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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the Travel Hub Foodservice market
- Focus on promotions and affordability
- Ride on the localism trend
- Graph 1: attitudes towards buying delicacies from the local region at a travel hub, by age, 2024
- Offer a wide range of food options
- Market dynamics
- Consumer sentiment: wellbeing is up, but recovery has slowed
- Graph 2: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-24
- What consumers want and why
- Travel hub usage bounces back
- Graph 3: changes in travel hub visitation in the last 12 months, 2019-24
- Coffee shops are the most popular
- Graph 4: foodservice venues visited in travel hubs, 2024
- Commuters prioritise hot meals
- Graph 5: most popular types of food/drink bought from travel hub foodservices, 2022 vs 2024
- Almost half cite price as a key barrier
- Graph 6: key reasons for not purchasing at travel hubs, 2024
- Price remains a significant pain point
- Graph 7: satisfaction with foodservice outlets in travel hubs, 2024
- Diverse offerings enhance the time spent in travel hubs
- Graph 8: attitudes to purchasing at food outlets/restaurants at travel hubs, 2024
- Launch activity and innovation
- Major fast food brands open their first outposts in travel hubs
- Rockfish goes virtual at Gloucester Services
- BrewDog and SSP reveal plans for more UK travel hub venues
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Market Dynamics
- Macro-economic factors
- Economic output has stagnated since the cost-of-living crisis began
- Graph 9: GDP, 2021-23
- Falling inflation has reduced pressure on household finances
- Graph 10: CPI inflation rate, 2021-24
- Interest rates expected to fall in 2024, but borrowing pressures will remain
- Food & drink prices still top the list of consumer concerns
- Graph 11: cost-of-living-related issues noticed in the last two months, 2024
- Consumer sentiment: wellbeing is up, but recovery has slowed
- Graph 12: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-24
- Consumer confidence continued to trend upwards
- Graph 13: the financial confidence index, 2016-24
- Impact of tourism on travel hubs
- Airport footfall rebounds
- Graph 14: total passenger numbers at reporting airports, 2019-23
- Holiday participation fully returns to pre-pandemic levels
- Graph 15: destinations visited on holiday in the past 12 months, 2019-23
- The number of people booking a holiday reached a record high at the start of 2024
- Graph 16: booked a holiday in the last three months, 2022 vs 2023 vs 2024
- Limited catering options result in high food & drink prices at railway stations
- Changing road and rail usage
- Rail journeys recover, but remain below pre-pandemic levels
- Graph 17: Rail journeys in the UK, 2019/20-2022/23
- The rise of electric vehicles…
- Graph 18: vehicle regularly driven by those who have visited a motorway service area in the last 12 months, 2024
- …presents an opportunity for MSAs to rethink the pit stop experience
- EVs drive new opportunities in MSAs
- Graph 19: new car sales, by powertrain, units, 2018-23
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What Consumers Want and Why
- Changes in travel hub usage
- Travel hub usage bounces back
- Graph 20: changes in travel hub visitation in the last 12 months, 2019-24
- Capturing the younger commuter
- Urban consumers remain most prolific users
- Graph 21: travel hub visitation, by area, 2024
- Food or drink items at the top
- Graph 22: products purchased in travel hubs, 2024
- Changes in venues visited
- Travellers prefer foodservice outlets at travel hubs
- Graph 23: foodservice venues visited in travel hubs, 2022 vs 2024
- Travel hubs: a unique segment within the foodservice industry
- Coffee shops lead, followed by fast food and sandwich/bakery
- Graph 24: foodservice venues visited in travel hubs, 2022 vs 2024
- Coffee shops are most popular
- Changes in items bought
- Commuters prioritise hot meals
- Graph 25: most popular types of food/drink bought from travel hub foodservices, 2022 vs 2024
- Families prefer hot meals…
- …creating opportunities for freshly prepared dishes and family meal deals
- Reasons for not purchasing at travel hubs
- Price is a serious barrier for consumers
- Graph 26: key reasons for not purchasing food/drink at travel hubs, 2024
- Almost half cite price as a key barrier
- High prices concern older consumers most
- Graph 27: key reasons for not purchasing food/drink at travel hubs – high prices, by age, 2024
- Broaden variety with local delicacies
- Graph 28: key reasons for not purchasing food/drink at travel hubs – lack of variety, by age, 2024
- Leverage the power of tech to create a seamless experience
