Food-to-Go Summit shows sector is thriving in Ireland

Irish people have taken strongly to the new era of food-to-go, which 72% are purchasing regularly

We have seen it in almost every new and revamped store visited in recent years, but the pivot towards food-to-go in Ireland's convenience sector is stronger than ever, according to new research by Kepak.

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Brand Central

Read More: Food-to-Go Summit Kepak

There was a time in Ireland’s convenience stores and forecourts that customer choice would amount to a breakfast roll or a ham-salad sandwich, but recent years have seen massive changes in the offering, and in some cases massive changes in how the stores do business. Fresh, high-quality food-to-go is a cornerstone of convenience now, and new research from Kepak has confirmed that the market is thriving. 99% of adults in Ireland have purchased food and drinks to-go, while 72% of adults do so regularly.

The demand is considerably higher than in the UK, where 60% of adults regularly purchase food and drinks on-the-go.

Some other findings from Kepak’s report, conducted by Coyne and co-funded by Bord Bia, also show that 54% of people who make such purchases believe food-to-go helps them to lead ‘fuller lives’ and have more ‘engaging experiences’, with a further 19% buying for ‘health and wellbeing’ purposes.

According to the research, a total of 62% consider hot, on-the-go beverages an indulgence, while 27% admit they need them to ‘survive’ as they lead their busy lives.

The new statistics were published ahead of Kepak’s Food-to-Go Summit, which takes place in Dublin this week, examining the future of the growing and evoplving segment among convenience stores, supermarkets and forecourt stores.

The total size of the Food-To-Go segment (Island of Ireland) in 2018 was €458 million in terms of consumer spending. The 2019-2022 forecasted growth for consumer spending is expected to be 5.2%.

Blathnaid Ni Fhatharta, marketing director for foodservice and corporate communications at Kepak, said the research reveals Ireland to be one of the leading markets in Europe in this area.

Read More: Food-to-Go Summit Kepak

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