- The “Captive Audience” Effect: A driver plugged into a charger is stuck for at least 20 minutes. They are looking for something to do.
- Premium Demographics: 80% of new EV owners have incomes significantly above the national average.
- Conversion: The presence of a fast charger increases the turnover of neighboring retail points by 4-10% (Western European market data).
- Leo Strategy: We don’t just plant “poles.” We create micro-service hubs (Originals), where charging is merely a pretext for selling coffee, services, or content.
For decades, the holy grail of retail was “Location, Location, Location.” In 2025, it changes to “Location + Duration.”
Owners of commercial properties (retail parks, office buildings, hotels) are beginning to understand that an EV charging station is not a costly legislative requirement, but a powerful marketing tool.
The Psychology of Wait Time
Refueling was a purely transactional activity—quick and “dirty.” Charging an electric car is a lifestyle activity. The average DC (fast) charging session in the city lasts about 25-35 minutes. In consumer psychology, this is called “Dwell Time.”
If the driver sits in the car scrolling through their phone during this time, the landowner loses money. This is “dead mileage” in retail. At Leopard Brands, we design solutions that get the driver out of the car.
The charging station must be integrated with a retail format. This could be an automated Specialty coffee kiosk (Leo Originals), luxury vending with accessories, or a micro-coworking zone.
New Clientele: High Disposable Income
Who drives a new electric car in Poland or Germany today? Managers, business owners, IT specialists. This is a group with High Disposable Income.
For a retail operator, such a customer is worth their weight in gold. They visit regularly (loyalty forced by the need to charge) and are less price-sensitive regarding ancillary services. Coffee for €5? If it’s good and available “right here, right now” by the charger, the price is secondary.
This is the perfect environment for our “Business-in-a-Box” concepts. Instead of placing a lonely charger in a dark parking lot, we create a lit, safe “Leo Hub” that generates revenue streams from three sources: energy margin, product margin (vending), and fees for displaying ads on screens (DOOH).
Infrastructure as a Destination
In the coming years, we will see a split between “necessary charging” (home/work) and “destination charging.” The winners will be those who turn the boring duty of charging into a pleasant experience.
At Leo, we don’t look at a charger as electrotechnical equipment. We look at it as a magnet. A magnet that attracts wallets. Our job as a Venture Builder is to deliver this magnet packaged with a ready-made business model that monetizes what happens around the car.
“I know the EV industry inside out. For years, we watched the battle for amps and kilowatts. Today, the battle is for the customer’s minutes. Whoever capitalizes on those 30 minutes of downtime wins the Retail market.”
— Krzysztof Wasielewski