- Graph 29: key reasons for not purchasing food/drink at travel hubs, 2024
- Satisfaction levels with travel hub foodservice
- The majority of consumers were satisfied with recent visits
- Graph 30: satisfaction with foodservice outlets in travel hubs, 2024
- Commuters are feeling the pinch
- Impact of sustainability on travel hubs
- Ethical credentials to be a stronger driver of behaviour
- Travel hub foodservice attitudes
- Diverse offerings enhance the time spent in travel hubs
- Graph 31: attitude towards purchasing at food outlets/restaurants at travel hubs, 2024
- Operators can enhance dwell time by offering charging options for vehicle owners
- Offer a wide range of food options
- Desire for variety and regional delicacies
- Graph 32: attitudes to purchasing at food outlets/restaurants at travel hubs, by age, 2024
- Travel hubs broaden their selection of food & drinks
- Commuters crave local…
- …allowing travel hubs to become 'community hubs'
- Pop-ups offer good opportunities…
- …for travel hubs to create buzz and excitement
- Convenience drives purchase
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Launch activity and innovation
- Big names hit the road
- BrewDog and SSP reveal plans for more UK travel hub venues
- SSP introduces the Breakfast Club at London Gatwick and St Pancras
- New launches ride the resurgence of travel hub usage
- Shake Shack expands into UK train stations
- MSAs take foodservice into high gear
- Unique additions to the travel hub landscape
- New concepts take flight in travel hubs
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Appendix
- Report scope and definitions
- Products covered in this report
- Data sources
- Abbreviations
- Methodology
- Consumer research methodology
Stay ahead of the curve with Mintel’s UK Travel Hub Foodservice Market Report. Align your strategy with the needs and attitudes of consumers in the UK travel hub foodservice market. The report includes food & drink sold through the foodservice channel and direct to consumers at travel hubs including motorway service areas, railways stations, bus/coach stations and airport terminals.
Topics Analysed in this Report
- The impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the travel hub foodservice market
- Travel hub foodservice venues visited and items bought
- Satisfaction with foodservice outlets in travel hubs
- Factors that influence consumers’ decision-making when visiting travel hub foodservice
- Consumer behaviours around travel hub foodservice
UK Travel Hub Foodservice Market Outlook
As travel hub foodservice bounces back, and against the backdrop of the cost-of-living crisis, our consumer research for this report confirms that consumers are prioritising localism, product variety, convenience and speed. Today’s travellers are also more price-conscious.
UK Travel Hub Foodservice Consumer Trends
There is a growing trend of consumers supporting local producers or communities, which travel hub foodservice operators can leverage by offering more local products. Indeed, almost two-thirds of 16-24s and 25-44s would be interested in buying delicacies from the local region at a travel hub.
Additionally, over half of consumers say travel hubs with a variety of food outlets/restaurants make them want to spend more time there. By enhancing their retail selection, potentially with an emphasis on local goods and services where feasible, operators can distinguish their locations from competitors and cater to the preferences of their customers.
With almost half of consumers citing it as a reason for not purchasing food/drink from a travel hub, high prices are the primary threat to the travel hub foodservice market. In order to overcome this major barrier in the UK travel hub foodservice market, operators need to find ways to effectively communicate their value offerings and promotions to potential customers.
Purchase the full report for a complete overview of the UK Travel Hub Foodservice market, including launch activity and innovation and comprehensive analysis from Mintel’s industry experts.
Meet The Expert
This report is written by Mintel’s senior retail analyst, Utku Tansel. Utku is a member of the European Retail Team and responsible for research and writing reports/content. He has almost two decades of success in driving global thought leadership, project/content management experience delivering strategic business intelligence and actionable insight to major multinational companies.
With the resurgence of travel, there is a growing appetite for local delicacies, paving the way for fresh opportunities to emerge.
Utku Tansel
Senior Retail Analyst
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