Ana Afán

The new Heineken Beer Report is a valuable read for anyone working in beer or beyond. It highlights where growth is coming from, how consumer habits are shifting, and what it means for the category. Grounded in data. Focused on opportunity. #HeinekenBeerReport #CategoryGrowth #ConsumerTrends #BeerInsights

33

2 Comments

#sainsburys sales growth out-pacing #tesco's, and #asda suffering another all-time low market share, are the headlines from Worldpanel by Numerator's UK market data for 12 weeks ending 30th November 2025 released this morning. 12-week sales grew by 3.6%, down from 4.0% in the last period. In the last 4 weeks grocery inflation was 4.7%, the same as in the previous 4 weeks. These figures indicate a further fall in volumes as consumers approach Christmas spending with caution. Worldpanel state that 20% of UK households say they’ve been struggling financially, and it’s no surprise that the level of spending on promotion has risen to 31.2%, up from 30% this time in 2024. As we head into #christmas Tesco are in a very strong position to enjoy a strong seasonal key #trading period with robust sales growth of 4.7%. Their sales have been ahead of the total market every period since July 2023, and ahead of second-placed Sainsbury’s since September 2024. However, that position has changed in this last 12-week data set, with Sainsbury’s growth (5.1%) outpacing Tesco’s (4.7%), resulting in Sainsbury’s enjoying a market share of 16%, their equal-highest since December 2018. Both the Tesco Finest and Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Christmas ranges are extensive this year, which will no doubt fuel the growth of premium #ownlabel which now accounts for 5% of the total grocery market. Whilst #morrisons continue to battle to stabilise their performance, growing at half the market rate but at least steadying their share which hovers between 8.3% and 8.4%, Asda just can’t seem to stem their decline. Their share of 11.5% is another all-time low. It was only back in June 2023 when Asda were growing ahead of the market. But since then, their decline has been rapid, with the last 19 periods seeing their growth being between 7 and 8% behind the total market. Compared to two years’ ago, Tesco’s 12-weekly sales have grown by £834M and Sainsbury’s by £427M. Asda’s have declined by £433M…. Both #aldi and #lidl continue to grow ahead of the market, but only just for Aldi whose CEO was quoted this week as expecting “record sales” this Christmas but not predicting like-for-like growth. Aldi expects to have 1081 stores by the end of this year, up from 1040 last December, an increase of 3.9%, almost accounting for all of their 4.1% sales growth. Lidl continue to grow at over double Aldi’s rate and have just opened their 1000th UK store, up from around 960 this time last year. Other current winners? #ocado hitting their highest ever market share (2.2%) with 15.8% sales growth (on the back of all grocery #online sales growing at 8%), and #marksandspencer whose sales growth of 8.9% is their highest growth since June when performance had been hit by their cyber-attack. Who will be the true winners over the Festive period? Looking forward to seeing the January data when it’s released. In the meantime, wishing you and your loved ones a very happy Christmas!

1,014

34 Comments

🚀 Exciting news to share! ASDA has selected eStoreBrands as a strategic partner to build the ASDA xpert portal for brands. After months of collaboration, preparation, and deep-dive consultations with industry leaders, we’re proud to launch a breakthrough first-party analytics platform — empowering brands to take control of their in-store performance at ASDA like never before. Big thanks to everyone involved — this is just the beginning! 💪 David Halls Francis Nicholas Filip Zok Filip Mierkiewicz Jakub Gruszczynski and more!

