News and Trends

 

Big food is moving into functional and complete nutrition, traditional categories (beer, tea, wine) are reinventing themselves and hospitality and brands are building direct-to-consumer routes Danone moves into ‘complete nutrition’ with Huel acquisition Danone has struck a deal to acquire Huel, strengthening its position in functional nutrition and entering the fast-growing “complete food” space. A clear signal of where big FMCG is heading. Morrisons sales grow again despite tough market Morrisons reported Q1 growth, driven by price cuts and loyalty investment. Value is still doing the heavy lifting. Amazon expands rapid grocery with new dark stores Amazon has opened new sites in Battersea and Lewisham for its Amazon Now service - pushing 30-minute delivery deeper into London. Aldi UK ’s premium range hits £1.6bn (+11%) Aldi says Specially Selected sales are up 11%, with nearly 16 million households buying into the range. Discount and premium are no longer opposites - they’re coexis...

  Ireland is a long-standing global reference market for food-to-go in retail and it is one that continues to evolve. Over many years we've witnessed and showcased the extent of the food-to-go focus across retailers, whether in city centre, neighbourhood or roadside locations. And groups we take to Ireland are constantly impressed by the level of development and the focus on the category. A variety of retailers have been able to make food-to-go an intrinsic part of their proposition in a way that few in other markets have been able to achieve. Most of our articles on the Dublin market explore latest concepts and initiatives, but here we wanted to take a different approach, stripping things back to some of the core principles driving longer term success, drawn from our broader insights around how to win in food-to-go. Here are our five starting points: 1. Commit to the longer term food-to-go opportunity Consumers buy fresh food from businesses they trust. They will take time to unde...

The group plans to open a further 500 new sites in the next five years. Starbucks Coffee Company (UK) Ltd reported a profit of £30.1m for the financial year ending 28 September 2025, up from a loss of £36.2m the year before. Revenue increased 6% year-on-year (YoY), driven by a 2% uptick in customer transactions, and supported by targeted store expansion in priority locations. The company recorded an operating loss, reflecting ongoing input-cost inflation, with cost of goods sold increasing 10.1% in 2025. Wage and benefit costs also increased 7.8% in the year, which included the increase in NIC contributions, alongside one-off costs associated with the store closure programme carried out in September 2025. Meanwhile, total Starbucks Rewards sales increased by 45% vs FY2024, accounting for 42% of total UK sales in FY2025, and active membership grew by 41% in FY2025. Join QSR Media UK community Your e-mail address Starbucks EMEA Ltd, the regional entity overseeing operations across Europe...

  According to the Lumina Intelligence UK Food to Go Market Report 2026 , quality has overtaken value as the most important factor influencing purchase decisions. Consumers increasingly expect restaurant-quality ingredients, functional health benefits and the ability to personalise their order, even within convenience-led formats.   At the same time, food-to-go occasions are evolving beyond pure convenience: “winding down or relaxing” is now the fastest-growing consumer mission. What this means for the market: Quality is now a value signal Freshness, ingredient quality and provenance increasingly justify higher spend. Health and functionality are rising drivers Demand for high-protein, high-fibre and better-for-you options is growing across the channel. Experience matters more than speed Food-to-go is increasingly seen as a small moment of relaxation or indulgence. The UK Food to Go Market Report 2026 explores how operators and reta...

Co-op UK has reported an underlying operating loss and a decline in revenue in its 2025 financial year, and said chief executive Shirine Khoury-Haq will step down after four years in the role. Khoury-Haq  has spent seven years at  Co-op UK  and has  steered  the business through significant transformation, including a 95% reduction in debt and a 30% increase in profit between 2022 and 2024. She also led the company through a major cyber-attack in 2025 and was instrumental in developing a multi-year strategy to help Co-op's recovery. Khoury-Haq stated, “Following last year’s cyber attack, the organisation is now ready to deliver on an ambitious strategy of stabilisation and transformation. “This extends beyond the timeframe I had planned for my  CEO  tenure, and now is the right moment to hand over to  leadership  that can commit to seeing the strategy through.” Kate Allum Kate Allum will step in as interim chief executive after Khoury-Haq ste...