October delivery and takeaway sales double pre-COVID levels but stall year-on-year

Deliveries and takeaways now account for nearly a quarter of all sales at Britain’s leading restaurant groups, having doubled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CGA by NielsenIQ’s new Hospitality at Home Tracker shows sales by value in October 2022 were 97% higher than in October 2019—the last comparable month before COVID-19. Takeaway and click-and-collect sales have grown 55%, but deliveries have soared 236% as consumers switched to the convenience of third-party ordering platforms.

 

Deliveries and takeaways accounted for 24% of the total sales of groups contributing to the Hospitality at Home Tracker in October 2022, with eat-in sales making up 76%.

 

However, the Tracker indicates growth has stalled since the end of COVID-19 restrictions. Combined delivery and takeaway sales were down by 7% on October 2021—the 11th consecutive month of year-on-year decline.

 

Karl Chessell, CGA’s business unit director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA, said: “Deliveries saved many restaurant businesses during COVID-19 lockdowns, and consumers continue to be attracted by their convenience. The plateauing of sales since the end of restrictions is a positive sign that some people have reverted to eating out rather than ordering in over the last 12 months, but it may also reflect increasingly cautious spending as the cost-of-living crisis mounts. Sustaining sales and protecting margins will be major challenges as the squeeze on disposable incomes tightens.”

 

The CGA Hospitality at Home Tracker is the leading source of data and insight for the delivery and takeaway market. It provides monthly reports on the value and volume of sales, with year-on-year comparisons and splits between food and drink revenue. It offers a benchmark by which brands can measure their performance, and participants receive detailed data in return for their contributions.

 

Partners on the Tracker are: Azzurri Group, Big Table Group, BrewDog, Burger King UK, Byron, Cote, Dishoom, Five Guys, Gaucho Grill, Honest Burgers, Island Poke, Nando’s, Pizza Express, Pizza Hut UK, Prezzo, Rosa’s Thai, TGI Fridays UK, The Restaurant Group, Tortilla, Wagamama and YO! Sushi. Anyone interested in joining the Tracker should contact Karen Bantoft at karen.bantoft@cgastrategy.com.

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