Takeaway sales fall YOY but remain almost double pre-pandemic levels

Takeaway and delivery sales in the UK increased 97% in October 2022 when compared with October 2019 but are down 7% compared with last year – the 11th consecutive month of YOY decline, according to the latest data from CGA and Nielsen.
Takeaway and click-and-collect sales have grown by 55% since 2019 , 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%.

Karl Chessell, CGA 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.

“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.”