United Kingdom

The UK’s dairy packaging market is dominated in unit volume terms by HDPE bottles and thin wall plastic containers. HDPE bottles dominate milk packaging, and are also gaining share in yoghurt, due to their robust barrier credentials. Milk is a…

Although it remains a much smaller pack type in unit volume terms, flexible paper continues to take share from the dominant packaging format of flexible plastic in countlines, as consumers increasingly opt for sustainable packaging options. This…

Flexible plastic accounts for the greatest pack type share in baby food packaging in the UK. This low-cost, compact pack type is ideal for small, convenient baby food packages, particularly in categories such as “other baby food”. This category…

Pet products in the UK continues to be challenged, experiencing slow positive value growth driven by inflation. Pet owners remain reluctant to invest in discretionary pet products, caused by the enduring impact of inflationary pressures. This is…

Persistent challenges of inflation and ongoing supply chain disruptions that characterised 2023 are still being observed in pet care in the UK, although unit price growth is starting to slow. Multinational pet food companies face ongoing obstacles…

In 2024, against the current economic challenges and an observable decline in the dog and cat populations in 2023, a distinctive 6% surge has been witnessed in the small mammal/reptile population in the UK. This rise can be attributed to the…

Despite a slowdown in the unit price growth of dog food in the UK, influenced by a reduction in energy and electricity costs, manufacturers and suppliers are still passing on some costs to end consumers. Challenges resulting from key commodities such…

In 2023, the UK experienced a marginal decline in the cat population, whereby the rate of abandonment surpassed the rate of adoption, resulting in an overall retail volume decline for cat food. Despite the increasing popularity of cats as companions,…

PET bottles are the leading pack type in the UK soft drinks packaging market due to their durability and affordability, with PET bottles also expected to continue being the most widely used packaging format over the forecast period. PET bottles are…

Fresh coffee beans was one of the best performers among the various hot drinks categories in 2023, benefiting from premiumisation. In particular, it has been benefiting from single-origin and speciality coffee, as consumers become more concerned…

Vending in the UK was significantly disrupted by the pandemic as vending machines predominantly target closed sites such as academic institutions, hospitals and businesses, which also experienced a substantial decrease in footfall. The channel fully…

Supermarkets in the UK was the only grocery retail channel in 2022 to witness value sales decline, in a year characterised by soaring food prices, skyrocketing cost of utilities, high inflation, and a cost-of-living crisis, which all contributed to a…

Unlike larger store formats within grocery retailers, such as warehouse clubs, discounters, and hypermarkets, which have a strong focus on lower-priced products as well as the ability to limit the transfer of increased costs on to consumers, small…

In 2023, soaring inflation rates, an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, low consumer confidence and limited spending subdued the retail industry in the UK. Consumers continued to downgrade product purchases to mitigate the negative effects of the…

After a challenging 2022 due to high inflation, the emergence of the cost-of-living crisis, and additional pressure on operators due to a surge in utility prices, all of which affected the disposable incomes of local consumers and subsequently led to…

Despite increased competition from discounters and warehouse clubs, which offer low-cost products appealing to the elevated number of price-sensitive consumers in 2023, hypermarkets in the UK maintained positive sales growth. Amid the cost-of-living…

Home products specialists witnessed a surge in value sales in 2021, following declines due to pandemic-related restrictions. However, the channel did not return to 2019 sales levels until 2022. The cost-of-living crisis that began in 2022 and…

In 2023, health and beauty specialists in the UK maintained its positive trajectory despite rising price sensitivity among consumers and a significant squeeze on disposable incomes. Pricing strategies, and discounted offers in particular, played an…

In 2023, a year characterised by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and high inflation, Poundland was one of the more active players in general merchandise stores in the UK, placing a strong focus on pricing and expanding its product range. In March…

Due to high inflation towards the end of the review period, resulting in elevated prices of goods and services, consumers became increasingly price conscious, supporting the second consecutive year of value growth for discounters in the UK. As…