RESEARCH DETAILS
Allegra Strategies is a London-based management consultancy that pre- dicted trends in the UK branded coffee shop and foodservice market. Eating Out in the UK is an annual independent study carried out for mem- bers of Allegra’s Food Strategy Forum. Researchers conducted over 2,000 interviews with consumers and 180 interviews with UK foodservice senior executives during April – June 2011. Allegra Strategies also has an online
portal offering competitive intelligence for the UK branded restaurant sector. Details:
www.restaurantbrandportal.com
Although the prevailing economic cli- mate is impacting disposable income and squeezing household budgets, with increasing infl ation and rising fuel costs, the eating out market is experi- encing continued steady growth. Eating out is an important part of UK con- sumers’ everyday lives. The increasing visit frequency shows that regardless of the impact on spend, people are determined to continue to enjoy them- selves when they can.
OUT TO LUNCH With lunchtime occasions driving this growth, it is unsurprising that coffee shops are benefi ting the most, with the highest visiting frequencies of 31 per cent at least once a week in 2011, compared with 23 per cent in 2010. There is a signifi cant opportunity for operators to harness the increas- ing lunchtime frequency with express delivery formats. Operators such as Café Rouge, with its Express format and Pizza Express launching Express Lunch, are targeting this growth area. Reduced consumer spend is further underpinned by entrenched discount- ing behaviour. In 2011, one in two consumers regularly used discount vouchers when eating out compared with one in three last year. The chal- lenge is that loyalty is now attached to the discount rather than the brand, while revenues benefi t, the bottom line may be weakened. More engagement from operators with the evermore sophisticated UK consumer is essen- tial to strengthen loyalty and persuade new customers to move away from their regular discount voucher use.
ISSUE 4 2011 © cybertrek 2011
The express lunch market is growing in popularity, with more and more operators launching offers for this market
Operators successfully showing
growth without reliance on vouchering include Jamie’s Italian. Admired by consumers for its authentic atmos- phere, high quality food and value for money. Nando’s has also managed to show strong performance without the reliance on discount vouchers by focusing on consumer loyalty. However, there is still concern in the industry relating to future trad- ing conditions and rightly so, as key economic indicators show no signs of signifi cant improvement until at least 2013. While growth in the mar- ket will continue to be steady in the
next 12 months, economic indica- tors predict reduced infl ation together with increased average earnings and a return to increased disposable house- hold incomes. A positive future is anticipated with a return to pre-reces- sionary growth of 5 per cent predicted for 2013 and consumers increasing their propensity to eat out. Previous experience continues to be the main driver of venue choice for consumers. However, the time of day greatly infl uences venue choice. At lunch, consumers are looking for convenience and quality, while in the evening food quality and atmosphere are more important.
HEALTHY OPTIONS The research shows that consum- ers are looking for greater availability
Read Leisure Management online
leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 61
PHOTO:
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/STEFANOLUNARDI
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