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NHS Guys and St Thomas Social Case Study Vision One

Guy’s And St Thomas Success B2B Research

The Challenge

Across Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital sites in Central London, a wide range of retail offers exist, including national brands, food and beverage outlets, services and in-house catering. However, performance and perception varied between locations.

The challenge was to understand how patients, visitors and staff experienced the retail environment, how footfall moved through each site, and whether the current retail offer met demand. The Trust needed clear, evidence-led insight to inform future retail planning and ensure commercial activity supported wellbeing, convenience and satisfaction across both hospital sites.

Guy's And St Thomas Retail and Social Research Story

Research Objectives

The research was designed to evaluate retail performance within complex hospital environments. The key objectives were to:

  • Understand customer demand for existing retail offers at each hospital site
  • Assess perceptions of range, accessibility and convenience
  • Identify differences in experience between Guy’s and St Thomas’ locations
  • Understand how traffic flow influences retail engagement
  • Capture staff perspectives on retail provision and unmet needs

Together, these objectives aimed to inform future retail strategy and site development decisions.

Research Approach

Vision One implemented a multi-method, behaviour-led research programme. The approach included:

  • Observational shifts across five on-site locations to map traffic flow
  • Exit interviews with patients and visitors
  • Retail boost interviews to capture in-the-moment perceptions
  • An online survey among hospital staff
  • Integration of behavioural, attitudinal and operational insight

This approach ensured a holistic understanding of retail experience across diverse user groups.

Findings

The research revealed clear differences in retail footprint, satisfaction and perception between the two hospital sites. Variations in layout, accessibility and retail mix directly influenced how users experienced each environment.

At Guy’s Hospital in particular, both staff and consumer feedback highlighted gaps in the retail offer. These findings demonstrated that retail success within hospital settings is highly location-specific, shaped by movement patterns, entrance usage and spatial constraints rather than brand presence alone.

Action & Recommendations

The insights identified a clear need to improve the retail offering at Guy’s Hospital. Specific priority areas were highlighted, including the main entrance, corridor areas and the additional entrance opposite London Bridge Station. This provided the Trust with clear, evidence-based guidance to support future retail redevelopment and investment decisions.

Social Market Research Agency
Kendra Furey, Head of Brands (Vision One)

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