WHSmith launches new café concept
WHSmith has launched a new café format within its travel division.
The first Smith’s Kitchen opened on Thursday at Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton, with a 495 sq ft, 26-seat cafe.
Smith’s Kitchen is the first own-brand café opened by the retailer, and offers a range of dine-in and takeaway options, such as coffee and hot breakfast, including patisserie baked in-store.
Smith’s Kitchen also offers the recently launched Smith’s Family Kitchen food range, which comprised over 30 products including sandwiches, salads, baguettes, and wraps.
Andrew Harrison, UK travel managing director at WHSmith, said: “Whether it’s in a hospital or on their journeys, customers tell us that quality food and drink options are what they prioritise most in the different locations we serve. That’s why we have been doubling down on our food ranges and formats to ensure our customers don’t need to compromise on quality or value, as demonstrated today with the launch of Smith’s Kitchen. With the opening of our first ever own-brand café coming hot on the heels of our newly launched own-brand food range, this shows the pace of innovation across our business and commitment to delivering quality experiences and products at WHSmith for our customers and partners.”
UK travel is WHSmith’s largest division, operating 590 stores across the UK in airports, hospitals and railway stations. The opening of Smith’s Kitchen at Princess Anne Hospital is the first time WHSmith’s own-brand store and food to go range has been brought together under one roof, with plans for the combined offer to be rolled out across more travel locations in the UK in the near future.
WHSmith’s hospital offer is one of the retailers fastest-growing areas of its UK travel business, operating over 140 stores and franchises in hospitals across the UK, with four new locations opened in the past eight weeks. The retailer has said that it sees opportunities ahead for its formats to extend into up to a further 200 hospitals.