Britain’s leading contract caterers ended 2025 with near-double digit growth in sales, 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 in the fourth quarter of the year were 9.0% ahead of the same period in 2024, reflecting high demand in the run-up to Christmas.
It extends an impressive run of growth for contract caterers, with comparisons above 8% in every quarter of 2025, though the figure was slightly down from the total of 12.2% in the third quarter. Groups’ MAT growth—for sales over the whole of 2025 compared to 2024—stood at 8.4%, which is more than double the UK’s rate of inflation throughout the 12 months.
The Contract Catering Tracker shows a more modest increase in the number of outlets served by Britain’s leading operators, which rose by 1.3% quarter-on-quarter. This indicates that the bulk of caterers’ sales growth in 2025 was organic rather than driven by new sites.
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:
“In a tough trading environment, contract caterers did exceptionally well to touch double-digit growth throughout 2025. Crucially the fourth-quarter performance was driven not just by new clients or raised prices but by high volumes, which will have helped to offset some sharp increases in key costs. The figures reflect the broad appeal and high quality of Britain’s catering sector, and it can look forward to more growth in 2026.”
Debra Morrell, business development controller for B&I at Bidfood, said:
“We’re delighted to see that the sector has enjoyed a strong last quarter of 2025, sitting ahead of the wider out of home market and ahead of inflation. Consumer confidence remains fragile, and with the gap between wages and inflation narrowing, the pressure will continue in 2026 to deliver value for money in the face of a strong competition and promotional activity from the high street. Innovation, quality, value and great service have all been at the heart of the sector’s growth over the last few years, and these strengths will lend us the resilience to see us through another year of rising costs, operational challenges and regulatory change.”
Allen Simpson, chief executive of UKHospitality, said:
“Contract caterers continue to deliver excellent growth, across both sales and outlets served.
In the face of acute cost challenges, this consistent performance demonstrates the sector’s resilience and its significant contribution to the economy.”
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.
This press release includes forward-looking statements that reflect NIQ’s current expectations and projections about future market trends and consumer behavior. These statements are based on available information and reasonable assumptions but are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ. NIQ does not undertake to update these statements, except as required by law.
