Britain’s leading contract caterers have started 2026 with inflation-beating sales growth, the latest Contract Catering Tracker reveals. 

The Tracker, which is produced by NIQ, powered by CGA intelligence, and supported by Bidfood and UKHospitality, shows sales from January to March were 10.5% ahead of the same period in 2025—more than three times the country’s rate of inflation during that period.  

It continues momentum from a very strong 2025, in which contract caterers achieved year-growth above 8% in all four quarters. Leading groups have now increased sales year-on-year in every quarter since mid-2021, when venues were reopening after COVID-19 restrictions. Groups’ MAT growth—for sales over the last 12 months compared to the prior 12 months—now stands at 10.7%.  

The Contract Catering Tracker shows first-quarter growth was partly driven by a 4.0% increase in the number of outlets served by Britain’s leading operators between March 2025 and March 2026. However, the majority of the increase was organic, with sales rising sharply at many of contract caterers’ sites in the private and public sectors. 

The Contract Catering Tracker from NIQ, Bidfood and UKHospitality aggregates sales from leading operators to provide quarterly reports with year-on-year analysis. It offers businesses a valuable benchmarking tool to measure performance across various metrics and market groupings, and participants in the Tracker receive additional analysis in return for their contributions.  

Karl Chessell, director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA at NIQ, said:

“Contract catering has been a hugely impressive success story in recent years, and 16 straight quarters of year-on-year growth in a tough trading environment is a phenomenal achievement. It’s not just fractional increases but sustained above-inflation growth that reflects the quality of catering groups. High costs and fragile confidence are going to impact all businesses in the out-of-home eating and drinking sector for the foreseeable future, but demand for caterers’ services is likely to remain high.”

Debra Morrell, business development controller for B&I at Bidfood, said:

“It’s really encouraging to see the contract catering sector carry such strong momentum into 2026. Growth is coming not just from more outlets, but from genuinely stronger day‑to‑day demand across both private and public sector workplaces. As employers place greater focus on employee experience, wellbeing and value, contract caterers are stepping up with flexible, high‑quality food and service offer that give people a reason to be in the workplace. While cost pressures, labour challenges and cautious confidence haven’t gone away, the sector continues to adapt and innovate – and that resilience is helping it outperform inflation and the wider out‑of‑home market”

Allen Simpson, chief executive of UKHospitality, said:

“The sales growth contract caterers continue to deliver is remarkable, particularly staying ahead of the rate of inflation. It reinforces the importance of the contract catering sector to hospitality, especially at a time when all businesses, caterers included, continue to grapple with increasing costs and regulatory challenges.”

NIQ’s partners on the Contract Catering Tracker include: ABM Catering, Bartlett Mitchell, BaxterStorey, Blue Apple, CH&CO, Compass UK, Elior UK, Harrison Catering Services, Olive Catering and Sodexo UK.