The leisurely midday meal is a thing of the past. Many Germans prefer the food offered by supermarkets. Which “quick roll” is particularly popular and what we will eat tomorrow.
As a study by the Cologne-based retail research institute EHI shows, the increased prices and economic uncertainty are leading to consequences that may not be obvious at first glance: the catering options in German retail are enjoying increasing popularity.
In 2023, the commercial catering industry in Germany achieved gross sales of 11.7 billion euros. “Despite inflation, this is an extraordinary growth of 15.9 percent compared to the previous year,” said Olaf Hohmann, author of the EHI study. The forecast for the current year 2024 is even higher, with sales of 12 billion euros.
Various success factors
According to the EHI, the most important success factors last year, according to the retailers surveyed by the EHI, were friendly staff (74.2 percent), a reasonable price-performance ratio (71.0 percent) and high product quality and fresh ingredients (67.7 percent). In addition, the price increases also contributed to an increase in the average gross receipt to 6.36 euros.
According to most retailers (57.7 percent), the retail catering industry benefited from the rather difficult economic conditions and the associated trading down effect in 2023: Many consumers forwent higher-priced out-of-home catering options and consciously switched to retail catering options in order to keep costs as low as possible.
According to the study, almost two thirds of retailers run their own catering operations. One in six retailers said they would like to rent or lease parts of their space in the future. Classic and quickly available dishes dominate the hot counter: schnitzel, sandwiches, meatballs and home cooking are particularly popular with customers in the retail sector. The share of sales from meat dishes compared to vegetarian and vegan offerings is 67.9 percent.
Source: Stern
