This year, a large group chooses to spend their holidays at home. This time, not a lockdown, but rising inflation is why many consumers aren’t eating out. And the sellers of luxury products such as roulades and game benefit from it.
“Life has become significantly more expensive and as consumers now have less to spend, many people will choose to throw a party at home. With luxury items on the menu, such as roulades or venison,” says Norman Buysse of research agency GfK .
General manager Marcel Huizing of the Dirk van den Broek supermarket chain recognizes that image. “It’s twofold: the restaurant industry is full and large groups of people will eat a lot at home and hopefully be cheaper on balance. It’s not for nothing that gourmets are popular. That’s not going to change anytime soon.”
Again this year we stock up on food and drink in supermarkets and fresh specialty shops to spend the holidays at home. Spending in the last two weeks is therefore much higher than in the rest of the year, according to GfK data.
We also know where to find specialized shops
Consumers spend almost seven times more on game at the supermarket than in a normal week. The expense for candles and canned meat like ragu is double. Toasts, filled snacks, bread products, frozen pastries, baked breads, and hussar and salmon salads are also popular.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, supermarkets spend about 25 percent more than in a normal week, but in specialized stores the difference is no less than 52 percent. So we also know how to find your way to the specialty shops.
“Consumer behavior different than last year”
Most of it is spent on confectionary specialities, such as banquet bars, apples and oliebollen. Followed at a distance – with, for example, currants or fruit – stuffed bread. Meat and fish products such as hamburgers, schnitzel and sausages, and sausage rolls are also popular.
GfK researcher Buysse points out that consumer behavior is different than last year, when we faced a lockdown. “Last year there were a lot of restrictions during the holidays. Now they’re gone. Even in the restaurant business, so people are going back to eating out,” he says.
“But we also see that consumers are evaluating whether they can afford it due to the price increase. They are more likely to opt for cheaper restaurants.”
