Sluggish and weak were terms used throughout 2012 to describe the state of the foodservice industry across the globe and the last quarter proved these fitting descriptors, but on the brighter side increases in average check brought spending up in many countries, reports The NPD Group, a leading global information company. Outside of China, most countries experienced traffic declines and no country posted an increase in visits greater than one percent, reports NPD’s CREST, which continually tracks commercial foodservice usage in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Foodservice visits in Australia were up one percent in the fourth quarter of 2012 while Canada, United Kingdom, and the United States finished the year with stable traffic counts. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain reported traffic declines in the quarter with Spain experiencing the steepest declines at 3 percent. Traffic increased by eight percent in China, which reported on third quarter 2012 results. Foodservice spending increased in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, United Kingdom, and United States.
posted by Tiffany Haslacker
03/15/2013
