Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Covered in this Report
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Eating out remains a key spending area but real incomes under pressure
- Foodservice adopts the ‘Buck Brexit’ attitude
- Operators face rising costs and shortfall of staff
- Key players
- Product innovation around health
- Ordering management systems
- Lunchbox ideas move from home to retail
- The consumer
- The majority of UK adults buy lunch out of home
- Increase in non-users suggests a cautious mind-set
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- Figure 1: Frequency of buying lunch out of home, July 2016
- An everyday lunch hits a £4 ceiling
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- Figure 2: Approximate spend on a lunch out of home on an everyday occasion, July 2016
- Leisure lunch purchasers willing to spend
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- Figure 3: Approximate spend on a lunch out of home on a leisure occasion, July 2016
- Supermarkets encroach on the specialists’ territory
- Scope for restaurants, pubs and bars to push leisure occasions
- Bakery shops and fast food outlets grab a slice of the lunch market
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- Figure 4: Venues visited for lunch out of home, July 2016
- Younger people tend to snack leisurely
- Drinks bought by a majority of lunch purchasers
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- Figure 5: Contents of a typical lunch meal, July 2016
- Consumers are eating to feel better
- Technology may entice time-poor consumers to use restaurants
- Potential for loyalty cards to drive footfall
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- Figure 6: Attitudes towards eating lunch out of home, July 2016
- Brown-bag lunch is vastly popular
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- Figure 7: Packed lunch usage, July 2016
- Having control of ingredients drives consumers to pack their own lunch
- Frugal mentality plays into consumers’ approach to packed lunches
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- Figure 8: Behaviours of packed lunch users, July 2016
- Workplace facilities create opportunities for meal kits
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- Figure 9: Facilities available at the workplace, July 2016
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Consumers are generally time-poor and need nutritious solutions
- The facts
- The implications
- Snacks and drinks could capture lunchtime diners
- The facts
- The implications
- Frugal mentality likely to see packed lunch usage gain momentum
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Eating out remains a key spending area
- Targeting Britain’s ageing population
- Foodservice adopts the ‘Buck Brexit’ attitude
- Rising costs and shortfall of staff head concerns for operators
Market Drivers
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- Eating out remains a key discretionary spending area
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- Figure 10: Selected consumer spending priorities (after bills), November 2009-August 2016
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- Figure 11: Packed lunch usage, July 2016
- Core user group set for stunted growth
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- Figure 12: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2011-21
- Targeting Britain’s ageing population
- Improvements in the workforce
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- Figure 13: Employment and unemployment trends, 2011-16 and 2016-21
- Rising costs and shortfall of staff head concerns for operators
- Further rises in National Living Wage pose a challenge
- Risk of shortfall of staff
- Foodservice adopts the ‘Buck Brexit’ attitude
- Brands ramp up expansion plans
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Ordering management systems drive spend
- Healthier grab-and-go options bolster sales
- Lunchbox ideas move from home to retail
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Electronic payment technology takes off
- Greggs says healthier options bolstered sales
- Pinterest inspires consumers to pack lunch…
- …and lunch ideas move from home to retail
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- Figure 14: Examples of BOL Salad Jar products in the UK, 2016
Market Segmentation
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- Expansion
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- Figure 15: Selected lunch foodservice brands, by number of outlets, 2012-16
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- The majority of UK adults buy lunch out of home
- Increase in non-users suggests a cautious mind-set
- Approximate spend on a lunch out of home
- Supermarkets encroach on the specialists’ territory
- Younger people tend to snack leisurely
- Consumers are eating to feel better
- Brown-bag lunch is vastly popular
- Meal kit opportunities
Frequency of Buying Lunch Out of Home
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- Nearly three in four Brits buy lunch out of home
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- Figure 16: Frequency of buying lunch out of home, July 2016
- One in five are heavy users of lunch for leisure occasions
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- Figure 17: Frequency of buying lunch out of home, 2015 and 2016
- Increase in non-users suggests a cautious mind-set
- A noticeable amount of non-users among working adults
- A significant group of 35-44s buy lunch out of home
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- Figure 18: Any buyers of lunch out of home, by age, July 2016
Approximate Spend on a Lunch Out of Home
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- Average spend peaks at nearly £4 for an everyday lunch…
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- Figure 19: Approximate spend on a lunch out of home on an everyday occasion, July 2016
- …rises to £12.49 for lunch on a leisure occasion
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- Figure 20: Approximate spend on a lunch out of home on a leisure occasion, July 2016
Venues Visited for Lunch Out of Home
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- Supermarkets attract three in five users to buy everyday lunches
- Consumers are going to restaurants, pubs and bars for leisurely lunches
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- Figure 21: Venues visited for lunch out of home, July 2016
- Scope for bakery shops, fast food outlets to grab a slice of the lunch market
Contents of a Typical Lunch Meal
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- Drinks bought by a majority of lunch purchasers
- A third of everyday users bought drinks from fast food outlets
- Strong interest in buying drinks from restaurant/pub/bar for a leisure occasion
- Snacking occasions offer growth potential for out-of-home lunch operators
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- Figure 22: Contents of a typical lunch meal, July 2016
- Snacks lead six in ten to be heavy everyday users of supermarkets
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- Figure 23: Venues visited for lunch out of home for an everyday occasion, by contents of a typical lunch meal, July 2016
- Room to encourage buying main course meals from café/coffee shops for a leisure occasion
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- Figure 24: Venues visited for lunch out of home for a leisure occasion, by contents of a typical lunch meal, July 2016
Attitudes towards Eating Lunch Out of Home
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- A proper lunchtime break is important to two-thirds of lunch purchasers
- The flexibility to customise a dish to one’s taste is appealing
- “Having a healthy lunch makes me feel better during the afternoon”
- Loyalty cards have big influence on venue choice
- Voting on new lunch options appeals to a fifth of lunch purchasers
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- Figure 25: Attitudes towards eating lunch out of home, July 2016
Packed Lunch Usage
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- Half of Brits eat packed lunch
- Three in four non-lunch purchasers could be skipping lunch altogether
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- Figure 26: Packed lunch usage, by those not buying lunch out of home, July 2016
Behaviours of Packed Lunch Users
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- Wanting control of ingredients is the biggest motivation to pack a lunch
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- Figure 27: Behaviours of packed lunch users, July 2016
- Frugal mentality comes in a close second
Facilities Available at the Workplace
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- Workplace facilities rival out-of-home lunch options…
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- Figure 28: Facilities available at the workplace, July 2016
- …but creates an opportunity for meal kits
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- Figure 29: Examples of meal kit and ready-to-eat products in the UK, 2016
Appendix – Data Sources and Supporting Information
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- Consumer research methodology
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