Rethinking retail solutions across the NHS estate

Spend time on the ground at any large, multi-site NHS trust, and you’ll see first-hand how varied their needs can be. But often, a major acute hospital running around the clock sits under the same trust as a small community unit further into the suburbs. These sites have vastly varied facilities, experience different footfall and peak hours. So why would you expect the same retail formats to work across both?

To offer real value, retail solutions need to work within the practical constraints of each site within an NHS trust, from space and capital to trading volumes. So how do you establish what a particular site needs? Keep reading to find out how One Retail takes stock of the conditions, quirks and demands of individual NHS sites, providing tailored formats within a single retail strategy. 

Committing to a single, trust-wide strategy needn’t come at the cost of retail formats that work for every unit operating within that trust. Instead, think of it as a way of thinking rather than a fixed template rolled out everywhere. A successful strategy should ask the same set of questions at every hospital, centre and clinic in the estate:

•    Who’s using this site, and when? 
•    What do they need, and how much time do they have to get it? 
•    What kind of space, infrastructure and budget is available? 

The answers to those questions form the basis of site-level analysis: the data that tells you what type of retail offering each site has the capacity, infrastructure and custom to support. 

Let’s look at four different examples to see how site-level analytics might inform our approach within a single retail strategy:

Large staff population, rotating clinical teams, steady patient and relative traffic day and night.

Firstly, consider a major acute hospital where patient care never really stops. Clinical teams rotate through night shifts, visitors come and go at all hours and footfall in general remains high around the clock. Speed and convenience are the baseline expectations for retail solutions in this kind of facility. 

Site-level analytics for a hospital like this would probably suggest a more robust retail presence. This could include a well-staffed daytime offer, like a full café or food-to-go counter, alongside a 24/7 convenience store. Or perhaps a frictionless format for the quieter hours, such as a self-service option that enables night-shift workers to check out anytime. 

Sharp daytime peaks around clinics and shift changes, smaller but steady overnight staff presence.

Not every busy hospital has the same patterns. Some sites experience busy periods around clinics, visiting hours and shift changes, but host a much smaller number of staff and visitors overnight. 

In this instance, analysis might call for a hybrid model. A staffed café or shop could be needed during the busiest hours of the day, offering hot drinks, meal deals and fresh food. In the quieter hours, a smart fridge or micro market might suffice. This allows both staff and visitors to scan and pay for food without a cashier present.

This kind of setup demonstrates that round-the-clock demand can be met without round-the-clock staffing, as long as 24-hour access is in place.

Smaller workforce, lower visitor numbers, shorter and more predictable daytime peaks.

A smaller community hospital or specialist unit tells another story. With a smaller workforce, fewer visitors and more predictable levels of activity throughout the day, a full-size store would likely be overkill. 

A more considered retail presence can be sized to match footfall without over-investing in space or stock. This could mean a compact staffed coffee counter, a limited-range shop covering essentials and grab-and-go food or a self-checkout micro market.

Limited floor space, no realistic kitchen or back-of-house area, restricted capital for structural changes.

Sometimes demand isn’t the only limiting factor - the building can have its own restrictions too. An older site might have a real case for a retail presence, but limited floor space, lack of a kitchen and other utilities can rule out a conventional café or store.

This is where thinking flexibly is crucial. Instead of jumping to the conclusion that a site simply isn't set up to support any kind of retail offering, site-level analysis reveals what could be possible within these limits. Options with a smaller footprint and no need for extensive plumbing or kitchen space (such as a compact bean-to-cup coffee station, micro market or smart fridge) can ensure on-site access to food and refreshments regardless.

None of these four examples involves unusual or extreme needs. They’re simply shaped by the diverse facilities, buildings and rhythms found within a single NHS trust. Each unit has its own capabilities and limitations, while the people using them have needs that change with the time of day, work pattern and budget. That's why expecting a single retail format to work everywhere rarely holds up in practice.

Instead of working from what’s easiest to roll out, One Retail uses site-level analytics to inform its strategy. That means every hospital, clinic or centre in an estate gets a retail format designed to meet its specific needs, with amenities its people will actually use. We look across the whole trust, taking time to carefully consider the differentiating factors at each location and build a retail offer to match.

The result is one coherent strategy across the trust, built from solutions that are proportionate, useful and make a positive difference to staff, patients and visitors every day.