Increasing number of clothing stores lure customers with food

An increasing number of clothing stores have found a new way to lure in customers: they offer drinks or even entire meals. One Mannheim-based fashion store even houses a two-star restaurant.

Atmosphere and experience

The Breuninger fashion store chain is one of the German pioneers, because its stores in Stuttgart and Düsseldorf are the only ones to have a Sansibar location anywhere on the European mainland. “Gastronomy has become a very important part of our business model. It contributes to the atmosphere and the experience”, a Breuninger spokesperson told Fashion Network.

Some fashion companies have taken things even a step further: Engelhorn’s Mannheim location has a champagne bar and several restaurants, including two-star restaurant Opus V. The store also provides cooking classes. “Because of the increased popularity of eCommerce, we want to give people a reason to visit the city”, co-owner Andreas Hilgenstock said. “You cannot eat, smell or taste on the internet.”

In the Benelux as well

Not only the German fashion stores have seen the “blurring” light, which combines two retail branches. There are examples both in the Netherlands and Belgium as well: hotel chain Van der Valk opened a fresh produce market in one of its hotels in January 2015, a feature that should become part of every Van der Valk hotel in the future. The chain has to buy food for its hotel, the restaurant and the market, which enables it to offer highly competitive prices.

Dutch supermarket chains are also a fan of blurring: Albert Heijn wants to open a coffee bar or restaurant in several stores and Plus already trialed a pop-up restaurant for instance. Jumbo’s Food Markets and Dekamarkt’s World of Food formula have pushed the boundaries even further. Belgium’s most famous blurring example is probably the Wasbar, where customers can eat or drink something as they do their laundry. Another example is a bike shop and book retailer joining forces in a pop-up store located in Antwerp last October. 

Opposition

Not everyone is happy with this blurring trend, proven by a court case initiated by the Dutch SlijtersUnie (Union of spirits retailers) against the Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten (Association of Dutch municipalities). The latter launched a pilot, temporarily allowing the merger of retail stores and hospitality services. The SlijtersUnie felt this breached the Drinks and Hospitality legislation, but the judge disagreed.

Ikea may very well be the founder of the blurring idea, seeing how popular its mixture of restaurants and Swedish food sales really is. It has even become so popular that some people only come to the furniture store to eat, prompting the chain to consider a separate chain of restaurants.