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Professional Spotlight
High Street Hospitality - the strong winds of change

The winds of change sweeping keeping prices competitive
through Britain's high streets create requires innovative thinking.
turbulent conditions for coffee Simply raising prices risks
shop operators. These conditions alienating price-sensitive
present both headwinds and customers and causing a
tailwinds that require careful downdraft.

navigation of this evolving Looking forward, successful
landscape.
coffee shops will need to trim
Recent data from the British Retail their sails and adjust course
Consortium reveals concerning beyond the traditional model.
crosswinds: high street growth Success will require creating
slowed to merely 0.4% in December, stronger community connections
whilst footfall continues to decline. through events and local
For coffee shops, which have partnerships, developing hybrid
historically depended on a mix of spaces that serve different
destination visits and spontaneous purposes throughout the day, and
drop-ins from shopping traffic, expanding revenue streams
these shifting currents demand through retail coffee bean sales
urgent attention. and equipment.

The traditional model of coffee
shops benefiting from retail-driven
foot traffic is being blown off
course. With high street footfall
down 2.8% year-on-year and
shopping malls experiencing an even
steeper 7.2% decline, coffee shop
operators need to create their own
gravitational pull rather than
depending on neighbouring retailers
to drive customer flow.

These gusting challenges come JANUARY/FEBRUARY. 2025 | ISSUE 40

against a backdrop of rising
operational costs. With wage
inflation at 4.3% and food costs
following a similar trajectory,
maintaining profitability while

www.beveragestandardsassociation.co.uk