Catering equipment market worth £609m

The UK's catering equipment market grew by nearly 4% in 2004 and is now worth £609m.

A weak start was cancelled-out by a stronger trading period later in the year, and best performing sectors were cooking and refrigeration equipment.

Other popular equipment were energy efficient products, compact cooking equipment for small catering outlets, coffee machines, chiller compartments and drinks making equipment used in high-street cafés and coffee shops.

Despite this growth, stiff price increases for raw materials pushed up production costs and some sectors were held back by buyers restructuring their companies and postponing new investments.

The Research and Markets' report covered cooking equipment, food-handling equipment, food-preparation equipment, refrigeration equipment and other equipment.

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