Are hospitals the most under-explored retail opportunity around?
I’ve had to spend some time in hospitals recently, and as a passionate retail designer I was again saddened to see how uninspiring the retail there is.
Below are photos from two of Brussels’ « fancier » hospitals.
The first three were taken at Cliniques de l’Europe Sainte Élisabeth. This hospital offers a cafe and separate gift shop. I believe the pictures speak for themselves.
The remaining photos are from Chirec group’s Delta hospital, Brussels’ newest and what I would consider the « best » in terms of retail. Indeed, it benefits from multiple floors and the GF has almost entirely been dedicated to retail. What I appreciate is how the mix has been considered to suit the location:
- convenience supermarket
- (non-health) fashion boutique
- hearing aid shop
- optician
- specialty wigs, headscarves and lingerie retailer
- healthcare equipment shop
- pharmacy
- restaurant
- cafe/ gift shop
An appropriate and well balanced offer. Though as a friend rightfully mentioned, it could have benefited from the inclusion of a maternity-wear shop, something which is desperately missing in our city!
Another missed opportunity: adjusted opening hours! These pictures were taken on a Sunday. Though I appreciate Belgian employee laws restrict this, in the case of hospitals it would seem relevant to make an exception so those staying overnight may benefit from shopping outside medical care hours.
Looking more specifically at the cafe/ gift shop, my impression is again quite mixed. There are nice initiatives:
- mixing the f&b offer with product displays = temptation guaranteed
- providing food to go AND eating in options
- integrating access to the more formal restaurant
- including a space dedicated to the medial staff specifically
- a coherent laid-back look & feel with fun decor elements
- ample space to sit comfortably
But there are also quite a few things I’d suggest to improve:
- a clearer flow: this space is extremely hard to navigate during a first (& even second) visit
- did someone say visual clutter?
- tough cosy the scheme is dark and lacks adequate product lighting
Health and wellness are growing in people’s priorities and we are already witnessing this shift in the retail landscape. I am also seeing quite a lot happening around the health travel trend. There are now clinics in Asia and the Middle East offering what looks like 4 star hotel experiences, also integrating incredible f&b and retail.
Could this be inspiration for how health institutions should evolve in the rest of the world? And thus represent an interesting opportunity for forward-thinking retailers to investigate?
What are your thoughts? And what’s it like in your region?
Always happy to discuss so don’t hesitate to get in touch.



















