Almost a third of people will visit a shopping centre just to eat and drink - CBRE

Almost a third of all visitors to shopping centres across Europe, South Africa and the Middle East will visit a restaurant or coffee shop, according to the latest Food and Beverage (F&B) report by property advisor CBRE.

Shoppers in the UAE, South Africa, Turkey, Romania and Spain particularly identified with shopping centres as a key food and beverage destinations.

The report surveyed 22,000 customers across 22 markets in Europe, South Africa and the Middle East to understand what their perceptions were of F&B within the shopping centre environment.

The results showed that 59% of shoppers in the UAE, 57% in South Africa, 52% in Turkey, 51% in Poland and 42% in Spain visit a shopping centre just to eat or drink.

Moreover, even if their main reason for visiting a centre was to eat and drink, an average of 40% of people then go on to shop.

'We know that a shopping centre is more than the sum of its parts: it’s about the overall proposition. With shopping centres competing for shopper attention, F&B will become increasingly important as a footfall and revenue driver,' said Peter Gold, head of EMEA Cross Border Retail, CBRE.

'A strong food and beverage offer fits with the notion that shopping is a leisure activity. Customers not only have a ‘desire’ to shop, but have a ‘need’ to eat. With that in mind, our research shows that more than 40% of people will visit shops even if their primary reason to visit was to eat or drink.'