Strong turnover growth for canteens and catering

Canteens and catering are the fastest growing branch in the hotel and restaurant sector. Turnover in this branch rose by eighty percent between 1995 and 2001, while in the traditional branches in this sector hotels, restaurants, pubs and cafés, turnover increased by only forty percent in the same period. Canteens and catering realised the strongest growth in the years 1998-2001 in particular.

Turnover, hotels and restaurants vs. canteens and catering (1995=100)

Strong growth in catering companies

Growth in the canteen and catering branch is also reflected in the number of companies. In 1995 there were fewer than 1,500 caterers, (company) canteen operators and canteens. This had risen to over 2,600 by 2000. This is a significantly higher growth rate than that for the number of businesses in the traditional hotels and restaurant branche.

In 1995 canteen operators and caterers accounted for four percent of the hotel and restaurant sector (excluding holiday parks and camp sites). By 2000 this was seven percent.

Canteens increasingly contracted out

The growing canteen and catering branch, with total operating revenues of 1.8 billion euro in 2000, is good for employment. In 2000 23 thousand full-time jobs were filled in this sector. The strong growth in this branch in the second half of the nineties was partly caused by an increasing trend of contracting out the operation of company canteens to professional canteen and catering companies..

Turnover development, hotel and restaurants vs. canteens and catering

Growth slowing

In the last two years the strong growth in the canteen and catering branch has slowed down somewhat. Turnover growth declined and this decrease is larger than that for the traditional branches in the sector, the hotels, restaurants, cafés and pubs. In the third quarter of 2002, turnover growth in the canteen and catering branch was lower than that in the traditional branches for the first time in years.

Pieter Vlag