With pandemic-linked shopping behaviours fading, convenience store staples have been among the fastest-growing products this year, according to NielsenIQ data compiled for The Grocer’s Top Products survey 2022.
With more opportunities to socialise and workers returning to offices, UK shoppers have purchased more items on the go as they returned to regular in-store shopping. This has driven sales of carbonated drinks (+£264m), sport & energy drinks (+£251m) and bagged snacks (+£229m). Meanwhile, Coca-Cola (+£90m), Monster energy drink (+£81m), and Red Bull (+£76.5m) were some of the fastest-growing products during 2022.
With a shift away from at-home dining and drinking, the NielsenIQ research shows that spirits (-£752.5m), table wine (-£615m) and lager (-£575m) were the fastest-falling categories in the grocery sector. This is in contrast to last year when these were among the fastest-growing categories.
With less time cooking from scratch at home, sales of vegetables (-£456m) and fresh meat (-£347m) also experienced a significant decline, with beef (-£134m), potatoes (-£91m) and bacon (-£75m) the fastest falling products in these categories.
In terms of other categories that experienced growth in sales, petcare saw an 11.7% uplift in value sales compared with 2021. Cosmetics, which was one of the fastest-falling categories in 2021, also experienced a surge, increasing by £119.3m.
The NielsenIQ data shows vaping (+£435m) was the overall fastest-growing category in 2022, with the Elf Bar (+£318m) disposable vape pen the fastest-growing product. The colourful e-cigarette also saw a meteoric rise in its category, ranking number one this year, up from 18th in 2021.
Fastest-growing grocery categories of 2022 (excluding Tobacco)
| Category | Actual growth (£ millions) in value sales | |
| 1 | Vaping | £434.1m |
| 2 | Carbonated soft drinks | £264.3m |
| 3 | Sport & energy drinks | £251.1m |
| 4 | Bagged snacks | £229.1m |
| 5 | Petcare | £222.2m |
| 6 | Cold & flu remedies | £218m |
| 7 | Bottled Water | £214m |
| 8 | Chilled ready meals | £157.6m |
| 9 | Milk | £124.2m |
| 10 | Cosmetics | £119.3m |
Source: NielsenIQ
Fastest-falling grocery categories of 2022 (excluding Tobacco)
| Category | Actual decline (£ millions) in value sales | |
| 1 | Spirits | -£752.5m |
| 2 | Table Wine | -£615.4m |
| 3 | Lager | -£575.2m |
| 4 | Vegetables | -£456.2m |
| 5 | Fresh Meat | -£347.9m |
| 6 | Ale & Stout | -£166.0m |
| 7 | Cider & Perry | -£150.6m |
| 8 | Fresh fish | -£133.8m |
| 9 | Fruit | -£112.2m |
| 10 | Frozen Fish | -£82.6m |
Source: NielsenIQ
Rachel White, Managing Director UK & Ireland at NielsenIQ, commented: “The UK this year returned to more normal patterns of behaviour, from being able to socialise with friends and family without restrictions, to venturing into the office more frequently. This has naturally led to a shift in the types of products in shoppers’ baskets to reflect consumers’ busier lifestyles, as well as a rise in demand for more convenience items, such as sports and energy drinks and bagged snacks. This may have also led to a decline in at-home cooking occasions, with many fresh items falling out of favour.”
She added: “Another trend we have identified is the return of shopping ‘little and often’ where consumers shop more frequently, but with smaller baskets. This trend is likely to continue, especially with increasing concerns over the cost of living and shoppers looking to cut back spend. As we enter 2023, we anticipate that consumers will become more cautious in what they buy, both economically and sustainably to cut down food waste, such as a focus on buying less fresh groceries but more often, as well as value packs.”
NAM Implications:
- Two key drivers emerge
- Lifestyle
- Personal economic circumstances
- Important that branded suppliers assess the extent to which they are getting their fair share in the fastest-growing and fastest-falling categories.
- And set about correcting any imbalance…
