(and 1 billion) m What a differe 30 The Foodie Report e-zine 20 March 2014
THE REPORT ON LOCATION nce four years ake London Gatwick Airport has reported a surge in passenger approval following a long period of investment, with major F&B improvements across both terminals. Head of Retail Spencer Sheen and Business Development Manager Catering & Services Charlotte Christiansen spoke to Sarah Lysecki about the project. Comptoir Libanais is among the latest offerings at Gatwick s North Terminal International Departure Lounge After a period of dramatic investment since London Gatwick was taken over by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) at the end of 2009, the Southeast UK airport is hanging up its construction boots for now at least. Speaking to The Foodie Report at one of the airport s newest restaurants, Comptoir Libanais (located in the North Terminal s Departure Lounge), Head of Retail Spencer Sheen said: What s nice from [Gatwick s] perspective is that we ve done a lot of work in both the South and North terminals and, for the first time in four years since the change of ownership, we re going to be pretty much disruption-free in the Departure Lounges. For [Gatwick] that s quite exciting because it means we can really look after our passengers, and carry on our business in a more normal way. London Gatwick and its 35 million annual passengers are beginning to realise the extent of the 1 billion transformation made to its two terminals over the past several years an investment which has seen a thorough overhaul of the retail and F&B offerings. A survey by the airport shows a considerable improvement in how passengers rate retail and F&B outlets 20 March 2014 The Foodie Report e-zine 31
ink.sack Wildly successful on Melrose. Just as popular at LAX. Three folks from Host walked into my ink.sack on Melrose, and a year-and-a-half later we re serving gourmet sandwiches at one of the world s biggest airports. Chef Michael Voltaggio, LAX What was the process like for ink.sack at LAX? MV Host knew I wouldn t compromise on quality at LAX, so they source our airport ingredients exactly the same as I do on Melrose, right down to the purveyor. They also understood that ink.sack was not just about food, but a special culture as well. From day one, Host has treated our LAX staff the same way I treat mine not just as employees, but as associates. How would you rate the whole airport experience? MV A 10 out of 10. It was very collaborative. Host came in open-minded, with great ideas. We re reaching waves of tourists at LAX with my gourmet sandwich concept a whole group we might never have met just being streetside. I say, Let s build some more of these. LOCAL, AUTHENTIC CUISINE. IT S WHAT MAKES US HOST. hmshost.com
THE REPORT ON LOCATION Jamie s Italian is one of many successful high street concepts transplanted into Gatwick s revamped offer in the North Terminal s airside Departures area today compared with four years ago, before the airport was sold by BAA to a group of international investment funds (led by GIP) in December 2009. In the period April June 2009, 63% of passengers surveyed rated London Gatwick s selection of food and drink outlets available as excellent or good. Fast forward to Q4 2013, and that percentage had risen sharply to 85.6% (see chart). There s a marked rate of growth since the change of ownership. You can literally tie surges in customer satisfaction to our opening of new restaurants and retail offers, noted Sheen. It has been a really exciting journey over the past couple of years, but we ve Passenger rating of selection of F&B outlets available, 2009 to 2013 Percentage of excellent or good ratings 90% 85% 80% 75% 70% 65% 63.0% 60% Apr Jun 09 70.1% Sep 09 Dec 09 Jan Mar 10 Apr Jun 10 71.4% Sep 10 Dec 10 Jan Mar 11 Source: Retailer profiler; sample: 2,500+ pax per quarter Apr Jun 11 74.4% 67.9% 68.3% Sep 11 Dec 11 Jan Mar 12 Apr Jun 12 Sep 12 Dec 12 81.0% Jan Mar 13 Apr Jun 13 Sep 13 85.6% Dec 13 20 March 2014 The Foodie Report e-zine 33
Gatwick Head of Retail Spencer Sheen reports that improvements in customer satisfaction can be directly linked to new retail and F&B concepts at the airport moved at a reasonable pace. What s nice is we ve seen that in the response from customers. It s a great place to hang out and see customers enjoying themselves. Since the takeover both terminals have seen many new restaurants open or refurbishment works carried out. In the North Terminal Departure Lounge these include the opening of Jamie s Italian, Jamie s Bakery, Union Jacks Bar, Yo! Sushi, Prêt A Manger, Starbucks Coffee and Comptoir Libanais, as well as the refurbishment of The Red Lion pub (part of the JD Wetherspoon chain) and Caviar House & Prunier. London Gatwick Business Development Manager Catering & Services Charlotte Christiansen gave The Foodie Report a walk-round tour of the newly opened and refurbished F&B outlets, including Comptoir Libanais, which opened last October. Christiansen said that when deciding what to keep and what to add or get rid of in F&B, the rationale was simple have one of everything and make it the best there is to offer. If it s coffee, it has to be Starbucks. If it s an English pub, it has to be Wetherspoons. If it s sushi, it has to be Yo! Sushi. If it s Italian, it has to be Jamie s, she said, adding that the airport surveyed its passengers to find out what high street food chains they wanted in the airport. The result is it doesn t feel like an airport it feels like the high street. Replicating the atmosphere of a UK high street is not easy in an airport, 34 The Foodie Report e-zine 20 March 2014
