News and Trends

 

Following several consecutive quarters of post-COVID recovery, 2024 saw a steady slowdown in the growth of the global out-of-home (OOH) snacks and non-alcoholic drinks market. Value growth of 17% in Q4 of 2023 steadily declined to 4% in Q4 of 2024, compared with a much shallower drop from 7% to 5% for products purchased to consume in-home, which can be attributed to an ease in price inflation. This trend is putting pressure on the overall global snacks and beverages market, with total value growth decelerating from 10% to 4% over the year. The slowdown is particularly evident in the UK, Spain, and Portugal. In fact, in-home is winning over OOH in all markets measured by Kantar except France, Mexico, China and Thailand. As a result, the OOH share of total spend on snacks and beverages remains stuck at 36% – dropping slightly from 36.2% one year ago – resulting in a slight rebound from 63.8% to 64% for in-home purchases. This is the first time in 14 quarters (since summer 2021) that OOH ...

  Asda is ramping up its push into the convenience sector, with the launch of 25 new c-stores across the country this year. The supermarket giant said it plans to open the new tranche of c-stores between June and December, in accordance with its aims to reach more consumers in town and city centres,  reported  The Telegraph. The new stores are set to include former Co-op locations, after Asda acquired 478 convenience sites from Co-op and EG Group over the past two years. The renewed expansion drive comes as the grocer  slowed the pace of its convenience store   openings last year. A dozen new stores opened in 2024, down from an original forecast of 30, and significantly below the 81 stores opened in 2023. In recent years the supermarket chain has struggled with its market share, dropping from 14.8% in 2021 to 10.4% last month. According to figures from Kantar, for the 12 weeks to 23 March, German discounter Aldi  surpassed  Asda for the first time, wit...

 Source: https://www.grocerygazette.co.uk/2025/04/17/ms-17-new-stores-london-90m/ Marks and Spencer (M&S) has revealed it is to open a fleet of new foodhalls across London as part of a £90m investment. The  high street retailer  has announced it will launch six new food halls in Clapham, Covent Garden, Fulham Broadway, Putney, New Malden and Leytonstone, while a further eleven stores are being renewed across London, including a full refresh of the Pantheon on Oxford Street. The proposed plans include seven existing foodhalls in Brooklands, Islington, Brent Cross, Whetstone, Wimbledon, Chiswick, Clapham South. The new foodhalls and extensions are set to add over 70,000 sqft to the retailer’s London stores, with the locations to include features such as a new revamped produce section with a wider selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, doubling the size of the ambient and frozen sections and a larger bakery. M&S said the investment, which is due to add an add...

  Source: foodfuturesinsights.com Ahead of our food-to-go safari in London later this month on March 20, we look at how the city's food-to-go landscape is changing and what could be next. 1.        Healthier and veg led concepts playing a bigger role   Farmer J. Salad Project. atis. Three food-to-go operators with a growing footprint on the streets of London. Farmer J currently has 14 locations (including Farringdon, opening 5 March), The Salad Project is now up to seven locations, while atis has eight, with its ninth opening in Covent Garden on 14 March. We see a common thread between them in terms of their healthier, vegetable led positioning. It’s easy, in particular with atis and The Salad Project, to see them just as salad bars, but actually they’re doing a lot more than that, with bowls, plates and even stews playing a role in their propositions, helping to meet more customers' missions, more often. Farmer J has a different focus, based...