Key takeaways from the IGD Food-to-Go Conference

IGD estimate the out of home market will be worth £17.4b in 2017, growing to £23.5b in 2022.

More than 200 participants attended the IGD Food-to-Go conference in London on November 7, where IGD's research team spoke, and participants heard presentations from a range of food-to-go operators including Benugo, Greggs, the Co-Op, M&S and Crussh.

Key takeaways from the conference included:

75% of people eat out of home at least once a week (FSA research)
'Healthy choices' will be a key driver of growth in the market, with customers showing that they are choosing healthy options for their meals, albeit sub-consciously as
'Health' is sometimes viewed as a negative by consumers, as they often relate it to denying themselves, or giving up on taste. Operators need to make the health message a more positive one by doing things such as opening up food preparation areas / kitchen areas so customers can observe their food being prepared
Beyond 'health', other trends seen in the marketplace include retail first formats moving into food-to-go, coffee specialists improving their food offering and an increased focus on alternative locations by operators
A number of the retail led presenters commented on the importance of in-store theatre in driving customers to their locations, and helping them compete with the more traditional food-to-go specialists. They also commented on partnerships being a key growth driver for them as they look to compete more aggressively in this arena
Branded products are very important in the food-to-go market as consumers view relatively few products on a shelf, with 90% of purchase decisions made immediately
Technology is being used heavily by the established food-to-go operators in order to tailor customized offerings to app users and drive alternative sales growth (eg. click and collect ordering)
Flexibility of store formats (eg.a mix of traditional stores, concessions, food trucks, pop ups) is a great way to drive growth as operators need to migrate their offer to suit the markets they serve

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