Delivery and takeaway sales 130% higher than in 2019

September’s combined delivery and takeaway sales are 130% higher than in September 2019, when businesses were trading as normal; and 35% higher than in 2020, when they were operating under Covid restrictions, according to the latest data from the CGA. 

CGA said that Britain’s leading managed restaurant and pub groups more than doubled their delivery and takeaway sales from pre-pandemic levels in September.

Deliveries and takeaways were worth 29% of total sales of all businesses contributing data to the tracker.

It also revealed September’s growth in delivery sales was more than five times higher than takeaways, reflecting the popularity of third party delivery platforms. 

 Karl Chessell, CGA’s business unit director of hospitality operators and food at EMEA, said: “Delivery and takeaway sales have dipped from the heights of lockdown, but September’s figures show they will stay a crucial part of restaurant and pub operations. 

“It’s particularly pleasing to see that at-home sales seem to be complementing rather than cannibalising eat-out spending, even as restaurants and pubs settle back towards normality. While the post-COVID balance of the two sectors won’t be clear for a while yet, there’s no reason why businesses can’t thrive in both in the future.”