Sales at food and drink businesses that offer delivery services grew 5.2 percent in the first two months of this year compared with the same period last year, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
However, food and drink businesses that do not provide delivery services suffered an 8 percent year-on-year fall in revenue during the same period, the ministry said.
About 53.8 percent of the nation’s food and drink businesses provide delivery services, the ministry said, citing an annual survey showing that 47.1 percent of businesses provided the service last year and 40.1 percent in 2018.
Overall, the nation’s food and beverage sector posted its slowest year-on-year growth in 17 years in the first two months, with sales growing 0.5 percent to NT$141.5 billion (US$4.68 billion) as the COVID-19 pandemic kept most people at home, the ministry said.
Food and beverage businesses that provide delivery services were downbeat about their sales for last month, with 88 percent forecasting an average 24.8 percent year-on-year decline, the survey showed.
Among businesses without delivery services, 95.3 percent forecast an average fall of 31.6 percent from a year earlier, it showed.
With more people reluctant to dine out due to the coronavirus outbreak, more are cooking at home, boosting sales at supermarkets and hypermarkets, the ministry said.
In the first two months of this year, sales at supermarkets and hypermarkets rose 15.1 percent and 10.8 percent respectively from a year earlier, it said.
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