How Does Eating Out More Save Customers Time and Money?
Tessa Stuart
According to the Financial Times, the supermarket's "share of stomach" is shrinking,with the rise and rise of eating out affordably.
"For a lot of people now, eating out is a more economic and pleasurable way of eating than buying ingredients at a supermarket, going home and cooking and eating it." (Peter Martin, CGA Peach, who track UK eating-out trends.)
I ate at JD Wetherspoon in Edinburgh Airport recently. We had Sipsmith Gin and a very affordable battered fish and chips served quickly in a clean, quiet environment.
Wetherspoon's annual sales reached £1.3 billion in the UK last year; 45% of Waitrose shoppers have eaten at one in the past six months.
The boundaries between supermarket food retail and food service are blurring.
Tesco has bought the Giraffe chain format to put into its larger stores.
Waitrose has wine and tapas in their "grazing areas" in their new store in Swindon.
Convenience and the affordability of eating out is changing both our street and food landscapes.