Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Foodservice sector impact - 04 August 2021

Globaldata's report on the impact of COVID-19 in the foodservice sector includes detailed coverage of the foodservice sector analysis, COVID-19 impact, and sector insight summaries.

COVID-19 has spread to over 198 countries with a total of more than 194 million confirmed cases and over 4 million deaths. The number of confirmed cases in the US is over 34 million, with cases again rising after a sustained period of decline. As in many other countries, most new cases are of the Delta variant, with hospitalizations also on the rise (97% of those admitted are unvaccinated). Total COVID-19 vaccine doses administered have now surpassed the total number of confirmed cases, with a total of over 2.9 billion single vaccine doses administered. China leads in the total number of vaccinations, while Canada leads amongst top economies in the percentage of the population that has received at least one dose of the vaccine.

A concrete summary of the impact of COVID-19:

• Hiring prospects appear to have been gradually improving since April 2021
• Nearly 45% of employees report an increase in productivity during WFH
• Most offices will return to at least 50% capacity in the next six months
• 3 in 10 employees prefer to visit their office daily after the pandemic
• Technology will continue to change the way we work over the next three years
• Artificial intelligence is driving change in working practices
• Most respondents continue to work from home full-time

View sector insight:

• The ease of COVID-19 restrictions will benefit the industry significantly, though consumers will remain cautious of both social interaction and their spending in the future. Behavioral changes including scratch cooking and working from home will likely have a long-term impact on the restaurant industry

• Coffee and Tea Shops will return to growth in 2021, though the channel is not anticipated to regain its 2019 value until 2024. Consumers who work from home have grown accustomed to consuming breakfast and having coffee and tea breaks within the home, while price-consciousness will continue to impact the channel in future

• Scratch-cooking trends, price consciousness, and restrictions on in-house dining will continue to impact full-service restaurants in the future. The channel is anticipated to see healthy growth this year after a significant decline in 2020, though the recuperation of its 2019 value will be slow

Download our free report for more detailed insights on the impact of COVID-19 in the Foodservice sector.