Italians spent more. Foodstuffs. A positive fact, apparently, but there is another side to the coin. The catering crisis. In fact, while spending on services and essential goods increases, spending on consumption outside the home decreases. Thus the restaurant sector finds itself in a difficult market. gave Purchasing power Families are under pressure now, which is why many people are. Reducing costs in restaurants and bars, turning their attention to shopping for food to eat at home.
After the contraction, food costs start to rise again.
According to the data released by Istat, a September 2024 Retail sales recorded a positive cyclical change in both value and volume, 1.2 percent increase. The trend was primarily driven. FoodstuffsWhich saw an increase of 1.7% in value and 1.5% in volume. Specifically, sales of food and beverages increased by 1.3 percent in value and 0.8 percent in volume in the third quarter of 2024. Priority (a term that statistically refers to choice, not will) was markedly faster for food products than for non-food products, which showed more limited growth.
On a year-over-year basis, there is one significant difference: food sales rose 0.6% in value, but fell 0.6% in volume. The data, as noted in the organization’s commentary, show that, although Italians spend more on food, they More selective In your purchases, choose higher quality or higher priced products. A fact that is not surprising as the pressure on the shopping cart increases.
Less Out-of-Home Spending: Catering is in trouble.
On the other hand, the Catering Going through a tough time. According to an analysis of the first nine months of the year, bars, restaurants, pubs and pizzerias are showing signs of significant problems with a significant decline in the trend of delivery of drinks and food products. The figures show a 6.9% decline in volume sold in the cash-and-carry channel, balanced by a modest +2.4% for Ho.re.ca distributors. (Hotellerie-restaurant-café).
Antonio PortacioItalgrob’s president commented on the numbers: “There is concern about this. A contraction in consumption in relation to the rapid decline in the purchasing power of families”. In fact, they are unable to save and sacrifice spending outside the home. Marco Colombo, SVP of Sarcana, added: “The average expenditure and number of visits to businesses “There is a progressive contraction”. Consumer choices, influenced by inflation and rising raw material prices, force retailers to review their merchandising policies.
The restaurant industry also faces two types of inflation: that linked to raw materials and that linked to staff costs. “In the first nine months of the year, the number of visits to clubs by Italians decreased slightly,” he says Luca PellegriniI, President of TradeLab. Despite reaching an out-of-home consumption market A value of 101 billion euros in 2024 (+1.6% compared to 2023), indicating a slowdown. The positive value is maintained only thanks to the arrival of foreign tourists (with record attendance also in September), while the number of Italian tourists continues to decrease.
Finally, the data shows how fast food chains, which are expanding in emerging regions, represent an exception in an otherwise struggling market.
