Wholesale experts TWC, in partnership with food-to-go and out-of-home tracking programme MealTrak, reports the latest food-to-go market performance to 12 w/e 5 September 2022.

OCCASIONS:

Latest MealTrak results show the number of out-of-home eating occasions were 14% higher than the comparable period in 2021 on a 52 week/MAT basis.
In the latest 12 weeks, the number of out-of-home eating occasions were 2% higher than in 2021.  There were 793 million eating out of home occasions in the 12 w/e 5 September 2022.

In the last 12 weeks, the ‘eating out’ channel (comprising pubs, restaurants and hotels) was in strong growth, +15% vs the previous year, however the growth rate continues to slow. Growth in ‘eating out’ is driven by pubs +52%, while restaurants have slipped into decline (-6%).

Sandwich shops (-16%), coffee shops/cafes (-7%), fast food & takeaway (-17%), high street (-23%) and transportation (-41%) are all in decline.

The multiples, with their more affordable food-to-go offer are the clear winners, with steady and significant growth (+48% in the latest 12 weeks).
Other retail channels – convenience stores (+10%), discounters (+11%) and forecourts (+13%) are also all outperforming the total market.

VALUE:

Value sales are up +27% on a 52 week/MAT basis and +14% on a 12-week ending basis versus 2021. ‘Value’ growth remains significantly ahead of ‘occasions’ growth.

Commenting on the results, Tom Fender, Development Director at TWC, said:

Overall, it’s still good news for the food-to-go and eating out market as it continues to grow despite the cost-of-living crisis. However, growth is slowing, and we are seeing value growth continuing to significantly outpace ‘occasions’ growth as inflation continues to rise.”

“The multiples, with their low-price meal deals, are the clear winners with steady and significant growth of +48% in the latest 12 weeks. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the sandwich and speciality shops sector, which is seeing a decline not only in terms of the number of occasions, but also now in value terms too.”

“These outlets are experiencing the perfect storm of increased product costs, staff shortages and rising energy costs, all of which are driving up the cost of sales significantly. In addition to these issues, the now normal hybrid working means that many consumers are eating at home during working hours on several days of the week and therefore more likely to be preparing their own food. It will be interesting to see how this evolves as we move into winter and whether workers will shift towards greater office working to conserve home energy.

For more information on Mealtrak please contact Kim Reddick at TWC (Kim@twcgroup.net)

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