Launch of Retail Insider ‘Leisure & Hospitality Benchmark Report 2019’ with Roger Wade, founder of Boxpark, and Charlie McVeigh, founder of Bunker Projects

Brought to you by Retail Insider and Webloyalty

Retail Insider celebrated the launch of the first ‘Leisure & Hospitality Benchmark Report’ at a dinner with guest speakers Roger Wade, founder of Boxpark, and Charlie McVeigh, founder of Bunker Projects.

Roger Wade and Charlie McVeigh

The report, sponsored by Webloyalty, investigates the leisure & hospitality sector through interviews with an Advisory Panel of some of the key thought-leaders in the industry and draws out some of the main themes and trends impacting the sector.

Roger and Charlie covered many of these theme in a wide ranging discussion over dinner in the private dining room at Michelin-starred Pied a Terre restaurant in Central London. Roger highlighted how he moved from founding a fashion business, Boxfresh, to providing space for food brands in shipping containers.

He discussed how delivery was proving to be an increasingly important part of his business and that providing entertainment such as live music and the showing of sports was a vital component in attracting customers to his sites. Roger also talked about how the property industry is undergoing a seismic shift in the way it operates.

Charlie ran through his colourful experiences setting up a variety of pub businesses and the creation of the Draft House chain, which he sold to BrewDog. He is currently investing in new food and drink operators as well as appearing on TV as a food and drink entrepreneur. He highlighted the myriad challenges in dealing with young brands.

The guests at the dinner included senior executives from Waitrose, Cook, Wright Brothers Oysters, and Rank Group and as well members of the Advisory Panel including Rob Machin of Kerb, Caroline Sanger-Davies of Chester Zoo, and Jonathan Doughty of ECE.

Retail Insider would like to thank Webloyalty for its sponsorship of the report and for making the launch evening possible. Appreciation is also extended to Charlie and Roger for their insights on the night and also to the team at Pied a Terre.

To access the report click here: Leisure&Hospitality-Benchmark-Report-2019

Glynn Davis, editor, Retail Insider