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The biggest rate of growth in food to go is tipped to come from convenience and other retailers

The UK food-to-go market will grow by almost £5bn over the next five years, the latest research from IGD forecasts.

The market is currently worth £18.5bn, which IGD forecasts will grow to £23.4bn by 2024.

This 26.4% growth predicted is nearly double that expected for the wider UK food and grocery retail market - forecast to grow 12.5% over the same period.

The biggest rate of growth in food to go is tipped to come from convenience and other retailers, which include Spar, Co-op, Tesco Express and Boots, followed by coffee specialists, food-to-go specialists and quick-service restaurants (QSR).

The lowest rate of growth is expected to come from supermarkets and hypermarkets.

QSR will have nearly 30.9% of food-to-go market share by 2024, worth £7.2bn, followed by food-to-go specialists at 26.9%, coffee specialists at 18.2% and c-stores and other retailers, 16.1%.

“While there continue to be good opportunities for growth in this area, the gap will continue to grow between those businesses who are actively targeting food-to-go growth and those who simply want a presence in the channel. Opportunities remain, however, for those with clearly defined and relevant strategies,” said IGD head of shopper and food-to-go-insight Rhian Thomas.