Restaurant visits in Q3 stable in US and UK, improve in Canada and China, decline in Australia and Europe, NPD Group says

Nevin Barich

CHICAGO , December 19, 2012 (press release) – The state of the global restaurant industry in this year’s third calendar quarter was a reflection of each geography’s economy, according to recent foodservice market research from The NPD Group, a leading global information company. In the quarter, China’s double-digit gains in foodservice visits were a reflection of its robust economy, and Canada’s one percent traffic increase was realized by a stable economy. Continuing economic struggles and negative consumer confidence in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain contributed to each respective area’s traffic declines in the third quarter (July, August, and September) of 2012.

Foodservice spending increased in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, United Kingdom, and the United States , stayed flat in Japan and France, and declined in Italy and Spain, reports NPD’s CREST®, which tracks commercial foodservice usage in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States.

“Although stable, the Japan restaurant industry isn’t experiencing the growth it realized after the Great Eastern Earthquake in March 2011,” said Kimiharu Satoh, director, NPD Japan Foodservice. “At that time, Japanese consumers were making efforts to consume goods and services to support the economy, but after a while this effort has faded away and as a result Japan experienced negative economic growth for the first time in five quarters.”

A bright spot in the third quarter, in terms of traffic gains, is the quick service restaurant (QSR) segment, which is the largest foodservice segment in all countries except Japan, tracked by NPD. The QSR segment increased its share of total industry traffic in China, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States. Another positive is the growth of morning meal visits in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, and United Kingdom, and lunch traffic in China, France, and Japan.

“The global consensus seems to be that things aren’t looking too optimistic,” says Bob O’Brien, global senior vice president foodservice. “Consumer confidence is weak and whether it’s concern for inflation in China, fatigue from propping the economy up in Japan or continued high unemployment in Spain, consumers aren’t exhibiting a great deal of optimism, and the foodservice markets around the world are lackluster as a result.”

“Although stable, the Japan restaurant industry isn’t experiencing the growth it realized after the Great Eastern Earthquake in March 2011,” said Kimiharu Satoh, director, NPD Japan Foodservice. “At that time, Japanese consumers were making efforts to consume goods and services to support the economy, but after a while this effort has faded away and as a result Japan experienced negative economic growth for the first time in five quarters.”

A bright spot in the third quarter, in terms of traffic gains, is the quick service restaurant (QSR) segment, which is the largest foodservice segment in all countries except Japan, tracked by NPD. The QSR segment increased its share of total industry traffic in China, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States. Another positive is the growth of morning meal visits in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, and United Kingdom, and lunch traffic in China, France, and Japan.

“The global consensus seems to be that things aren’t looking too optimistic,” says Bob O’Brien, global senior vice president foodservice. “Consumer confidence is weak and whether it’s concern for inflation in China, fatigue from propping the economy up in Japan or continued high unemployment in Spain, consumers aren’t exhibiting a great deal of optimism, and the foodservice markets around the world are lackluster as a result.”

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