Reimagining F&B at UBBO Lisbon

With 20 million visitors in 2023 and year-on-year growth of 10.6%, UBBO is one of Portugal’s leading shopping destinations. Positioned as a resort mall, it brings together shopping, leisure and entertainment around its iconic central plaza, the largest in Europe. Yet one of the plaza’s central areas was not reaching its full potential. Limited visibility, empty units, underused spaces and fragmented customer flows were preventing the area from contributing to the wider experience. The challenge was not to reinvent UBBO, but to unlock the value already present, creating a stronger F&B destination that would complement the existing food court while responding to the needs of UBBO’s diverse audience.

Conceptional worked closely with the UBBO and Eurofund teams to understand the space, its users and its commercial context. Through on-site visits and meetings with the team and tenants, we assessed the existing situation and identified the key barriers affecting the area’s performance. We combined this with a deep analysis of the Lisbon and Portuguese market, visitor target groups and emerging F&B expectations. Customer flows, visibility, empty units, underused spaces and adjacencies were mapped to define the requirements for a future-proof destination.

These insights were translated into a refreshed F&B concept, covering positioning and atmosphere, tenant mix, floor plans and adjacencies, as well as interventions to improve connectivity, visibility and overall appeal. The new concept draws on the vibrancy of Lisbon while introducing the feeling of a garden-like retreat — a place where visitors can slow down, connect and enjoy quality dining in a more relaxed setting. Rather than competing with UBBO’s existing food court, the reimagined area adds a complementary experience to the resort-mall proposition, creating a more distinctive destination within the wider plaza. The result is a stronger F&B identity, a more connected spatial experience and a renewed commercial role for an underperforming part of the development — turning an existing challenge into an opportunity to add value to what already works.