CHICAGO -- In today’s marketplace, what happens around the world reflects, and affects, what happens stateside. So it’s of little surprise that global foodservice is feeling the pain of sluggish consumer demand. Foodservice traffic is down or flat in most countries with the exception of China, according to The NPD Group.
According to NPD’s CREST, which tracks commercial foodservice usage in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States, foodservice visits declined in Australia (-1%), Canada (-1%), Japan (-3%) and Spain (-6%) and traffic remained flat in Germany, United Kingdom and the United States.
China showed the strongest visit gains, with a 15% increase. Countries also showing traffic growth, although slight, were France (+1%) and Italy (+1%). Consumer spending at foodservice was flat in Japan and Spain but increased in the remainder of the countries tracked by NPD’s CREST service.
“With so much uncertainty surrounding the local and global economy, consumer confidence remains low, and hence it is difficult to forecast any real improvement in foodservice traffic,” said Guy Fielding, managing director of NPD’s UK foodservice. “In addition, the recent riots in the UK will negatively impact the third-quarter foodservice figures as consumers refused to venture into city and town centers due to the unrest.”
While full-service foodservice concepts posted declines in most countries, quick-service restaurants (QSR) increased some growth in every country, including Japan, which continues to recover from last March’s earthquake. At-work (on-site) foodservice traffic is generally down due in most part to high unemployment. Only in France, where the economy is relatively stable, is there growth in on-site.
“The foodservice industry is truly a bellwether of the economy and, regardless of country, the consumers’ state of mind,” said Bob O’Brien, global senior vice president, foodservice at NPD. “The second-quarter foodservice measures were a direct reflection of the times.”
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