United Kingdom: Retail Foods

The UK retail sector is one of the most sophisticated in the world. The UK was one of the first to pioneer ‘Click and Collect’ and online grocery shopping. COVID-19 has seen the way in which consumers shopping patterns changed in the past year with online shopping far more popular. Consumers are more health conscious and are choosing to shop more locally. The four leading supermarket chains compete fiercely for customers with the discount chains increasing their market share yearly. Within the UK retail sector, grocery retailing continues to record the biggest growth. Convenience stores, discounters and online grocery are formats seeing the strongest expansion, with chains opening smaller stores in city centers while limiting large-format outlets in out-of-town locations. Tariffs and ‘Buy British’ campaigns are the biggest challenge for U.S. companies. Products with the biggest opportunities are those that have a healthy, sustainable, and environmentally friendly message.