Looking to take advantage of the increasing sophistication of travelers when it comes to food and beverage, concessionaires are putting a renewed focus on creating and building their own airport-specific proprietary brands.
Although none have become household names, some airport-specific proprietary brands are starting to generate recognition and loyalty among frequent travelers even as they bring in revenues that match or exceed well-known national or local brands in some airport locations.
“What we’re finding is if you’ve created it the right way and it ends up being the best possible restaurant for that category and location, and it has the right visual and other indicators of quality, then today’s travelers are inclined to give it a shot,” says Frank Sickelsmith, vice president of adult beverage and restaurant development for HMSHost Corp.
The Resurgence Of Proprietary Brands
Drake Beaton, senior manager with ICF International, points out that although the current focus is new, proprietary brands actually have been around in airports for decades, if not longer.
“Back in the 1990s, a major chunk of airport concessions were proprietary brands,” he says. “The airports themselves didn’t see a big push in national brands until the mid-1990s. Now what you’re seeing is more of a leveling off. National brands and local brands are still being pushed by the airports who really want them to represent the community. But that trend is being balanced by airports turning to proprietary brands to fill the right concept for particular locations.”
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