It was the Tracker’s highest growth of the year, following increases of 7%, 10% and 7% in the first three quarters. Caterers have now increased sales year-on-year in every quarter since mid-2021, when venues were reopening after Covid-19 restrictions.
Debra Morrell, business development controller for B&I at Bidfood, said: “It’s great news to see that after a subdued last quarter’s growth at 6.8% revenue for Q3 2024 vs Q3 2023, we’ve seen greater buoyancy in the market in the latest quarter which has climbed back up to 11.6% vs a year ago.
“It’s refreshing to see a positive shift with the sector bucking the previous trend of slowing growth we’ve been seeing for some time. This seems to have been driven by the private sector, reflecting a return to offices for some employees. However, there may also be other influences at play including contract renegotiations and increased levels of outsourcing.
“Of course, the disparity between public and private sector performance could also be symptomatic of additional pressure on public budgets. We’ll be closely watching the tracker in the coming months to see how increases in operational and people costs, alongside continued movement back to offices, impact revenue growth.”
CGA by NIQ’s partners on the Contract Catering Tracker include: ABM Catering, Artizian Catering Services, Bartlett Mitchell, BaxterStorey, Blue Apple, CH&CO, Compass UK, Elior UK, The Genuine Dining Co., Harrison Catering Services and Sodexo UK.