81

6 Comments

“Retail Media isn’t the future… it’s the now. And it’s quietly reshaping how brands, retailers, and shoppers connect.” Mike Anthony captured it perfectly. Retail Media is no longer a tactical layer, it’s a strategic power shift. In South Africa, where retailers are scaling digital platforms and data ecosystems are maturing fast, this evolution is both an opportunity and a wake-up call. The question for FMCG leaders isn’t when to get involved, it’s how to lead it responsibly. The winning brands will be the ones that: • Build true Retail Media capability, not just campaigns. • Bridge Sales, Marketing, and Trade with shared data and purpose. • Use data not only to target, but to create real shopper value. Retail Media is becoming the new growth battleground. The brands investing in understanding it today will define the next decade of consumer engagement. #RetailMedia #ShopperMarketing #FMCG #BrandStrategy #RetailTransformation #ConsumerGoods #DigitalCommerce #MarketingLeadership #SouthAfrica #CustomerCentricity

1

1 Comment

Really critical statistic for marketers to understand. Your annual penetration levels are very different to cumulative penetration levels for the same brand over 5 years. The implication being there is A LOT more room to drive penetration growth than you probably imagine and your pool of buyers is much bigger than probably assumed.

18

7 Comments

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority appears not to have expressed disapproval of this ad from one of the #whiskycaskinvestmentcompaniesoftheuk which is ‘proudly part of the Fah Mai Holdings Group’ and boasts of a market with ‘average returns of ‘15%+’ per year’. So it must be ok? (Sadly, the time period of the set used in calculating the imprecise annual average is not revealed)

6

Invest the time to listen to brands, make it simple, and don't ignore the operational lift to support a scaled business... Just a few of the insights from Louise Rushton on what it takes to scale a successful retail media business!

16

How Tesco make money. Fantastic insight here from Josh Holmes detailing (from company data) where and how Tesco make money. The visualisation from turnover make up to profit to Net Profit makes it very easy to understand exactly where and how their money is made, and just how big their costs are. In coming years I fully expect to see both Retail Media and Marketplace sales split out as significant revenue (and profit) drivers for Britain’s biggest retailer. #retail #profitandloss #tesco #howmoneyismade #marketplace #sales #loyalty

56

5 Comments

New research shows UK consumers prefer AI personalisation in FMCG to be subtle, with only 8% wanting more obvious AI interactions with brands.

3

The British Christmas Grocery Market Share results are out: total December sales of £13.8bn. Shoppers seeking value with highest promotional levels seen in the 2020s. Premium own label up 9%, smashing through the £1bn in a month barrier for the first time. Read the full story here https://shorturl.at/hxwKl

92

10 Comments

Next up and available for Scottish food and drink businesses from The Knowledge Bank is an up to date dive into the retail soft drinks category, highlighting key market trends and Scotland/GB comparisons. From health-forward hydration to global flavours and functional benefits, consumer preferences are shifting fast. One trend that’s gaining traction (even if it’s not my cup of tea as anyone who has ever been in a drinks innovation session with me will know 😉) is the rise of textured drinks — think jelly pieces, popping boba, and chewy inclusions. Love them or not, there's no denying the current trend for and influence of Korean and wider Asian drink trends shaping UK retailer fixtures right now. Our usual wealth of insight shapes a well rounded report, so whether you are entering or consolidating in the Scottish market, or planning your strategy to get "over the wall", there's supporting insight and evidence to point you in the right direction. For further detail on market insight relating directly to your brand of course, we will happily discuss the best options for you in securing your own data from our key partner data source providers. Follow the link below to access the report 👇 .. and get in touch with the team at The Knowledge Bank, or your Scotland Food & Drink business development team and we will be very happy to help!

26

Candy Kittens has swooped to acquire Graze from Unilever as the confectionery supplier takes its first steps into the wider snacking category.... https://lnkd.in/e-Jc4As6

