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Could Your Retail Site Become an EV Charging Hubs Hotspot?

Elizabeth Warren, Director of Public Charging at Mer UK, notes the key reasons why retail location landowners should be thinking about installing public EV charging hubs.
Two people carrying shopping bags while an electric car charges

As more drivers choose electric mobility, there will be an increasing expectation for reliable and accessible public EV charging in abundance so they can charge whilst out and about.  

The ability to top up an electric vehicle at a retail park – while enjoying the site’s shops, restaurants, and services – is becoming a major draw for EV drivers. As well as being convenient, with drivers increasingly using public rapid charge points to boost their battery when out and about, EV charging hubs at retail locations provide key benefits for the landowners of the sites they are installed on. 

In this blog, we discuss with Elizabeth Warren, Director of Public Charging at Mer UK, why destinations like retail parks are a perfect location for an EV charging hub, including: 

  • How can retail park owners use EV chargers to revolutionise the customer experience and keep drivers coming back? 
  • How does an EV charging hub bring a new angle to the sustainability agenda? 

How do EV charging hubs benefit retail park owners? 

Whilst there are still plenty of fossil fuel vehicles on the roads, providing charging facilities for the millions of fully electric cars and plug-in hybrids on UK roads will bring even more customers to your retail site. This opens a whole other customer pool for retail sites, as without EV charging, they might not prioritise your location over another that has a charging hub.  

The addition of EV charging stations helps to future-proof retail sites, giving landowners an early-adopter advantage on an upward trend. And then there is the fact that customers with EVs are attracted to sites that offer rapid charging – especially if drivers can top-up their vehicles quicker than they could at home. 

Two women with shopping bags charging an electric car

With a charging hub, you will not only bring EV drivers to your site, but also attract new customers to your site. Let’s say a driver – who has never heard of your retail park before – is out and about, looking for a public charge point. They check an online EV charging map, such as Zapmap, and see your site has an EV charging hub with multiple rapid chargers. You have just earned yourself a new customer, who you would not have met if your hub did not exist. 

Not only will retail site landowners be able to make additional revenue through your charge points (depending on the funding model you choose with your charge point operator), they will also see an increase in revenue through incidental spend. Because customers will need to stay longer at the charging location while they wait for their EVs to charge, a retail site is a great location for them to charge at, as they can spend this time shopping, eating and drinking, working out, relaxing, or catching up with a friend. An EV charging hub immediately revolutionises the customer experience for EV drivers.  

How can installing EV charging infrastructure help retail parks keep customers coming back? 

An EV charging hub might be the thing that separates your retail park from a competitor. A fantastic customer experience at EV charging hubs is going to become even more important as the EV shift continues because competition for driver loyalty will increase when more landowners and retail parks introduce electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Drivers will not need to visit anywhere else if they have a good experience at a particular retail site, so landowners should consider installing a hub sooner rather than later to prevent existing customers from heading to a different retail location. 

It isn’t just drivers that EV charging hubs influence, though. If retailers see a location with high footfall, they are more likely to want to open their shop on that site. As you attract EV drivers to your retail park, you can retain retailers for the long-term and say goodbye to empty units. 

1 in 3

consumers stopped purchasing certain brands or products because of ethical or sustainability-related concerns

1 in 4

customers are prepared to pay more for purchased goods, to protect biodiversity

>50%

stated that the commitment of businesses to climate change and sustainability can influence their trust in them

Customer buying habits are becoming more aligned with what is good for the environment. How will EV charging help retail park owners boost their sustainability credentials? 

In Deloitte’s 2023 survey into consumer attitudes to sustainability and sustainable behaviours, one in three consumers stopped purchasing certain brands or products because of ethical or sustainability-related concerns, whilst one in four customers are prepared to pay more to protect biodiversity. More than half stated that the commitment of businesses to climate change and sustainability can influence their trust in them. 

These insights highlight how customers are willing to make purchasing decisions based on the more sustainable option. 

Adding an EV charging hub to your retail location can only enhance a retail site’s environmental strategy or ethos and shows that it is committed to helping the UK reduce road transport emissions. Install an EV charging hub, spotlight good sustainability credentials, and make your retail site more attractive for customers. 

Electric vehicle charging points in shopping centre car park

Case Study

Stane Retail Park

Home to B&Q, M&S, Aldi, Greggs, Cook and more, Stane Retail Park is a 173,000 square feet development managed by The Churchmanor Estates Company Plc. It became a hotspot for EV charging. 

Mer initially installed three ultra-rapid and two fast EV charge points. Due to the popularity of the current EV charging infrastructure and the expansion of the site, we expanded the charging hub with the addition of four 75kW chargers. This expansion means more drivers can charge their vehicles whilst they enjoy the array of shops and services on offer at the park. 

On average, 566 unique customers charge their electric vehicle at Stane each month. We find that registered customers will charge an average of 2-3 times a month at the site. On our rapid charge points, drivers spend £20.86 on average. Over 80% of charging is done between 8am and 6pm, which matches standard opening hours of shops, to show how shoppers take advantage of the convenience of shopping and charging simultaneously.  

Where should retail park owners go to find more information about installing an EV charging hub on their site? 

If you’d like to learn more about installing an EV charging hub at your retail location, you can download our detailed guide by clicking the link below. 

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