THE REPORT ON LOCATION though, especially when there are heightened security and safety regulations to be aware of. For example, in Jamie s high street Italian locations all the pasta is freshly made on site every day. But the finely milled flour used can be explosive, so to avoid compromising London Gatwick built a blast-proof basement and an enclosed area for pasta preparation. The airport also brought a gas line into the building so that restaurants, if they choose, can cook with gas instead of heating things electrically, which is a common practice in airports, Christiansen said. The use of gas benefits certain types of cuisines found at Gatwick, such as Comptoir Libanais, which features grilled meats on its Lebanese-inspired menu. Having opened in the North Terminal last October in partnership with London Gatwick and TRG Concessions, Comptoir Libanais offers some travellers the chance to experiment with something new while also providing for those who are familiar with the cuisine. reflects on the passengers. They re much more relaxed. Just as its research showed that passengers wanted a Jamie s Italian restaurant at the airport, said Sheen, Comptoir Libanais was also high on passengers lists in terms of food choices. Average dwell time in IDL (mins) 90 85 80 75 70 65 60 55 50 Source: London Gatwick Airport We did a lot of research to suggest that Tony s brand was important to a lot of passengers, he said. It s a growing brand in the Southeast of England. We have a growing market, whether that s Emirates with three flights a day to Dubai (and the A380 Average airside dwell times of passengers by purpose of journey 78 minutes 65 minutes 57 minutes Holiday Visiting family/property Business Owner Tony Kitous said the response among Gatwick passengers so far has been fantastic. Kitous, who owns four high street Comptoir Libanais locations in London and another at London Heathrow Terminal 4 Airside, said he chose to partner with Gatwick and TRG Concessions because of the neighbours; he compared shopping for an airport location to shopping for a house based on the neighbourhood. With the arrival of the Jamie s franchise and the addition of high street sandwich shops and cafés, it was the right time for Kitous to set up his business at Gatwick. Eat-in or take away meal preference by type of traveller Business Other non-business Staying at own property Holiday indepentent 54.6% 44.7% 43.3% 42.8% 45.4% 55.3% 56.7% 57.2% [Gatwick] has changed so much, he said. Not just here but the whole experience. It feels like it s about dining and shopping. You feel like you re anywhere on the high street, and that Holiday package Source: London Gatwick Airport 32.4% Take away Eat in 67.6% 20 March 2014 The Foodie Report e-zine 35
starting from the end of March) or whether it s Turkish travellers because we know they love Tony s food as well. It s a great example of how Gatwick is trying to meet its customers needs and exceed their expectations of the food offer. In addition to what is on offer, the amount of time a passenger has to spend on dining options is also important to the F&B mix. Gatwick passengers on holiday can take advantage of the airport s revamped F&B offering because of their higher-than-average dwell time in the International Departure Lounge (IDL) compared with other airports. According to the Airport Service Quality ratings produced by Airports Council International, holiday travellers at London Gatwick average 78 minutes of dwell time in the IDL compared with the average 70 minutes (see chart on previous page). 36 The Foodie Report e-zine 20 March 2014
THE REPORT ON LOCATION For those passengers who are a bit more squeezed for time, such as those visiting family or property overseas or those on business trips, most of the restaurants also offer a take-away option so passengers can take food on the plane. Holidaymakers are more likely to eat their meal in at the airport, with 67.6% If it s sushi, it had to be Yo! Sushi, says Gatwick Business Development Manager Catering & Services Charlotte Christiansen of those surveyed doing so, business travellers are less likely to do so with 54.6% opting for take away (see chart). Jamie s Bakery, for example, offers foods such as focaccia, sausage rolls and coffee that are packaged in portable food and drink containers, regardless of whether the traveller is eating in or taking the food away. Passengers also have the option to take food from Jamie s Bakery into Union Jacks Bar should they wish to have a bite to eat with their drink. Sheen is pleased to be nearly over the construction phase at the North Terminal. Workers were still on site during The Foodie Report s visit, filling in the second 250sq m ramp at one end of the Departure Lounge. The first ramp has already been filled in and now serves as the seating area for the Red Lion pub, separating the dining area from the bar to give a more familyfriendly option to travellers. It also is the site of one of the airport s pop-ups, which at the time of writing was for Boots No7 make-up. Once the second ramp is filled in at the end of March, just ahead of the busy Easter break, it will serve a similar function. Christiansen hinted that the popular Bare Minerals pop-up which had previously appeared with World Duty Free Group might make another appearance. With another 1 billion slated for investment, Sheen added that there will be more construction work starting in a year or so at the North Terminal to add further passenger capacity and that means new retail and F&B offers. Nothing has been confirmed as yet, but Sheen is excited about what the expansion will mean for the airport s retail and F&B offer. So far, though, he is very happy with what has been accomplished. We think we ve put together a really good offer for the passenger whether it s from a retail or food & beverage perspective with offers that are very up-to-the-minute, fashionable and different. We ve always tried to give the passengers what they want. e 20 March 2014 The Foodie Report e-zine 37