Traffic Fell In Six Of 10 Major Foodservice Markets In Third Quarter 2012

Only China and Canada recorded significant increases in restaurant visits in the third quarter of last year, according to data from the NPD Group. Six of the 10 markets in which NPD charts foodservice activity—Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain—recorded declines. Traffic was flat in the United Kingdom and U.S. Continuing economic struggles and declines in consumer confidence were factors in all the countries in which traffic fell.

In spite of some slowdown in the rapid growth of the Chinese economy and continuing inflation fears, traffic was up about 12% for the quarter, versus the quarter the previous year. With inflation pushing prices higher, spending in China also rose double digits for a remarkable combined increase of 26.1%. Canada’s stable economy helped push traffic higher. With spending gains, overall spend was up 3.4% for the quarter in Canada.

“The global consensus seems to be that things are looking too optimistic,” said Bob O’Brien, NPD’s global senior v.p.-foodservice. “Consumer confidence is weak…and the foodservice markets around the world are lackluster as a result.”

Information on NPD research products can be found at npd.com.

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