It extends an impressive run of growth for contract caterers, with comparisons above 8% in every quarter of 2025, though the figure was slightly down from the total of 12.2% in the third quarter.
Groups’ MAT growth - for sales over the whole of 2025 compared to 2024 - stood at 8.4%, which is more than double the UK’s rate of inflation throughout the 12 months.
The Contract Catering Tracker shows a more modest increase in the number of outlets served by Britain’s leading operators, which rose by 1.3% quarter-on-quarter. This indicates that the bulk of caterers’ sales growth in 2025 was organic rather than driven by new sites.
Debra Morrell, business development controller for business and industry at Bidfood, said: “We’re delighted to see that the sector has enjoyed a strong last quarter of 2025, sitting ahead of the wider out of home market and ahead of inflation.
“Consumer confidence remains fragile, and with the gap between wages and inflation narrowing, the pressure will continue in 2026 to deliver value for money in the face of a strong competition and promotional activity from the high street.
“Innovation, quality, value and great service have all been at the heart of the sector’s growth over the last few years, and these strengths will lend us the resilience to see us through another year of rising costs, operational challenges and regulatory change.”
The Contract Catering Tracker from NIQ, Bidfood and UKHospitality aggregates sales from leading operators to provide quarterly reports with year-on-year analysis.
It offers businesses a valuable benchmarking tool to measure performance across various metrics and market groupings, and participants in the Tracker receive additional analysis in return for their contributions.