News and Trends

Source: Kelly Mackenzie (Linkedin)  

   

Source: www.talkingretail.com, 9th June 2026 IGD shopper sentiment tracking reveals a clear opportunity for retailers to drive event-led sales during the 2026 World Cup, with 36% of UK adults tempted to spend more on food and groceries to celebrate the tournament. This is up from 23% ahead of the 2022 World Cup, which took place in November and December, when festive spending was also competing for share of wallet. The findings, which form part of IGD’s ongoing World Cup 2026 analysis, point to stronger engagement with event-led food and drink occasions this summer. IGD’s research highlights that spending will not be evenly distributed across the tournament, with shopper behaviour heavily influenced by on-pitch performance. Almost four in ten shoppers (39%) say they will spend more if their team performs well, up from 26% in 2022. This, IGD argues, creates a dynamic sales opportunity where demand can build rapidly as teams progress and interest intensifies. Overall engagement is also c...

Source: QSRmedia.co.uk, May 2026 Customer traffic fell by 2.3% in the first quarter. Customer traffic across the UK foodservice market fell by 2.3% in Q1 2026, marking the steepest decline since January 2024, as weaker consumer confidence, rising prices and shifting regional demand continued to pressure the sector. Data from Meaningful Vision showed fast-food traffic declined by 1.2% during the quarter, reversing the 1% growth recorded a year earlier. Casual dining and pub traffic fell even further, down 8%, following a 7% decline during 2025. The data was compiled by analysing more than 60,000 fast-food, coffee shop and casual dining outlets in the UK. Fast-food store expansion has slowed sharply, with outlet growth falling from 2.4% in Q1 2025 to 1.1% in Q1 2026. The slower pipeline has removed a key source of traffic uplift that supported market performance the previous year, compounding weaker like-for-like demand across the sector. More than half of leading fast-food chains are no...

Source: thecaterer.com, 3rd June 2026 London hotel bookings have declined for the fifth consecutive month, but bookings outside the capital rose as more Brits opted for staycations amid ongoing geopolitical tensions Hotel booking across London fell in April for the fifth consecutive month, registering declines amongst multiple metrics on a year-on-year basis according to data compiled by Hotstats and analysed by RSM UK.   RSM UK’s head of hotels Chris Tate said “uncertainty stemming from the conflict in the Middle East” alongside increased airfare costs had stymied international tourism and disincentivised Brits from travelling overseas.   Occupancy levels across London fell 1.5% year-on-year to 77.4%, while revenue per available room (revpar) slipped from £157.68 to £156.60.   Outside of London, bookings were more resilient as Brits opted to stay closer to home during Easter half-terms and bank holidays. UK hotel occupancy edged up 0.5% to 76.2% year-on-year, while revpa...

  Social media has a long history of turning sensible nutrition advice into something extreme and then promptly moving on. But fibermaxxing, the latest trend to flood TikTok feeds, might just be worth a second look. The concept is simple: dramatically increase your daily fibre intake – even going beyond the recommended 25-30g per day – by loading up on beans, lentils, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and in some cases, fibre supplements. Influencers are calling fibre “the new protein,” and for once, the hype has some nutritional science behind it. Currently, 90% of women and 97% of men in the US are not meeting their daily fibre requirements, according to Mintel, and 96% of Brits don’t eat enough fibre (National Diet and Nutrition Survey). The average modern diet is ultra-processed, low in plants and high in refined carbohydrates, and is chronically fibre-deficient as a result. At its core, fibermaxxing is a response to that gap. Consumer interest is ramping up. Research firm D...