MAGAZINE
As much I hate to swim against the tide of recent, er, years, a few reasons for actual old-fashioned optimism appear to have emerged recently. On the bigger picture front, I am typing this as the government has just reported the highest surplus for any month since records began back in 1993 – some £30.4bn for January… though I’m sure many of you are acutely aware that this came directly as a result of an increase in revenues received from the likes of National Insurance and income tax.
Closer to home, our friends at the quarterly Contract Catering Tracker – which is produced by NIQ, powered by CGA intelligence and supported by Bidfood and UKHospitality – have kindly given us a sneak peak at their latest work. And the good news is that sales were up by exactly 9% for the fourth quarter of last year, when compared to the same period in 2024.
This extends an incredible run for contract caterers, with the figure being above 8% across every quarter of 2025. Groups’ moving annual total growth for the year, meanwhile, stood at 8.4% – which is more than double the UK’s rate of inflation.
Allen Simpson, chief executive of UKHospitality, commented: “Contract caterers continue to deliver excellent growth, across both sales and outlets served. In the face of acute cost challenges, this consistent performance demonstrates the sector’s resilience and its significant contribution to the economy.”
There will certainly be plenty to celebrate at our 14th annual Contract Catering Awards, which fall too close for comfort to be reported on in this issue. We will, of course, bring you all the winners and news next month…
