The big interview: Boxpark

It’s Ladies Day at the Grand National Festival at Aintree, the most iconic event in the entire British horseracing calendar, and the racegoers are in full swing. If anything, the high wattage glamour of Liverpudlians in full party mode back in April was turbocharged in no small part by Boxpark, with its equally iconic street food and entertainment venue. The company set up a temporary activation, using the same design aesthetic as its famous shipping container sites, at the racecourse in readiness for the three-day event. It agreed a pioneering partnership with the jockey club in January and the on-site build time was just under one week.

Boxpark delivered all-day party vibes to the racecourse in its bespoke venue with a capacity to host up to 1,000 people. Paradisco curated a blend of disco and classic house beats, presented by some of Liverpool’s top DJs, including Ant Chandler and Sie Austin as well as special guest performers. “People are increasingly going for an all-day party alongside the main event, and demanding more for their ticket price,” observes Matthew McMillan, Boxpark’s development director. “We set up, programmed in six food vendors that we've curated from our own sites, and put in bars and an entertainment package.”

But no-one at Boxpark could have anticipated just how popular demand would be. “On our site, we had our DJ booth and performance spaces and a tented area with our bars underneath,” says McMillan. “Our food retailers were sited on the perimeter. But we became so mobbed, everyone was dancing; we were literally so packed out that you really had to fight to reach the bars and food vendors.”

The fact that demand was far greater than anticipated is something that will be addressed at future Boxpark events at Aintree. McMillan’s company, in partnership with its partner, Molson Coors, one of the world’s largest brewers, has clearly identified a glaring gap in the market for this type of rip-roaring hospitality. “We think the top-tier customers are very well served at those major cultural venues, but there is a gap for customers just below that level, which at present generally isn’t being fulfilled,” McMillan elaborates.

It seems that that the Jockey Club, which owns 15 British horse racing tracks including Aintree, agrees. “It is really open to working collaboratively,” says McMillan. “They want to do something different that gives customers something over and above what they would get at a normal event.”

Boxpark is already in talks about setting up a similar operation at other Jockey Club venues and festivals and events next year. It has already demonstrated that it can act swiftly when it comes to mobilising such hospitality. The company is also moving into the high-octane world of motor racing with a contract at the 2026 British Grand Prix at Silverstone next year as part of a wider multi-year partnership.

Again, as is the case at Aintree, the aim is to extend not only the choice that is available during the four-day event at Silverstone, but also the length of stay and spend by ticketholders. “You've got some hardcore racing fans, who’ve been coming to Silverstone forever, but there's a whole new audience of people who want to access these kind of events, but in a different way,” says McMillan. “One that really celebrates an all-day party in addition to watching the racing.”

Boxpark will operate an area with capacity for some 5,000 people, with a curated offer put together by eight to 10 food vendors, boasting an open bar area and performance stage. “The area is also going to be beautifully designed because that’s what we also care about,” says McMillan.
While this be on a larger scale than at Aintree, the Silverstone event, which in total is twice the size of Glastonbury, is similarly one of those cultural sporting arenas that has global significance. It will undoubtedly do much to boost the company’s brand image to wider audiences, as the company seeks new opportunities to expand overseas.

For Boxpark, these ambitions mean seeking out fresh opportunities in new market concepts, in a way that will help them develop the brand globally. “While we’re still doing the things we want to do in the UK, there are opportunities – other ways of doing business – that can [roll out] the Boxpark experience much more quickly across the UK as well as globally,” says McMillan.

The company has already evolved much of the way it conducts its business, which on the face of things seems radically different from the retail model it began with some 15 years ago. It established its first development at Shoreditch, predominantly to promote independent fashion retailers, only to discover that the real star of the show was its formerly peripheral independent street food retailers. “If you look at the way we ran our first three venues, and how we do things now, the changes made have been enormous,” acknowledges McMillan.

Its original clientele, hipsters looking for authenticity, has since given way to a wider, more eclectic audiences, some with young families and evolving tastes. Street food, bars and entertainment now dominate, but unlike other commercial landlords in retail, Boxpark remains the dominant brand on all its sites.

The trouble with anchor tenants is that they can restrict your ability to refresh and develop the mix of retailers on site. However, Boxpark’s original temporary nature, in terms of its own leasing timeframes and structures, has evolved into something much more enduring and long-term. Leases extend well beyond the original Shoreditch venture, which though extended, was originally intended to last for five years.

More recent developments on its own sites tend to be larger and, for this reason, constructed from steel rather from pre-fabricated shipping containers. However, the original design philosophy and overall look of the malls, which are great for kitchens and visual interest from multiple frontages, has been maintained.

To date, the company, which currently employs over 300 people and has an annual turnover of between £25m and £30m, has five Boxparks, including its original Shoreditch site, where its original lease has now been extended. In addition, in April this year, it opened a totally new concept, its first dedicated food hall in London, in the Metropolitan Arcade near Liverpool Street Station. Boxhall City offers 13 food and beverage kitchens, two bars, delis and a guest chef rotation kitchen.

The first Boxhall outside of the capital also opened in Liverpool last year. Plus there are plans for further additional food halls in the city of London.
As McMillan maintains, however, creating your own dedicated sites in the UK involves considerable investment. This explains in part why the company is now moving towards a mix of running its own sites, while also moving externally to what McMillan deems the prestigious ‘blue riband’ events of the sporting world.

“We opened two of our own sites in 2024 and 2025, which involved a tonne of investment in the business,” he says. “It is certainly not becoming any cheaper to build. It’s not so much that we're doing anything different from what we do in our own venues, we’re just taking it on the road.”

In some ways, this departure from its traditional mode of operation is actually something of a return, albeit on a much larger global stage, to Boxpark’s original roots, which was in quick-activation retail. This, and the fact that major sporting events at Wembley, where Boxpark sits right outside, have already brought the world’s media through its doors, have done much to lift the company’s brand. “We’ve had interest and coverage from Fox Sports, from Australia and America, and even a national broadcast team from Iran,” recalls McMillan.

All this combines to create a brave new world for Boxpark. “The world of hospitality is really fast paced,” he concludes. “You need to be constantly evolving your offer, and how you connect with your customers, to deliver ever better experiences, whether on our own sites or in short-term activation projects. All this helps keep the energy high and the agility, on which we built our reputation, going full blast.”

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