Contract caterers post 9.3% sales growth in Q2 2026
Caterers served 7.4% more units between June 2025 and June 2026.
Britain’s top contract caterers increased their sales by 9.3% in the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest Contract Catering Tracker.
The figure extends a run of year-on-year growth reported by the Tracker in every quarter for five years.
It follows a 10.5% increase in sales during the first three months of 2026.
Groups’ MAT growth, measuring sales over the last 12 months against the previous 12 months, now stands at 10.3%.
This is more than triple the country’s rate of inflation over the period and exceeds growth recorded by other hospitality sectors, including pubs, bars, and restaurants.
The Tracker said the sector’s performance has been driven by a combination of organic sales growth and new outlets.
The number of units served by caterers increased by 7.4% between June 2025 and June 2026.
The Contract Catering Tracker from NIQ, Bidfood, and UKHospitality aggregates sales from leading operators and provides quarterly reports with year-on-year analysis.
Karl Chessell, Director of Hospitality Operators and Food, EMEA at NIQ, said the figures extended an “extremely impressive run” for the sector since it reopened after the COVID-19 crisis.
He said the performance was notable given sharp rises in food, labour, and energy costs, adding that it demonstrated demand for contract caterers’ services across the private and public sectors.
“We can be confident of more growth in both sales and outlet numbers in the second half of 2026,” Chessell added.
