network Rail managed stations, 2015
- Figure 32: Retail space at Network Rail managed stations, 2015
- Train operating companies
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- Figure 33: Stations operated by train operating companies in the UK, 2013/14
- Airport operators
- Heathrow (SP) Limited
- Gatwick Airport Limited
- Manchester Airports Group
- Leading airport operators’ financial performance
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- Figure 34: Leading airport operators’ revenues, 2010-14
- Figure 35: Leading airport groups’ operating profits, 2010-14
- Breakdown of revenues
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- Figure 36: Leading airport groups’ breakdown of revenues, 2013/14
- Retail revenue in detail
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- Figure 37: Leading airport groups’ retail revenues, 2010-14
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- Figure 38: Breakdown of Heathrow’s retail revenues, 2014
- Figure 39: Breakdown of Gatwick’s retail revenues, 2013/14
- Retail units
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- Figure 40: Breakdown of retail units in the major airports, 2015
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Hub visitation and reasons for visit
- MSAs show the highest level of purchasing
- Railway outlets most frequently visited
- MSAs show a higher level of planned purchasing
- Consumers spending less at railway stations
- Airport visitors allow more time to visit outlets
- Consumers are looking for variety at travel hubs
Travel Hubs Visited and Purpose of Visit
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- Figure 41: Travel hubs visited in the last 12 months, March 2015
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- Figure 42: Travel hubs visited in the last 12 months, by age, March 2015
- Type of trip
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- Figure 43: Reasons for visiting a travel hub in the past 12 months, March 2015
- Figure 44: Reasons for visiting a travel hub in the past 12 months, March 2015
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Outlets Purchased from in Travel Hubs
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- Figure 45: Outlets purchased from, by type of travel hub, March 2015
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- Figure 46: Travel hubs visited versus the percentage of visitors who have purchased any goods, by travel hub, March 2015
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- Figure 47: Any purchase, by type of trip, March 2015
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- Figure 48: Outlets purchased from, by travel hub and by age, March 2015
- Outlets purchased from: Motorway service areas
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- Figure 49: Outlets purchased from in a motorway service area in the last 12 months, March 2015
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- Figure 50: Repertoire of outlets used at a motorway service area, March 2015
- Figure 51: Repertoire of outlets used at a motorway service area, by outlets purchased from, March 2015
- Outlets purchased from: Railway stations
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- Figure 52: Outlets purchased from in a railway station in the last 12 months, March 2015
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- Figure 53: Repertoire of outlets used at a railway station, March 2015
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- Figure 54: Repertoire of outlets used at a railway station, by outlets purchased from, March 2015
- Outlets purchased from: Airport terminals
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- Figure 55: Outlets purchased from in an airport terminal in the last 12 months, March 2015
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- Figure 56: Repertoire of outlets used at an airport terminal, March 2015
- Figure 57: Repertoire of outlets used at an airport terminal, by outlets purchased from, March 2015
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Frequency of Visiting Outlets in Travel Hubs
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- Figure 58: Frequency of outlet visits in travel hubs, March 2015
- Male consumers are more frequent visitors
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- Figure 59: Gender differences of consumers who have visited an outlet in a travel hub once a month or more, March 2015
- Millennials: A key market for travel hub outlets
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- Figure 60: Generational differences of consumers who have visited an outlet in a travel hub once a month or more, March 2015
- Commuters: A more frequent visitor in railway stations
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- Figure 61: Frequency of outlet visitation in railway stations, by type of trip, March 2015
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Shopping Behaviour in Travel Hubs
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- Shopping behaviour in Motorway Service Areas (MSAs)
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- Figure 62: Agreement with behavioural statements regarding motorway service areas, March 2015
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- Figure 63: Agreement with behavioural statements regarding planned and impulse purchasing in motorway service areas, by gender, March 2015
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- Figure 64: Agreement with behavioural statements regarding motorway service areas, by generation, March 2015
- Shopping behaviour in railway stations
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- Figure 65: Agreement with behavioural statements regarding railway stations, March 2015
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- Figure 66: Agreement with behavioural statements regarding railway stations, by generation, March 2015
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- Figure 67: Agreement with the statement ‘I would like to see more vending machines available at railway stations’, by location lived in, March 2015
- Shopping behaviour in airports
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- Figure 68: Agreement with behavioural statements regarding airport terminals, March 2015
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- Figure 69: Agreement with behavioural statements regarding airport terminals, by generation, March 2015
Attitudes towards Travel Retail
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- Figure 70: Factors that would improve the shopping experience at travel hubs, March 2015
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- Figure 71: Factors that would improve the shopping experience, crossed with travel hubs visited, March 2015
- Does purpose of visit impact attitudes towards travel retail?
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- Figure 72: Attitudes towards travel retail of rail station visitors, by purpose of travelling, March 2015
- More comfortable seating would improve the experience
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- Figure 73: Demographic breakdown of consumers that said more comfortable seating would improve the shopping experience at travel hubs, March 2015
- Figure 74: Percentage of visitors to each type of travel hub that said more comfortable seating would improve the shopping experience at travel hubs, March 2015
- Consumers seek variety
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- Figure 75: Demographic breakdown of consumers that said a greater variety of shops would improve the shopping experience at travel hubs, March 2015
- Figure 76: Demographic breakdown of consumers that said a greater variety of food outlets would improve the shopping experience at travel hubs, March 2015
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- Figure 77: Consumer demand for a greater variety of shops and/or foodservice outlets, out of those that have purchased from a shop and/or food service outlet in the past 12 months, March 2015
- Putting healthier food options on the menu
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- Figure 78: Demographic breakdown of consumers that said more healthy food options would improve the shopping experience at travel hubs, March 2015
- Shoppers would like to see more independents
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- Figure 79: Demographic breakdown of consumers that said more small independent shops would improve the shopping experience at travel hubs, March 2015
- Parents of under-5s want more children’s entertainment
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- Figure 80: Percentage of parents that said more children’s entertainment facilities would improve the shopping experience at travel hubs, March 2015
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Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Financial definitions
- Abbreviations
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