Castellana Properties Socimi S A : moves to bring Dark Kitchens to its shopping centres, in partnership with Booh! Food

• The company has become Booh!'s top investor after pledging capital of up to €3 million over the next two years

• Los Arcos Shopping Centre in Seville will be the first to see its own operational dark kitchen based on Booh!'s "Bright Kitchen" concept

• Booh! Seville will accommodate more than 12 new Food & Beverage brands, some launching in the city for the very first time, in a bid to expand the centre's retail offer

Castellana Properties, the listed company specialising in the retail sector, is joining forces with Booh! Food to create "Bright Kitchens" at the Los Arcos Shopping Centre in Seville, the first in Spain to adopt this format. Dark Kitchens 2.0 (Bright Kitchens) offers customers a range of services including home delivery, takeaway, click and collect and on-site dining, with an extensive choice of affiliated brands within a Booh! centre.

The initial investment, valued at €1.2 million, may be extended as far as €3 million to fund the development of this new business model and the rollout to other shopping centres across Spain. In teaming up with Booh!, Castellana Properties has become a major equity shareholder in the business.

The move reflects the real estate firm's ongoing commitment to innovation, bringing standout services and novel experiences to its customer base. Coupling food delivery services to a national retail network will allow for a wide choice of F&B brands, helping Los Arcos stay in step with new consumer habits and get maximum value from its communal spaces.

A refreshingly different F&B offer

Castellana Properties has selected Malaga-based startup Booh! as its partner in a bid to level up its shopping centres' F&B offer and present an alternative model to consumers. Booh! has made a name for itself in both national and European markets as a pioneer of dark kitchens and food delivery services. The collaboration will give consumers the chance to enjoy their favourite brands, or get a taste of something fresh, fun and different. It means a fourfold expansion in the F&B offer at Los Arcos, from 4 to more than 12 different brands.

As well as home delivery, customers will be able to opt for click and collect, allowing them to enjoy their meal inside the shopping centre or anywhere they choose. By basing its delivery services in shopping centres within urban areas, the Bright Kitchens model minimises regulatory risk, while benefiting from more efficient provisioning and distribution.

This initial unit in Seville will cater to more than 12 F&B brands in a space of just 350 sqm. It has the potential to reach around 600,000 households through the Booh! Food website and ordering app and multi-brand delivery platforms such as Glovo, Uber Eats and Just Eat.

Carlos Guinea, Director of Innovation at Castellana Properties, says: "For us, exploring changing consumer needs in the F&B market is a must. With demand for delivery and take-away services growing, this business model has the potential to ramp up the F&B offer at our shopping centres, bringing in new and exciting brands found nowhere else in the city. What is more, this new venture will allow us to reach more than half a million households in Seville, offering the choice of home delivery or collection in person, where people will be able to take advantage of the many other attractions of a shopping centre like Los Arcos".

Daniel Bueno, CEO of Booh! Food, adds, "Our partnership with Castellana goes to show that the business model we launched four years ago with a distinctive brand like Booh! is a gamechanger for this market. Our entry into the retail sector, starting with a shopping centre that sees a significant volume of footfall, is a major breakthrough towards the mainstream adoption of Dark Kitchens 2.0 (Bright Kitchens). This vote of confidence from Castellana Properties comes at a time when the sector has reached maturity and is expanding at pace. Demand for services like Delivery Premium is at an all-time high, and major investment funds are taking note".