The Contract Caterer Tracker shows sales from July to September 2021 were up by 52% on the same three months in 2020- a period when many venues were under ‘substantial restrictions’.
Karl Chessell, CGA’s director - hospitality operators and food, EMEA, said: “These figures show the scale of the Covid after-shocks that contract caterers are dealing with. While it’s pleasing to see a revival in sales since last summer, this is from very low comparatives, and the 36% shortfall from 2019 is a more realistic measure of the challenges faced by contract caterers.
“Demand will build in due course, but with many people continuing to work from home or cautious about returning to crowded spaces, and supply, recruitment and cost issues mounting, the sector will be under pressure for some time to come.”
The tracker offers businesses ‘a valuable benchmarking tool’ to measure performance across various metrics and market groupings.