Snacking represents more than a quarter of custom in the UK’s quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry, according to new insight from the NPD Group.
The three major snacking occasions – morning, afternoon, and late snack/drink – equated to 1.6 billion visits to QSR outlets in the year to September, making the total snacking opportunity in the UK worth £3.7 billion.
But despite the size of the market, consumers usually spend less on snacking than the average across all dayparts.
The average consumer spends £2.39 during every QSR snacking occasion – a £1.24 drop on other occasions – with the difference attributable to the smaller number of items associated with snacking occasions and the lower price per item bought.
In the UK, Londoners are slightly more inclined to snack than the rest of Britain, with 29% of all dayparts accounted for by snacking occasions. That’s 2% higher than the national average. Snacking appeals more to the 18-24 age group too; 12% of snacking traffic falls in this demographic, compared to just 10% across the QSR industry as a whole. And women are also slightly more inclined towards snacking than men, NPD revealed.
Despite the development of snacking offers by QS burger operators, the mainstay of the market is still dominated by retailers, supermarkets and coffee chains.
Cyril Lavenant, foodservice director UK for the NPD Group, claimed that the bright fortunes of the sector were in part due to improvements in personal circumstances.
Lavenant said: “Snacking was the easiest occasion to cut for consumers looking to make savings during the recession. Consumers are once again finding these small treat occasions relevant in the past couple of years as they feel better about their personal finances and about the future, and also because there are many more snacks on offer. The new range of healthier snacking items (both food and drinks) that are now on the market should boost snacking both in terms of visits and price per item.”
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