Delivery and takeaway sales grew 6% in August across the UK’s top restaurant groups, marking a third sucessive month of year-on-year growth.
According to CGA by NIQ’s Hospitality at Home Tracker, delivery sales for the month showed a 9% rise in value, a much faster rate of growth than 1% of growth in takeaways and click-and-collect sales.
However, the combined volume of orders dropped 2% month-on-month, though this rate of decline has slowed recently.
The period of sales growth follows 18 months of negative year-on-year trading as consumers returned to the eating out market after Covid lockdowns.
Although deliveries and takeaways are now a much smaller part of restaurants’ trading mix than during Covid.
Data shows combined sales accounted for 13% of groups’ total sales in August, a drop from 22% in August 2022.
Karl Chessell, CGA’s business unit director - hospitality operators and food, EMEA, noted that felivery and takeaway sales were “vital in sustaining restaurant’s trading through lockdowns”, despite falling substantially from the boom years of 2020 and 2021.
”But it’s encouraging to see them back in year-on-year growth now, and they are certain to remain a significant element of restaurants’ operations.
”It will be important to optimise delivery logistics and third-party partnerships for consumers who have become accustomed to ordering in, while continuing to provide compelling reasons for others to eat out,” he added.
