WH Smith is continuing its push into the food & drink market with the opening of Smith’s Kitchen, its first own-brand café format.
Part of the group’s Travel division, the 26-seat, 495 sq. ft. café opened yesterday in the Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton. It offers staff and patients coffee sourced from a local roastery and hot breakfast choices, including patisserie baked in-store.
The café also stocks the retailer’s recently launched Smith’s Family Kitchen food range, with 30 products, including sandwiches, salads, baguettes, and wraps.
“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,” said Andrew Harrison, UK Travel Managing Director.
“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.”
The launch of the Smith’s Kitchen café marks the first time that WH Smith’s own-brand store and food-to-go range have been brought together under one roof. The retailer stated that it is planning to roll out the combined offer to more locations.
WH Smith’s hospital offer is one of the fastest growing areas of its UK Travel business, operating over 140 stores and franchises in hospitals across the UK. The retailer said it was looking to introduce at least one of its formats to around 200 more hospitals over the coming years.
