Delivery and takeaway sales slow in December 2024
CGA by NIQ shows that after 19 months of stability, delivery sales have flattened to below inflation levels
Year-on-year growth in delivery and takeaway sales at Britain’s leading restaurant groups slowed to 1.9% in December 2024, CGA by NIQ’s latest Hospitality at Home Tracker shows.
This means that at-home sales have now risen 19 months in a row. However, the latest number is well short of November’s growth of 6.2% and marks the tracker’s lowest point since March.
For the first time in 2024, sales fell slightly below the UK’s general monthly inflation rate of 2.4%, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index.
December’s figure may reflect consumers’ shift towards going out rather than ordering in over Christmas as their spending confidence increased. They were further encouraged out of home by generally mild weather and the timing of festive holidays, which gave many consumers longer periods off work.
A breakdown of CGA’s tracker indicates 2.2% like-for-like growth in delivery sales, while takeaway and click-and-collect revenue was flatter at 1.4%. Total delivery and takeaway sales – including from sites opened in the last 12 months – rose by 10.3%.
“After 11 months of real-term growth for deliveries and takeaways, December’s slip below inflation was a disappointing end to 2024 for restaurant groups," says Karl Chessell, director of hospitality operators and food at CGA.
"But the flip side of the coin is that many consumers were confident enough to head out to celebrate rather than stay in. As more of their economic pressures ease we can be cautiously optimistic about growth in both channels in 2025, but the mounting burden of costs for hospitality groups will put pressure on margins for some time to come."
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