How retail parks can take advantage of the switch to EVs

As the UK accelerates its shift to EVs, retail sites have a unique opportunity to capitalise on this transition. By installing EV charging infrastructure, these destinations can entice more potential customers, increase incidental spending and boost their own sustainability goals. In this article, we will discuss how retail parks can capitalise on this trend and what the benefits are.

As a pillar of the UK’s commercial property market, retail destinations make the perfect site for EV charging hubs. Already many of the key features for EV drivers such as food and drink establishments, toilets and space are already present on-site. This presents retail site owners with a unique opportunity to place themselves at the heart of the UK’s growing EV infrastructure network.

Moving away from the traditional models

In the early days of EV infrastructure planning, some assumed that EV charging hubs would be implemented at sites like petrol stations. They would be dedicated locations for the express purpose of charging; purpose built with facilities and amenities constructed around them. However, after years of analysing the data and practical implementations a stark difference was found. Ultimately you cannot just fill up an EV and drive away as you would a petrol vehicle. You need to wait for around fifteen to twenty minutes for the vehicle to charge. This means that the driver has time to spend.

In a 2024 survey of Mer registered drivers, 57% of them stated that while charging they prefer to either visit a food establishment or go shopping rather than wait in or around their car. This means that EV drivers will consider the surrounding location when selecting where they are going to charge, rather than the petrol station model which is all about getting back on the road as soon as possible. Ultimately, this has led to a shift in installing EV infrastructure in places where there is already preexisting facilities and amenities that are desirable to EV drivers. Government figures already show that 49% of public EV charging infrastructure is located at destinations such as retail parks, leisure centres and educational establishments.

What are the benefits for retail parks?

For retail parks, this is a golden opportunity. EV drivers are a captive audience who are looking to ‘recharge while they charge’, therefore they will select a retail park with reliable chargers and then visit nearby shops, cafés and restaurants. For you, this means that not only is there an increased footfall but a higher proportion of incidental spenders. These new customers would not be present without the existence of the EV chargers.

EV chargers also help to raise the value of the land they are installed on, not only from the additional customers they draw in. EV charging infrastructure is frequently cited by institutional investors and large retail tenants as an attractive asset due to many of them prioritising green initiatives in their procurement and leasing decisions. To top it all off, the chargers provide supplemental income through bay rental or other arrangements.

In practice

Mer has worked with many retail sites over the years such as Stane Retail Park, Sears Retail Park and Dean Clough Mills. At our most recent installation in Dean Clough Mills, in the first few months the site quickly became one of our most popular with EV drivers. In a short space of time, enough e-miles were charged there to drive around the circumference of the Earth three times. Now imagine how many of those drivers then went shopping or grabbed a bite to eat. Similar such stories play out at Stane, Sears and many other retail parks across the country. Early adopters of on-site EV charging not only attract more investors and tenants but also lay the foundations for future-proofed expansions of infrastructure.

If you are interested in finding out more about how you can boost your site’s passive income, download our EV charging hubs e-guide. We drew from our experience working with retailers to create a complete guide exploring the benefits and best practice insights from landowners who have installed charging hubs.

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