Birmingham Airport - Retail and Food & Drink Outlets Thread

[Ray Finkle]

SSP adds Factory Bar & Kitchen to Birmingham Airport F&B offer

UK. SSP has opened a new bar and restaurant at Birmingham Airport which is inspired by Birmingham’s heritage.

Factory Bar & Kitchen pays tribute to the pivotal role the city played in the industrial revolution. The concept serves an array of British classics alongside local Birmingham favourites.

The menu is a nod to the Indian flavours at the heart of the city’s food culture. It includes wood fire stone-baked pizzas with crispy crusts that can be eaten in the restaurant, or ordered as take-away. A Balti pizza features Balti-flavoured chargrilled chicken, cheese and chilli with a mint and coriander relish.

Other dishes include a Balti burger, made with chargrilled chicken, citrus slaw, an onion bhaji, curried mayonnaise and a mint and coriander relish.

The restaurant also provides a breakfast menu and a selection of artisan coffees. The bar offers a range of 13 premium draught beers, bottled beers and a selection of wines and spirits.

SSP UK and Ireland CEO Simon Smith said: “The Factory Bar & Kitchen has been designed in partnership with our clients at Birmingham Airport to offer all our customers a fantastic experience. We are delighted to provide local favourites to create a Sense of Place, all served in a warm and inviting environment. We look forward to welcoming all our guests to enjoy this great new concept.”

Birmingham Airport Commercial Director Jo Lloyd commented: “We are delighted to be opening another fantastic catering outlet here at Birmingham Airport with SSP UK. This new concept will be a welcome addition to the Departure Lounge, offering passengers even more choice as they start their holiday.”

https://www.moodiedavittreport.com/ssp-adds-factory-bar-kitchen-to-birmingham-airport-fb-offer/

 

[Ray Finkle]

Yesterday I noticed the Deli Hub being boarded up, are they doing some work or has it finally closed for good?

 

[paul]

Hi Ray it's been closed for good so my daughter as just told me

 

[Ray Finkle]

Hi mate, thanks for that.

It's a shame as I thought that the food was pretty decent.

I guess it's no surprise as the location wasn't the greatest, in the no man's land between departures and arrivals.

 

[Brummiegem]

The Kurt Geiger store is now fully open.
Just to clear something,this store does replace the Hugo Boss store.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Thanks for the info.

How does the new Factory Bar & Kitchen look, I've not seen it yet?

 

[Aviador]

February will see Wrapchic take its latest voyage to Birmingham Airport offering Indian style street food as well as an extended menu including ‘The Great Indian Breakfast’ and a range of incredibly unique sandwiches and wraps that can accompany passengers on-board.

After a successful five years, Wrapchic is excited to continue soaring high by opening its latest outlet in a prime position within Birmingham Airport.

Wrapchic is fast Indian food – but its unique menu offers food cooked and prepared by top Indian chefs in a welcomed healthier way. Wrapchic combine authentic Indian food with modern ways of eating on the go and has created an immense buzz wherever it lands. Wrapchic is currently making an envious mark in the fast food arena because consumers are looking for something unique, interesting, and healthy. Food is about much more than just ‘filling your boots’ now, so Wrapchic’s concept, wonderful team and gorgeous eateries keep fiercely loyal Wrapchica’s coming back again and again!

Wrapchic already has hugely popular and established flagship outlets in major sites across the UK including London, Sheffield, Bradford, Milton Keynes, Dudley and even Dubai to name a few! And with its Headquarters just down the road, and outlets in The Bullring and on Solihull High Street, Wrapchic is really making a name for itself within Birmingham.

The product range at Birmingham Airport will also offer a new and full breakfast menu. The new items include – Indian breakfast muffins, porridge and Indian filled 'paratha’s on a budget' as well as an array of brand new fillings, such as the egg bhurji and lamb kheema. Wrapchic will also offer a take away option for passengers wishing to take something on board their flight. Wrapchic will have a chiller rammed with grab and go items such as a beetroot lamb sandwich or soya kadhai wrap.

