THE NETHERLANDS. HMSHost International is to continue to diversify its operations beyond airports and railway stations with the opening of five food & beverage locations in the city centre of Utrecht.
The company announced a strategic move into the designer outlet shopping centre business (at Designer Outlet Roermond) late last year, and is now entering the downtown channel in the Netherlands.
The opening of the five concepts at the Stadskamer area of the expanded Hoog Catharijne shopping centre will take place in two phases.
In October, the company will open fast food chain Leon, Lebanese canteen Comptoir Libanais and HMSHost proprietary concept Burger Federation.
HMSHost introduced the Leon brand to the Netherlands in 2016, while it is the first opening of Comptoir Libanais in the country. The Lebanese canteen comes with a souk where customers can buy typical Lebanese and Middle Eastern ingredients that HMSHost said were “usually hard to find on the high street”. Comptoir Libanais was founded in London in 2008 and now has 17 restaurants in the UK.
HMSHost is already operating Burger Federation in Designer Outlet Roermond.
The second phase will be completed at the beginning of 2019, according to HMSHost. It will feature Pan Asian restaurant Two Tigers as well as the Bistrot Bakery concept.
“The new Hoog Catharijne shopping mall with the Stadskamer as the home of the food & beverage area will be the lifeblood of Utrecht and shopping in the Netherlands,” said HMSHost International CEO Walter Seib. “We’re proud to work closely with [construction company] Klépierre and to have the opportunity of entering the downtown channel.
“This offers us many opportunities to show our capability of being the perfect host everywhere where people are on the move. Together with our strategic partners and brand partners, we will create places where people want to be.”
NOTE: The Moodie Davitt Report also publishes The Foodie Report, the world’s only media focused on airport (and other travel-related) food & beverage. The Foodie Report e-Newsletter is published every two weeks and The Foodie Report e-Zine every month.
Please send all news of food & beverage outlet openings, together with images, menus, video etc to Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com to ensure unrivalled global exposure.
The company also organises the annual Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards.
FAB 2017 , hosted by Greater Toronto Airports Authority, will take place in Toronto on 21-23 June. For details, click here.
