Consumers are now spending an average of £3.20 per person each time they visit their local chippie.
Fast food has done well in the recession as people trade down to the cheaper channels when eating out. The British fast food market (which includes burger chains, chicken shops, kebab shops, takeaways, chippies and pizza deliveries) is now worth £11.4bn in Britain, which is 23% of the total out-of-home eating industry.
Brands account for 50.4% of traffic and 50.6% of sales in the fast food market and they’re growing. These figures are up +1.9% and +3.3% respectively over the last year, and saw double-digit growth since 2008.
The independent outlets selling fish and chips need to offer quality and good prices if they are to beat off the fast food brands. ‘Quality of food’ has increased in importance this year, with 24.5% of fast food consumers saying this was a reason for choosing a particular place to eat (up from 22.6% last year). 28.7% of consumers cite ‘good price’ as a reason for choosing where to eat in the fast food market, up significantly from 9.7% in 2008.
Guy Fielding, director of business development for The NPD Group, said: “The independent chippies will need to fight hard to compete with the might of the big chains in terms of promotions and overall marketing activity. Our chippies need to think ‘family’ and attract adults with kids, offering real value rather than just cheap food at low prices. Yet, despite our love affair with fish and chips, survival isn’t guaranteed. Many of the chain competitors selling burgers and chicken directly over the counter are offering great family deals, something that’s not replicated in the chip shop channel. You can feed a family for £12 at a fast food chain. Can the same be said for the independent British chippie?”
There are three big motivations for eating out at fast food restaurants that can easily work in the chippie’s favour:
“If chippies can tap into the current foodservice trends within their local community – convenience, family dining, honest, quality food and value – then they have a chance of survival,” said Guy Fielding. “Playing the local card will be key.”
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