Madrid, Nov 3 (EFE) Amid the worst recession in decades, Spaniards are cooking much more at home instead of frequently going out to restaurants, according to a new study.
The head of business development for the consulting firm TNS Worldpanel, Stephane Roger, Monday presented figures for the consumption sector so far in 2009, noting that the average value of purchases year to date had declined by 1.6 percent from its level in 2008.
In general, the population increase, the reduction in consumption outside the home and the larger number of visits to stores caused the largest consumption sector – food – to increase by 2.5 percent in volume.
Among the products that saw a spectacular rise in sales were pizza ingredients, breakfast cereals, hot chocolate mixes or cooking cream, along with cleaning products.
At the other end of the spectrum is the textile sector, since people can generally do without – or put off – new clothing purchases, Roger said.
The crisis is also to blame for the fact that consumers have become more fickle. The percentage of households that visit more than five foodstore chains each year increased from 39 percent to 43 percent in a year.
In a new phase of growth for 2010, TNS Worldpanel is focusing more on older people, single people, couples without children and immigrants, who are gaining clout in the market and have different needs.
