Retail parks have traditionally been built around speed. Shoppers drive in, pick up what they need, and drive out again, often within the hour. But as electric vehicles continue to be adopted, this pattern is starting to shift. With EV charging taking roughly between twenty minutes and an hour, this unavoidable downtime is quietly changing how people use retail parks altogether.
For retail park owners and operators, this presents an interesting opportunity. A well-planned EV charging hub can turn a quick pit stop into a longer visit, with knock-on benefits for footfall, spend, and the overall appeal of the site.
In the blog below, we discuss the many advantages that considering electric vehicle charging hubs for your retail park offers and how we can set up the electrical infrastructure to get you started at Serconnect.
Why Charging Time Changes Shopper Behaviour
When a driver plugs in at a rapid or ultra-rapid charger, they are typically looking at twenty minutes to an hour before their vehicle is ready to leave, as stated above. Unlike refuelling a petrol car, which takes only a few minutes, this is enough time to make a coffee run, browse a few shops, or sit down for something to eat, rather than waiting in the car.
This is where retail parks with EV charging built into their layout have an advantage over standalone charging stations located away from other amenities. If a driver has to choose between waiting in a car park with nothing nearby and one surrounded by cafes, shops, and places to sit, the retail park wins every time.
By improving customer experience with ultra-rapid charging hubs, the extra dwell time translates directly into additional spending across the site, benefiting not just charging operators but every retailer nearby.
Designing EV Hubs With Dwell Time in Mind
Simply installing a handful of charge points is not enough to capture this opportunity, though. The location, capacity, and design of an EV hub all affect how likely drivers are to stay, browse, and spend while they wait.
For instance, positioning chargers close to entrances, seating areas, and food outlets, rather than tucking them away in an overflow car park, makes the whole experience feel more integrated and encourages people to walk into the retail park rather than stay by their vehicle.
A mix of charger speeds also helps, as rapid chargers suit drivers who want a shorter stop, while slightly slower options can work well for those planning a longer visit, such as a full shopping trip or a meal.
Why Considering EV Charging Hub Infrastructure Matters
Just as important, though often overlooked, is what sits behind the chargers themselves. A retail park’s electrical infrastructure needs to be capable of supporting multiple high-power chargers running simultaneously, alongside the existing demands of shops, restaurants, and lighting across the site.
Without the proper planning needed at the grid connection stage, a retail park can quickly find itself constrained from adding more chargers or expanding capacity as EV adoption continues to grow.
What’s Involved with Getting the Grid Connection Right
This is where the groundwork matters just as much as the chargers themselves. Delivering a retail park EV hub that can genuinely support high dwell times means securing a grid connection with enough capacity for current demand and future growth, rather than just enough for the chargers installed on day one.
For many sites, this involves assessing existing infrastructure, understanding whether electrical connection upgrades are needed, and coordinating with a Distribution Network Operator (DNO), all of which can introduce delays and complexity if not managed properly from the outset.
By working with an Independent Connection Provider (ICP) rather than going directly through a DNO, you’ll often benefit from a faster, more tailored process, from the initial feasibility studies through to the design, installation, and energisation.
Getting Your Site Ahead of the Competition
As EV adoption continues to increase, ahead of the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel car sales, the number of drivers relying on public charging while out shopping is only going to increase. Retail parks that get ahead of this shift, by building EV hubs with the right capacity and thoughtful design, stand to benefit from higher footfall and longer visits for years to come, rather than treating it as an afterthought.
Future-proofing a retail site in this way starts with the electrical infrastructure that underpins it all. Your ambitions for your retail park’s EV hub, whether this is a handful of rapid chargers or a much larger destination charging offer, can only be realised if the grid connection and supporting infrastructure are designed to match. This is where we at Serconnect can assist you through our dependable services.
Optimise Your Electrical Infrastructure for EV Charging with Serconnect
If you are exploring how to bring EV charging infrastructure to a retail park, our team offers end-to-end electric vehicle charging hub support and can help to assess site capacity, plan a grid connection suited to both current and future demand, and deliver the civil and electrical works needed to bring it all together.
Alongside connections, our electrical infrastructure maintenance services help ensure that the infrastructure behind your retail park’s EV hub is reliable over the long term to reduce the risk of costly, unplanned downtime.
You can read further about our experience with establishing high-capacity connections for operators such as Ionity and Osprey Charging Network and how our experienced team can carry out works swiftly, cost-effectively, and in line with both your project requirements and all relevant industry standards and regulations.
Get in touch with our experienced team today, and we’ll be happy to discuss how we can get started on establishing all of the infrastructure needed for an EV hub designed for longevity and optimal performance.
