The gastronomy offers in retail, from the take-away counter to the restaurant integrated in the shop, are being visited much more frequently again after the corona-related dip in demand. According to a study published on Wednesday by the Cologne retail research institute EHI, retailers are expecting total sales of almost nine billion euros for retail catering this year. This means an increase of around 17 percent compared to the previous year, but is still around 10 percent below the pre-pandemic level of 2019.
“After two difficult years, retail gastronomy in Germany is on the upswing again", said the head of the retail catering research department at the EHI, Olaf Hohmann. Many catering managers in retail have mastered the pandemic situation relatively well with concept adjustments and new ideas.
Above all, the offers of take-away meals have clearly gained in importance. This is reflected in the average receipt. According to the study, it is currently only 4.92 euros for purchases in retail catering. The industry is currently particularly worried about rising energy and raw material prices. (dpa)