Wrapchic was created by Mahesh Raikar in 2012. Mahesh has 20 years of food industry experience behind him including a senior role in a Fortune 500 company. He wanted to make the much loved Indian cuisine available to the bustling lunch time market by pushing the boundaries of the way we eat our Indian food in a modern world. After working for over two years on the idea, testing and retesting, designing and redesigning, Mahesh invested his own money into opening the first Wrapchic in Birmingham City Centre and hasn’t looked back since.

Mahesh explains what makes Wrapchic’s food stand out from the crowd: “All our core ingredients are prepared at a central location by our expert chefs in order to maintain product standards and authenticity. The ingredients are then delivered to our stores for final preparation”.

He adds why he feels Wrapchic are operating at the right time in the right place: “Our concept is unique in the quick serve food sector and brings something new and fresh to the consumer. Our existing outlets are doing extremely well in terms of footfall and profitability. The public have really taken to the concept of healthy, fresh, tasty, Indian food served in a burrito”.

He adds “We are extremely excited to be invited to open our doors in such a popular airport close to where Wrapchic was born back in 2012. Our roots are in this city and we’re proud to say we are becoming a recognisable brand here”.

Richard Gill, Head of Commercial at Birmingham Airport, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming local business Wrapchic to the airport. We are confident the healthy and authentic Indian food will be very popular with our passengers.

“With burritos, wraps and bowl food on the menu as well as vegan, halal and gluten free options it really does cater to everyone.”

Wrapchic will be opening in February at the airport. The Wrapchic team will be on hand to talk to consumers about what makes Wrapchic special. Wrapchic will also be offering complimentary tasters throughout the day on launch.

For more information about the Wrapchic please visit www.wrapchic.co.uk

 

[Brummiegem]

Adding to Aviadors’ post above,this unit replaces the Deli Hut on the ground floor opposite the check in desks and next to Spar.

Thanks for the info.

How does the new Factory Bar & Kitchen look, I've not seen it yet?

Sorry for the late reply to this question.
The Factory looks quite fresh and spacious.I am told they do some really nice meals,but have yet to try them out.

I have a concern about the shelf life of some of the retail units throughout the airport.
It seems that some businesses only last about 12 months.
There could be any number of reasons for this,but could it be high rents and not enough sales are the main reasons?
Retail is an important part of an airport business,and if successful,it can be of benefit for the whole Airport and it’s customers.
I know there are many people out there who do not like the shopping side of their Airport visit,but as said it does provide a vital income for the Airport.
However I feel trends are changing and maybe airport shopping habits are changing.
The U.K. is seen by many to be quite expensive,so to have couture shops at an airport can be quite risky.Hugo Boss was one such example,it only lasted between 12 and 18 months.
Even duty free is seen by many to be a tad dear,and maybe even past it’s sell by date.
When we leave the EU next year,it is likely we will return to the old duty free rules where everyone except domestic travellers will be able to buy duty free goods regardless of their destination.This may or may not boost sales for the duty free companies but whether it will do anything for the other units is another matter.
Is there too many eateries?The Factory,Giraffe bar,Wetherspoons as well as Burger King, Costa Coffee,Joe and the Juice, Pret and the Champagne bar all in the main terminal lounge.
Personally I think long term the the Airport authority may have look elsewhere to boost it’s income.
Relying on the likes of Duty free,WHSmiths and Boots,as well as the food and drink outlets mentioned above,could limit the airports income considerably,so perhaps some new ideas could be needed,especially if a major expansion of the terminal is needing to be funded.

I’d be really interested to hear others thoughts on this subject,perhaps open it out to other airports not just BHX.If so may be worth starting a new thread,but I will leave that for the Admin guys to decide.

 

[thunderchild]

Wetherspoons could do with being extended, it’s always packed and while the service and food quality is up to standard I just don’t think it’s pleasant to sit and have a meal/drink. If I’m going to be eating before catching a flight I’d rather pay a bit extra and go to All Bar One by the south Gates. It’s always quiet in there and much more relaxing.

