News and Trends

Source: Tom Ellis, Linkedin   If 2025 was the year GLP-1s grabbed the headlines, 2026 is the year they go mass market. The Economist has already flagged "Ozempic, but better" as a top 10 trend for the year. At Brand Genetics we believe 2026 is the tipping point where this evolves from a Western luxury into a global commodity. Here are five reasons why 2026 changes the rules of the game: 1. The Friction is Vanishing Barriers to entry are collapsing. We are moving from needles to pills, shifting GLP-1 from a "medical procedure" to a "daily vitamin". Crucially, patents are expiring in key markets like Brazil, China and India. With generics set to slash prices by up to 80%, access will democratise overnight 2. The "Godzilla" Effect The next generation of drugs are terrifyingly effective: Eli Lilly’s so called "Godzilla" drug (retatrutide) is showing ~24% weight loss in trials. But the real shift is quality: new treatments are designed t...

Source: https://www.mayinsight.co.uk/post/grocery-insights-2026   As things ramp up again, here are 10 grocery insights already shaping 2026, the shifts that are gaining momentum now and will matter most over the next 12 months and beyond. 1. Retailers are reshaping the definition of value 💷 Inflation pressure has eased, but household costs remain elevated, keeping value a priority even as confidence improves. Retailers now embed value through own label tiers, loyalty pricing and deal mechanics, not just shelf price. Brands must fit the retailer’s value architecture or risk looking poor value, even when competitively priced. 2. Aldi & Lidl set the grocery benchmark 🛒 Aldi and Lidl are no longer secondary shops. They are now main-shop credible retailers for a large majority of UK households. Their scale puts real pressure on traditional big four supermarkets, not just on price but on quality, range and execution. Store expansion and rising shopping frequency mean Aldi ...

Introducing our new Nutrient Dense range which launches in stores today. Every product packs a nutrient punch! A collection of nutrient-rich meals, snacks, bread and drinks all designed from a range of ingredients chosen for being rich in nutrients per calorie. Developed with the British Nutrition Foundation, each product is packed with fibre, vitamins and minerals and holds our Eat Well seal of approval. Not only that, but they are also free of white refined carbohydrates, if we used oil, we chose olive oil, plus the ingredient lists are only ingredients you would find in your kitchen cupboard. The products are ideal for those following the ‘fibremaxxing’ trend, people eating for optimum wellness, plus offer support for the 3-4% of the UK who are currently on GLP-1 weight-loss injections, and may find it harder to achieve their daily nutrient requirements. Launching with the range is the H5O shot. This little powerhouse of goodness is made with coconut water – a source of natural e...

Source: Ella Jackson A quick wander down the aisles in Sainsburys this week and one thing really stands out: Functional benefits are everywhere. We saw this last January, when the big themes were protein and gut health. This year protein feels even louder, plus hydration and immunity are featuring a little more. With this many brands all shouting about protein… Can they really continue to stand out if so many are using the same benefit story?

  The end of impulse? How appetite drugs are redefining consumer choice GLP-1s are already having a profound impact on consumer behaviours, and it is a question of how – not if – they will continue to shape the market. By 2030 it is estimated that GLP-1 with have between 30-70 million global users, and 9% of the US population, who are consuming 15-40% fewer calories a day. This disrupts not only  what  people eat, but  why  and  how . Good headway has been made for brands trying to navigate this evolving scenario from the quant perspective. However, at Brand Genetics we believed there was a real need for  qualitative depth  to ensure the  human side of the story  wasn’t being forgotten. The result? 6 months of hard work has given us the deepest, richest and most human-centric lens of how the rise of GLP-1 is  impacting the way people think about their relationship with consumption . Harnessing our proprietary DNA framework shone a l...

 

  Full report available here: https://media.licdn.com/dms/document/media/v2/D4E10AQF62Ye633I0Xw/ads-document-pdf-analyzed/B4EZrFQvQ6KoAY-/0/1764246096824/HOWTHEUKREALLYEATS1pdf?e=1767794400&v=beta&t=gBasfSIzrJRik6EKN2zevPyYtPXhRUD2rPLnw4WNByE or here: R:\UK\MARKET REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS\How the UK Really Eats - Health, Habits and Hidden Opportunities.pdf