Wed 14th Oct 2015 - Piper – room in the market for new lunch brands, Pret favourite option for Londoners Piper – room in the market for new lunch brands, Pret favourite option for Londoners: There is room in the market for new lunch-focused brands, especially those offering healthy food, according to new research. A study by private equity company Piper Private Equity, which backs Be At One and Hickory’s Smokehouse, carried out with 611 people during the lunchtime rush in Liverpool (Farringdon/London Wall) and Manchester (Spinningfields) found 86% felt they were well catered for in terms of options for buying lunch around where they work. However, one quarter agreed there is not enough choice to buy lunch around where they work, 28% of Mancunians versus 19% of Londoners. One-quarter would love a broader range of places to buy lunch while a third are bored by what’s on offer. Four in ten would like more places to buy a healthy lunch around where they work. The research also found one-third buys their lunch from on-the-go/quick service food brands three or more times a week (38% in London versus 25% in Manchester) while one-fifth buys their lunch from a supermarket. Half buy their lunch from three or more places in a typical working week (64% in London versus 41% in Manchester). 22% of Mancunians buy their lunch from one place in any given week compared to 8% of Londoners. Londoners spend more on average on lunch at £5.33 while in Manchester it is £4.93. 21% of workers in the capital spend more than £7 – nearly twice the number of Mancunians (11%) On average workers are willing to walk seven minutes to their favourite place but speed of service (87%), range of dishes/options (73%) and proximity to work (70%) are the most important factors in deciding where to buy lunch. Having good portion sizes (70%) is significantly more important that the availability of healthy or low calorie food (59%). The research also found two-thirds of workers decide where to buy lunch just before they go out and one-third while they are walking down the street. An equal number of Londoners and Mancunians (45%) think about the dish/meal/ they want and then think of where to get it. Coffee is also an important motivator to go back to a place with 23% of those who drink coffee said they are much more likely to revisit if a place has good coffee and a further 27% a little more likely. In London, Pret is the most used brand with 53% eating there at least once a week followed by Itsu (30%), EAT (29%) and Wasabi (27%). In Manchester, Greggs came out on top with 44% visiting at least once a week followed by Pret (32%). In London, Itsu (68%) and Pret (65%) are rated as having the best lunchtime offer, followed by Leon (60%) and Abokado (58%). In Manchester, Philpotts (73%) was top followed by Nando’s (67%) and EAT (62%) Pret is also most perceived as having a good healthy lunch offer (44% in London and 28% in Manchester). In London, this is followed by Itsu (20%), EAT (19%), POD (14%), Vital Ingredient (13%), Leon (8%), Wasabi (7%), Tossed (6%) and Abokado (6%). In Manchester, Pret is followed by Tesco (15%), Greggs (10%), Subway (10%), EAT (10%), Sainsbury’s (9%), Bagel Nash (9%), Waitrose (6%). M&S (5%) and Boots (5%). Londoners are also more likely to buy breakfast at an on-the-go/quick service chain (23%) compared to 13% of Mancunians, of whom 67% eat breakfast at home three or more times a week.