The intersection of retail and F&B was a hot topic.

The mid-morning session of the TR Consumer Forum assessed that the interconnection of retail and F&B is an increasingly important element in the shopper mindset, creating challenges to the traditional demarcation of these airport spaces.

Examining the challenges and the opportunities in this session – titled Navigating the Commercial Journey: Passenger Choices Between Food & Beverage and Retail in Airports – were seven industry experts: Kristina Mees, Chief Commercial Officer, Geneva Airport; Joakim Hörnfeldt, Global SVP Retail, Avolta; Rae Gibson, Director, Power Brands and Emerging Categories; Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail; Clara Susset, Chief Operating Officer, m1nd-set; Karl Walter, Partner, Blueprint and session moderator; Lauren Wood, Marketing Director, SSP UK; and Mireia Marti, Global Director of Marketing and Business Development, Areas.

Underpinned by new insights from m1nd-set’s latest global Food & Beverage and Retail Dynamics research on how travellers really move through airport commercial spaces, the session explored how F&B and store shopping are becoming increasingly interconnected, with airports moving beyond traditional, standalone concepts towards integrated environments designed to maximise passenger engagement.

Cross-category behaviours

The analysis highlights how factors including time pressure, travel purpose, demographics and shopping mission all influence where passengers spend their time and money. A key focus was the rise of “dual footfall” – travellers who engage with both F&B and the stores during the same airport journey. Understanding what drives these cross-category behaviours offers significant opportunities for airports, retailers and brands.

A key focus of the session was the rise of ‘dual footfall’ passengers.

The findings suggested that optimising layouts, encouraging movement between commercial zones and creating more joined-up experiences can boost both passenger satisfaction and commercial performance. As airports continue to rethink their retail ecosystems, the message is clear: treating F&B and retail as complementary parts of a single customer journey, rather than separate revenue streams, could unlock new growth and greater value across the airport experience.

The panellists argued that airport commercial growth will come from deepening the passenger’s commercial journey rather than relying on traffic increases. Research shows only 30% of travellers engage with both the shops and F&B, with layout and convenience – not time or interest – being the primary barriers.

Driving retail and F&B conversion

Hybrid concepts that blend F&B and retail, data-driven design, proximity, relevance, and personalised digital engagement can convert “either-or” visitors into “both,” especially for Gen Z. Collaboration across brands, operators, and airports – aligned on shared objectives – is essential to overcome siloed incentives and operational/regulatory constraints.

Susset underpinned the discussion by presenting research showing that 70% of travellers visit only one category, showing that time is not the issue, and most travellers are flow-driven and won’t deviate from their path, making layout and proximity critical. She also highlighted that Gen Z strongly prefers mixed retail-F&B environments, and hybrid concepts and integrated journeys are a route to increasing dual footfall.

Gibson’s brand perspective positioned F&B venues as immersive sampling platforms that can drive retail conversion when objectives are aligned across stakeholders and proximity to the point of sale is ensured. She emphasised relevance, clear traveller value (exclusives, gift-with-purchase), and breaking silos between domestic and travel retail teams.

Susset presented research showing that 70% of travellers visit only one category.

Creating a positive passenger journey

Wood stressed that journey-wide engagement starting pre-airport, need-state segmentation, and authentic hybrid experiences that reduce stress and increase total spend. This would include smart adjacencies, local storytelling, and guided tastings linked to nearby retail. Marti developed that strand and advocated a traveller-centric, balanced portfolio of global anchors and proprietary brands, and also emphasised hybridisation to create multifunctional, friction-reducing spaces that boost dwell time and average ticket, tailored to airport layout and gate behaviours.

From the retailer’s perspective,  Avolta’s Hörnfeldt championed data-driven, well-orchestrated customer journeys. He went on to call for a two-track approach: short-term optimisation within current constraints and mid-/long-term structural change, particularly supporting hybrid strategies that blur category lines to increase relevance and cross-shopping.

The Avolta SVP believes that growth depends on orchestrated journeys, not traffic.  Also, data and technology can be adapted to design relevant flows, including the blurring of category lines to reflect customer needs. He said that pilots are needed to develop a strategy for evolving infrastructure and contracts for sustained change.