 

[Brummiegem]

I would definitely agree re. Wetherspoons.
How it could be extended though is difficult to see.
Behind the unit is a corridor that leads to other unit storage facilities as well as access to the ramp and gates for air and ground crew etc.
No room either side to extend either.This unit has already been extended once but as Thunderchild rightly states it does get extremely busy.
When I leave work at 6am,It is very busy.Breakfast meals are popular but so is the bar.
Basically the entire terminal needs extensive alterations but I believe all plans are on hold until certain other projects and plans are finalised and given the go ahead.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Whenever I'm in there it feels as if you could double the size of Wetherspoons and it would still be permanently packed out. The service in there is generally very good but I agree that it can be extremely hectic and very hemmed in.

There is possibly the option to fill in the void between the departure lounge and the pier or extend it towards the railway line, which then carries it's own challenges. Either would only be a stop gap and soon be in need of further expansion. Reviving the satellite pier could allow for additional units but people would need to be educated to flow there as the natural tendency is to hover in the main lounge.

As for the other comments I quite like to have a mooch around the shops, it kills a bit of time and gets me out of the pub I only fly for leisure though and am rarely in any sort of hurry. I could imagine it being rather annoying for regular business travellers limited on time.

Whenever we do browse Duty Free Mrs F and I constantly comment about how the prices in there are the same, or in some cases more expensive, than the supermarkets. I am partial to a single malt whisky and have never found my favourite brands any cheaper than I get them in Tesco.

Apart from food our spending is usually limited to a treat each for the kids and some snacks from Smiths. If we are in need of something we occasionally pop into Boots but I can't remember the last time I made a purchase from anywhere else.

 

[nbdm]

Whenever we do browse Duty Free Mrs F and I constantly comment about how the prices in there are the same, or in some cases more expensive, than the supermarkets. I am partial to a single malt whisky and have never found my favourite brands any cheaper than I get them in Tesco.

Apart from food our spending is usually limited to a treat each for the kids and some snacks from Smiths. If we are in need of something we occasionally pop into Boots but I can't remember the last time I made a purchase from anywhere else.

I often use the Amazon app to check the prices of things in the 'real world', you can scan barcodes using the camera on your phone.

No prizes for which is normally cheaper...

 

[Ray Finkle]

Wrapchic looks as if it's very nearly ready to open.

I managed a quick peek inside yesterday and it's looking pretty good, well as good as a unit that small can look

 

[58terminus]

Wrapchic looks as if it's very nearly ready to open.

I managed a quick peek inside yesterday and it's looking pretty good, well as good as a unit that small can look

Oh what a disappointment.I glanced at the BHX web site a few days ago and saw "Wrapchic due to launch at Birmingham Airport" had replaced the new Amritsar service as the main story and have been waiting with bated breath to see what routes they would be serving.
I wonder if the new CEO will be taking a close look at his/her PR department?

 

[jfy1999]

Oh what a disappointment.I glanced at the BHX web site a few days ago and saw "Wrapchic due to launch at Birmingham Airport" had replaced the new Amritsar service as the main story and have been waiting with bated breath to see what routes they would be serving.
I wonder if the new CEO will be taking a close look at his/her PR department?

The format of the news section is unfortunately designed so that the latest updates always become the most prominent regardless of the kind of announcement being made...

 

[58terminus]

The format of the news section is unfortunately designed so that the latest updates always become the most prominent regardless of the kind of announcement being made...

Still disappointed though. Was expecting new routes to Rhode Island,Egmonton and of course the much discussed
Hensinki at the very least.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Still disappointed though. Was expecting new routes to Rhode Island,Egmonton and of course the much discussed
Hensinki at the very least.

Nothing to Bangcock?

 

[rollo]

Nothing to Bangcock?

Cheeky young man, or is it predictive text ?

 

[Ray Finkle]

Predictive text.......eggscellent!

Or am I barking completely up the wrong tree?

 

[rollo]

O.

Predictive text.......eggscellent!

Or am I barking completely up the wrong tree?

O.K. I believe you although the dog is not so sure mind you it's on a a verbal warning given recent results fingers crossed fortonight.