Deliveries rise and takeaways stabilise as at-home sales grow

British restaurant groups achieved like-for-like sales growth of 6% in delivery and takeaway sales in September 2024, according to CGA.

The figure represents a slight strengthening from growth of 4.6% in August.

Year-on-year trading has been comfortably above the rate of inflation in every month of 2024 so far.

Restaurants’ at-home sales continue to be powered by deliveries, which finished 8.5% ahead of the levels of September 2023, they accounted for nearly 12% of restaurants’ total sales last month.

Groups were also buoyed by 0.7% growth in takeaway and click-and-collect sales, a second successive month of fractional growth after a long-term decline in trading.

However, deliveries now account for 57% of restaurants’ total at-home orders, with takeaways and click-and-collects sharing 43%.

Karl Chessell, CGA by NIQ’s director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA, said: “Growth in deliveries and takeaways has outstripped in-venue sales for most of 2024, and September’s poor weather meant many consumers continued to order in their restaurant meals rather than eat out.

“The modest revival of pick-up orders is an encouraging sign of stability, though growth here is being achieved by price rises rather than extra volumes. With spending still tight, real-terms growth in either channel will be hard earned for some time to come.”