Restaurant groups’ at-home sales climb 4.5% year-on-year in April  – London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com

CGA by NIQ’s latest Hospitality at Home Tracker reveals Britain’s top managed restaurant groups achieved year-on-year growth of 4.5% in delivery and takeaway sales in April 2024.

The strong like-for-like trading is nearly double the country’s 2.3% rate of inflation in the year to April, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index. It is also the 11th consecutive month of year-on-year growth in the Tracker, and its highest figure of 2024 so far.

The rate is also well above the separate CGA RSM Hospitality Business Tracker, which records sales across all channels for a different cohort of managed restaurant, pub and bar groups. This Tracker reported a year-on-year drop in sales of 1.7% in April.

Continuing a long-term trend, deliveries increased their share of restaurants’ at-home sales at the expense of takeaways and click and collect orders in April, the Hospitality at Home Tracker shows. Deliveries saw like-for-like growth of 8.9% last month, while the value of takeaway and click-and-collect orders dropped by 2.5%. Deliveries attracted 57.9% of all at-home orders by volume in April.

Karl Chessell, CGA’s director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA, said, “After a modest first quarter for deliveries and takeaways, April’s above-inflation growth is a welcome boost for restaurant operators.

£It also contrasts with a tougher month for eat-in trading and may reflect the impact of April’s wet weather, which led some people to stay at home rather than go out.

“Across the board, consumers’ confidence clearly remains cautious, but relief of inflation and some household bills should help to unlock more spending with restaurants as we move into the key summer months.”