« Retailtainment » : The Rise of Retail Stores Cafes
- Gondola Foodservice
- Jan 13
- 2 min read
Our editorial team selects here a few tasty tidbits from around the globe. Just enough food for thought regarding the evolution of foodservice.
The Era of "Retailtainment"
To revitalize brick-and-mortar retail in the post-Covid world, brands are transforming their stores into sensory lifestyle spaces where coffee serves to prolong customer dwell time.
From Louis Vuitton to Coach, fashion houses are boldly competing, employing Michelin-starred chefs and Instagrammable pastries to sell a comprehensive lifestyle.
The strategy is paying off: Coach reports doubled or even tripled sales in its hybrid spaces, which are drawing in young customers en masse.
The concept extends beyond fashion to touch sectors like banking (Capital One) or apparel (Uniqlo), using coffee to physically embody their services or culture.
While everyone is jumping on the bandwagon, experts warn that adding a simple counter is no longer enough: only a unique narrative immersion will prevent the experience from feeling like a mere commodity.
(CNBC)
The "Real Food" Shift
The Trump administration is upending federal standards by declaring war on ultra-processed products to mandate whole foods in school cafeterias and aid programs.
Breaking with decades of medical "dogma" and cardiological advice, the guidelines end the war on saturated fats, now encouraging the consumption of red meat and butter.
Although controversial, this approach has received the endorsement of the American Medical Association.
Suggested alcohol consumption limits are being removed, with the administration preferring to label alcohol as an important "social lubricant" rather than insisting on its health risks.
(NOTUS)
Consumers Thirst for Premium Beverages
It’s the "lipstick effect", amid the cost-of-living crisis, consumers are turning to high-end drinks; small, accessible luxuries are replacing mass consumption.
Alcohol consumption is evolving toward a more mindful approach, prioritizing savoring over intoxication.
In luxury spirits, celebrity-backed brands dominate the market by selling a lifestyle.
Premium hot chocolate is Gen Z’s new champagne.
Finally, while in the West premiumization primarily answers a need for comfort during uncertain times, in emerging markets it is driven by urbanization and the rise of the middle class.
The Revenge of Forgotten Grapes and Other Bold Wine Predictions
Weighing down by a historic drop in consumption, the sector is betting its survival on sustainable high-end offerings to seduce a youth generation that drinks less, but better.
Non-alcoholic wines are moving upmarket, abandoning industrial mediocrity for terroir-driven cuvées.
Auctions on the secondary market are surging as collectors snatch up old vintages and exceptional bottles.
Meanwhile, the climate emergency is forcing the integration of hybrid and resistant grape varieties into the very heart of the most prestigious appellations.
Having become the priority target, millennials are transforming wine tourism by demanding immersive, gourmet, and authentic experiences.
