Delivery sales in February rose 4.7% from the same month in 2025, well above Britain’s current rate of inflation, according to the latest NIQ Hospitality at Home Tracker, powered by CGA intelligence.
February’s total delivery sales - including at restaurants opened in the last 12 months, or ones where deliveries have been introduced for the first time - were 11.8% ahead of the same month last year.
The rise follows a 7.4% increase in January.
February’s sales were boosted by wet weather that kept people at home in many parts of the country, and by hesitant consumer confidence that may have led some to reduce their spending on eating out, according to NIQ.
It says that restaurant groups have accelerated growth by extending their delivery offers and partnerships with third party platforms.
The convenience of deliveries and the rollout of new operations have impacted takeaways, where sales have dropped sharply in recent years.
Restaurants’ revenue from takeaways and click-and-collect orders fell by 11.1% on a like-for-like basis in February - an eleventh negative month in a row.
Takeaways generated only 4.9% of spending with restaurants during the month, while deliveries attracted 13.1%.
The NIQ Hospitality at Home Tracker shows the twin trends of growth in deliveries and downward movement in takeaways kept restaurants’ organic at-home sales virtually flat in February, rising just 0.1% on a like-for-like basis.
However, the speed of delivery rollouts raised total at-home growth to 10.%.
“At a time when restaurants’ sales and profitability are under major pressure, February’s double-digit growth in at-home sales is a positive sign,” says Karl Chessell, director - hospitality operators and food, EMEA at NIQ.
“However, much of the extra revenue for some operators have come at the expense of takeaways and eat-in trading, or from newly-launched delivery operations.
“Consumers’ spending remains tight, and their confidence will be sapped further by any inflation that arises from the conflict in the Middle East.”
Chessell adds that trading conditions in all restaurants’ channels are likely to remain very challenging for some time to come.
The NIQ Hospitality at Home Tracker uses data from partners including Azzurri Group, Big Table Group, Bills, Bleecker St Burger, Byron, Coco di Mama, Cote, Dishoom, Five Guys, Gaucho Grill, and Honest Burgers.