32

The UK pub trade is at a crossroads and brands that can’t adapt are going to disappear from the bar. Operator costs are brutal. Energy, wages, rent, duty… most pubs are fighting week to week. That changes everything. “Because it’s always been there” isn’t enough to justify space anymore. Every tap. Every fridge slot. Every shelf. A commercial decision. If your brand doesn’t drive rate of sale, it’s vulnerable. Yet, too many suppliers are still behaving like 2019 - chasing listings, dropping POS, hoping the brand sells itself. That era is done. Winning in pubs today comes down to three things: 1. Obsess over rate of sale Pubs don’t need more choice. They need products that move. If you can’t prove incremental sales or margin, you’re asking operators to take a risk they can’t afford. 2. Make it effortless for staff to sell Teams are stretched. If your product needs a five‑minute story, it won’t sell. The winning brands are simple, recognisable and easy to recommend across a busy bar. 3. Support the outlet, not just the listing Activation wins: team engagement, local events, social support, genuine partnership. A listing gets you on the bar. Execution keeps you there. The uncomfortable truth for suppliers: Distribution isn’t the win. It’s the start of the fight. If your product doesn’t perform, it will be replaced, and quickly. The pub trade isn’t dying. But brands treating pubs as passive distribution absolutely are. The winners are the ones treating pubs as commercial partners - helping them drive rate of sale, margin and footfall. If you want to talk about how to engage pubs as commercial partners and drive sustainable growth for your brand, get in touch with us at Avidity. What drinks brands are actually helping pubs win right now? #FMCG #PubTrade #SalesExecution

12

7 Comments

A big Black Friday week in Consumer Products and Retail 👇 #Macros 📉 UK food inflation held at 3.7% on the latest ONS reading 📈 About 38% of UK grocery volume is now sold on promotion according to Kantar 📊 GfK consumer confidence improved to minus 17, the strongest level in more than a year 🛍️ October UK retail sales grew 1.6% year on year as shoppers held back spend for Black Friday 🎄 Christmas activity gained pace 📦 Private label increased share #BlackFriday 🎯 UK shoppers planned to spend an average of £430 across the Black Friday window which is a whopping £91 more than last year 🌐 This equates to about £10.2 billion of spend with 43% of UK adults and 76% of Gen Z planning to shop 💳 Barclays reported UK card spending down 0.8% in October as households deliberately paused major purchases until Black Friday 🇺🇸 Adobe reported US Black Friday online sales reaching 8.6 billion US dollars by 18.30 Eastern which was 9.4% higher than the same point last year 📱 Mobile accounted for 58.6% of US Black Friday online sales worth 5.1 billion US dollars 💳 Buy Now Pay Later transactions reached 761.8 million US dollars on US Black Friday #Retail 🏠 El Corte Inglés reported strong early Christmas gifting in beauty and accessories 🧱 IKEA confirmed improved availability across Europe and continued lower price investment 🇩🇰 Salling Group maintained steady growth supported by sharper winter pricing and private label strength 🏬 Auchan advanced the roll out of IBM Smart Green Pallets using IoT sensors to improve traceability cut food waste and reduce CO2 impact #ConsumerProducts ☕ Nestlé carried Q3 momentum forward with volume up 1.5% which was about five times above analyst expectations 🍺 Carlsberg delivered Q3 revenue up 18% with underlying beer volumes at minus 3% 🍺 Heineken maintained guidance with Q3 organic revenue at minus 0.3% against expectations of minus 0.8% and beer volume at minus 4.3% 🥫 Kraft Heinz progressed its separation with Global Taste Elevation representing about 15.4 billion US dollars of net sales and North American Grocery representing about 10.4 billion US dollars 🍦 TMICC prepared for demerger trading on 8 December in London and 9 December in New York and Amsterdam. The unit generated about 7.9 billion euros of revenue and 1.2 billion euros of adjusted EBITDA last year 🐎 Hermès delivered Q3 revenue of 3.88 billion euros up 9.6% with leather goods up 13.3% 🧈 Arla benefited from falling dairy input costs which improved margins across butter cheese and high protein 🧖‍♀️ Oriflame strengthened winter skincare and wellness activation across Central and Eastern Europe #IBM call out 👁️ IBM Institute for Business Value showed that organisations with data fluent teams and AI embedded into decisions deliver faster innovation, lower cost to serve 🐝 IBM tools supported retailers and CPG companies this week with intelligent automation improved demand planning and better digital shelf performance during Black Friday

2