Catering wholesaler Sligro reported that consumers had been visiting restaurants and cafés less often, with the decline stronger during the summer months and greater in Belgium than in the Netherlands. The company attributed the trend to goods-price inflation, higher interest rates and high energy prices.

Third-quarter sales fell by €4 million, or 0.8%, from a year earlier to €660 million. Sligro said it was not satisfied with the result but accepted the effects of the market conditions.