Cribbs Causeway’s evolving food and drink spots are proof that shopping habits have changed

From new neighbourhoods and attractions nearby drawing in more locals, to Gen Z dining out for longer – here’s how this shopping mall is quite literally catering to the modern day

The Mall at Cribbs Causeway has seen a number of major changes over the past few years, especially when it comes to the shopping centre’s food and drink offering.

As we see high streets reshaping to make dining more of a major draw for visiting certain shopping hotspots, The Mall is doing the same. Gone are the days of just having fast food places in the Food Court, as a means of taking a quick pitstop from shopping.

Now, dining is a massive feature and an even bigger reason why many visit such destinations. It seems shoppers heading to places like Cribbs are looking to make more of a day out of their trip and are no longer just popping in to have a quick browse or pick up the odd essential here and there.

Katie Searle, who works as the director of asset management at Sovereign Centros from CBRE (the team that asset manages Cribbs Causeway), tells BristolLive: “Over the past decade, shopping habits have shifted, with people increasingly seeking a full day out rather than simply visiting to buy a single item. Here at Cribbs we’ve always been a multi-use destination offering shopping, dining, and entertainment, to provide that full day experience for those visiting from across the UK.”

With The Mall’s location sitting just off the M5, and with Cribbs offering thousands of free parking spaces on site, it is no secret that the shopping venue draws in regular visitors from miles around.

Katie adds: “At Cribbs’ our proximity to major road links means we benefit from a catchment of over 6.5 million people as we draw in visitors from Cornwall, Devon, Wales, The West Midlands and beyond.

“This gives us the second largest catchment of all UK regional malls and explains why for many of our brands, their Cribbs space is consistently the best performing across their UK portfolios.”

But Katie says that it is now seeing more local visitors and also shoppers outside of its busy weekend opening hours too.

“The evening economy has also continued to grow thanks to more post-school/work attractions coming to the Cribbs area in recent years,” she says.

“This has required more dining options as people want to meet up with family and friends before or after activities such as ice skating, bowling, the cinema, or even Ninja Warrior [all found at the neighbouring Venue leisure and entertainment park]. This is why we have added the likes of Pho, Picaro Lounge, and Honest Burgers to our mix.”

And it’s not just shopping habits in general that seem to be honing in Cribbs’ focus when it comes to their food and drink spots, but rather the new generation of visitors to this destination.

Katie tells us: “The food and beverage offering at Cribbs has always evolved to match the changing needs and requirements of our visitors. However, over the last few years we have significantly refreshed our line-up to cater for our growing domestic tourism and Gen Z audiences which rose by 26 per cent and 13 per cent over the past year.

“This audience is always eager to explore new casual dining flavours and experiences, so the addition of food and beverage brands such as Pho, Honest Burgers, Wingstop, Joe & The Juice, and local favourite Picaro Lounge, allows us to create more choice and cement our place as one of the South West’s leading visitor attractions.”

Nearby, the local area has inland surf destination The Wave, and is soon to feel the full effects of the brand new Brabazon neighbourhood, and its neighbouring 20,000 seater Aviva Arena. Katie says: “At Cribbs we are working closely with not only the team behind the Brabazon development, but also the other leisure and entertainment offerings which are moving to the area, such as the expanded Bristol Zoo Wild Place, to ensure we are providing the right mix of retail and food and beverage operators to meet resident and visitor needs.

“The Brabazon development is set to further grow the evening economy across Cribbs with Aviva Arena event goers using our array of food providers before heading over to watch gigs and concerts. Last year we saw a 26 per cent rise in domestic tourism to Cribbs, and the opening of the new arena is expected to draw in even more visitors from across the South West and beyond.”

But what will this all mean for Cabot Circus in Bristol’s City Centre? Can there be room for both? Katie certainly thinks so.

“Unlike some other UK cities, Bristol’s population make-up allows for both Cribbs and Cabot Circus to thrive without impacting each other,” she says.

“Prime examples of this are Marks & Spencer and Boots, who have both invested significantly in their stores at Cribbs and Cabot Circus, with both continuing to be among their best performing locations in the country.”

When asked about the future for shopping centres like Cribbs, Katie goes on to say: “Unprecedented residential development, including the new Brabazon development, is underway at this crossroads to the South West, creating new homes for thousands of families, students and professionals mere minutes’ walk from Cribbs.

“It is therefore no real surprise to observe retail and food and beverage brands queuing up to come to Cribbs where they are well placed to benefit from such an extensive shopper base, which is still growing fast. Cribbs offers a unique opportunity for retailers and dining operators not only to showcase their brand proposition to millions but also deliver important sales volume.”