Day three: Food and beverage takes centre stage

The concluding day in Cannes turns the focus fi rmly on food and beverage, with The Happetite making its physical debut in Cannes and a host of top F&B speakers discussing the evolution of the sector as people socialise once more.

Reboot the restaurant industry: Key figures and trends

Jochen Pinsker, senior vice-president, The NPD Group

The new chapter for restaurant players

Jonathan Doughty, project director, leasing services, ECE

FEW INVOLVED in the food and beverage sector will need any introduction to Jonathan Doughty, who established Coverpoint — which he sold to, and ran for, JLL — and now works with German retail developer ECE. As he examines a new chapter for the food and beverage market, Doughty stresses that he believes expertise in the F&B sector will become an increasingly valuable commodity: “It’s not an easy sector to understand. Those that do are becoming more and more valuable, because we understand the business model. We need to know absolutely everything about the foodservice industry if we’re going to capitalise,” he says. ALTHOUGH the lockdowns are over, many aspects of the way we live our lives are still in flux and this has heavily impacted the F&B sector — where, when and how people dine, according to Jochen Pinsker. “One of the most important visit situations is connected to work — on the way to work, during a lunch break or for a snack. Many of us use di erent parts of the market,” he says. However, the more people work from home, the less they need these services. Since people are spending more time at home, all those services that support that, mostly delivery but also drive-thru counters and some takeaway options, have benefitted. “Many of the trends we have seen before the crisis but were boosted during COVID-19 are here to stay: delivery, click & collect, drive-thru and digital ordering. The ‘homing’ trend, which we reported many years before COVID-19, has also seen a boost,” says Pinsker. This is further supporting delivery and takeaway and since quick service is better placed to leverage that growth, this category could be the winner from the crisis.

People, planet, profit

Mario Bauer, brand ambassador, Vapiano

MARIO Bauer, a hugely well-known figure in the F&B sector, is addressing the inter-linked issues of people, planet and profit. One of his latest ventures has been to rescue pizza and pasta group Vapiano, which was acquired by a group of investors led by former Vapiano director Bauer in partnership with the Savour Group earlier this year. Bauer acquired the global Vapiano brand and franchising rights along with a number of restaurants in Germany, France, Luxembourg and Australia, before taking on the UK Vapiano business, which went into receivership in April. He is now co-founder and CEO of the newly-formed Vapiano holding company, Love and Food Restaurant Holding. The investors have set up a partnership with Savour Group, a company founded by three family o ces, the Dominvs Group, Naveen Handa and Krit Srichawla. “It was of the utmost importance to us to preserve a strong presence in London, a city that is a global showroom for brands such as Vapiano,” Bauer says. “Together with the Ahluwalia family [Dominvs Group] we look forward to growing and sustainably expanding our restaurants in the UK.”