After Brexit, the UK's £100bn catering market will be the largest in Europe

UK spends the most of all EU countries on eating out

The UK leads the way in the EU with a £100bn spend – by far the biggest in the EU

In 2018, households in the European Union countries spent over €600 bn (equivalent to 3.8% of EU28 GDP) on 'catering services', i.e. restaurants, cafés, canteens, sports and entertainment venues, and the like.

The United Kingdom spent the most - €116bn euros, or almost £100 billion pounds. On its own the UK represents one-fifth of the total spent in the EU on eating out.

Another EU-beating investment opportunity for international and UK businesses

When the United Kingdom leaves the EU, the UK’s market for catering services will be one-quarter of the size of the catering market in all of the EU27 countries combined. It will be the largest single market in Europe – 37% bigger than Italy’s, 59% bigger than France’s, and 62% bigger than Germany’s.

In terms of expenditure on catering services per household, Ireland spends the most in the EU at a staggering 14.4% of total household expenditure. However its overall spend as a country is only 12% of that of the United Kingdom.

At the other end of the spectrum is Romania, with each household spending just 1.9% of their total consumption on catering services.

What are "catering services"?

Catering services are :-

Meals, snacks, drinks and refreshments provided by restaurants, cafés, buffets, bars, tea-rooms, etc, including:
In places providing recreational, cultural, sporting or entertainment services: theatres, cinemas, sports stadia, swimming pools, sports complexes, museums, art galleries, night clubs, dancing establishments, etc.
On public transport (coaches, trains, boats, aeroplanes, etc.) when priced separately
The sale of food products and beverages for immediate consumption by kiosks, street vendors and the like, including food products and beverages dispensed ready for consumption by automatic vending machines
The sale of cooked dishes by restaurants for consumption off their premises,
The sale of cooked dishes by catering contractors whether collected by the customer or delivered to the customer’s home

Observations

For years the public has been subjected to a diet of ‘little UK’ propaganda. There are many in the Remain community in the country - and amongst our young people - who seem to believe that the United Kingdom is somehow too small to survive without being run from Brussels. Fortunately they are in a minority, but as we all know Remainers are an extremely vocal minority.

For the last four years Brexit Facts4EU.Org has been trying to correct this propaganda with actual facts, which demonstrate the opposite (and positive) case. In almost all reports we have delved into the EU’s own statistics so that they cannot be countered by Remainers.

Today we have given yet another example of the UK’s position in Europe, and once again we have used the official statistics from the EU Commission.

Remainers (soon to be “Rejoiners”) will no doubt again say “Ah yes, but after Brexit the EU will still be a bigger market for catering services than the UK.” As ever, they will miss the point.

The EU is not a single country – not yet, anyway. Any foreign investor wishing to take advantage of the market in catering services in Europe will be looking at 27 hugely disparate countries in the bureaucratic EU – and at the largest market of them all in Europe, which will be the free and independent United Kingdom.

We know which one we would choose.

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[ Sources: EU Commission official statistics agency ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Tues 07 Jan 2020

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Reader Comments 6

1. Catherine, Dollar , Tuesday, January 07, 2020, 09:23:

Perhaps supermarkets will stop having sandwiches made in eastern Europe and flown in. Sometimes made with dodgy eggs from elsewhere in the EU27. And of course a lot of the staff in the restaurants, cafes come from the EU27.
If there is a squeeze on disposable income, parts of this 'catering services' sector will be among the first to feel it. So some of those jobs will go.

2. James Bertram , Tuesday, January 07, 2020, 10:35:

Off topic:
https://news.sky.com/story/...
-
In other words: Johnson signals to the EU that he is prepared to sign this appalling Surrender Treaty (aka Withdrawal Agreement) at any price. And just before Ursula's visit tomorrow.

3. tarien , Tuesday, January 07, 2020, 12:00:

A contentious issue 2 James B-have read the Sky story, however I do not subscribe to the fact that the Prime Minister and his cabinet will disolve the idea of parting from the EU without a deal-Personally I doubt that, a withdrawal deal with the EU will ever satisfy all contingencies in the mix, leading irrespective towards a No Deal-certainly the PM must treat this New European Commissioner with great circumspect on Wednesday-her reason for this visit is not to congratulate but to influence / inveigle a proposal most certainly to he /EU liking but certainly not to our liking.

4. Sydney Ashurst , Tuesday, January 07, 2020, 14:49:

Sky has always been pro EU, so a leaked letter to put a spanner in the works is not unexpected.
Depends what you read into it.
The letter from Clare Moriarty, permanent secretary at the Brexit department, states: "In the light of the successful vote at the Second Reading of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill on Friday, the Prime Minister has now confirmed the Government's intention to stand down no deal planning for 31 January 2020 with immediate effect."
The simplest one is that the PM is not planning to leave without a deal on 1st February 2020. All the planning is on file and can be resurrected should the need arise. The intention is to enter into time limited negotiations in good faith. I doubt the EU will reciprocate.

5. kzb , Tuesday, January 07, 2020, 17:30:

Despite what Boris says, the plan is to keep extending the Transition Period until it drops off the news headlines. Either that, or the "Trade Deal" will be the Single Market and Customs Union in all but name. Complete with payments to the EU budget. You watch.

6. Adam Hiley , Sunday, January 19, 2020, 22:38:

if Johnson tries to screw the British Public expect the Tories to suffer a Corbyn-esque style electoral drubbing at local Elections and the next General Election We can be finally rid of the disgusting LibLabConSNPGreens for all

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