Executive Overview: A New Role for Hospital Retail
Hospitals operate around the clock, but their traditional retail spaces often do not.
Morrison Healthcare helped CHRISTUS address that gap by transforming conventional gift shops into CHRISTUS Markets: self-service retail destinations offering 24/7 access to meals, beverages, essentials, and selected gifts.
The model combines a flexible footprint with fast meal options and self-checkout technology. It improves access for patients, visitors, and staff while helping hospitals generate retail revenue and use campus space more effectively.
Early results are encouraging. Sales increased 22% in the first CHRISTUS region transitioned to this model.
The Opportunity: When Limited Hours No Longer Matched Hospital Life
Traditional hospital gift shops typically operate during limited daytime hours. That model does not always serve overnight employees, visitors arriving after hours, or patients and families who need food and essentials when cafés are closed.
These shops can also occupy valuable hospital space without providing continuous service. CHRISTUS and Morrison Healthcare saw an opportunity to create a smaller, more efficient retail model designed for the needs of a 24/7 healthcare environment.
The Solution: CHRISTUS Market
CHRISTUS Market gives employees on every shift a dependable place to find food and beverages without leaving campus. It also provides patients and visitors with convenient access to refreshments and essentials outside standard business hours.
One conversion reduced a traditional gift shop from 2,561 square feet to a 769-square-foot market. The smaller format preserved the core retail offering while creating opportunities to use the remaining hospital space for other priorities.
Employees also described the markets as quick, convenient, and easy to use, particularly during short breaks and after the café had closed.
The Impact: Reliable Access for Every Shift
Sales increased 22% in the first region transitioned to CHRISTUS Markets. The result indicates that greater access, relevant products, and faster transactions can increase retail use while improving the experience for the people who rely on the hospital at every hour.
Together, CHRISTUS and Morrison Healthcare transformed the traditional gift shop into a scalable hospitality and revenue platform. CHRISTUS Markets combines 24/7 convenience, self-service technology, flexible design, and efficient use of space in a model built for modern healthcare operations.
A Scalable Platform for the Future of Healthcare
CHRISTUS began with a familiar hospital space and gave it a broader purpose.
By combining 24/7 food and beverage access, self-service technology, consistent branding, and a smaller footprint, CHRISTUS Markets makes retail a more useful part of the healthcare campus. The model supports staff across every shift, improves convenience for patients and visitors, drives retail sales, and helps hospitals reconsider how underused space could support other priorities.
Together, CHRISTUS and Morrison Healthcare transformed the traditional gift shop into a scalable hospitality platform designed around how modern hospitals operate.
