Tesco, in collaboration with GenM, an awareness collective of brands and retailers, has announced the launch of the UK’s first permanent menopause-friendly product bays.
Following a trial in February 2024, the rollout of the bays is part of the grocer’s commitment to making menopause more visible, bringing “choice and trust” to shoppers.
The new in-store initiative comes after GenM’s independent annual ‘UK Visibility Report 2024’ found that 94% of menopausal women want to shop for menopause-friendly labelled products, yet 66% can’t find what they’re looking for. Recent data from Kantar also shows that the number of shoppers purchasing menopause-related products hit a record high in 2024, with both online and in-store visibility playing a key role. Tesco stated that the data demonstrates the growth of the menopause category and increasing numbers of shoppers seeking menopause-friendly solutions.
Furthermore, Kantar data shows that women aged 45-55 account for a £2.4bn market in Health & Beauty, making them the fastest-growing shopper segment – with sales of menopause-related health and beauty products growing 138% from 2020 to reach £100m by 2028.
The permanent fixtures will be rolled out across 93 of Tesco’s large stores nationally from this month. The menopause-friendly bays will display products that are MTick certified, a trusted shopping symbol and certification for menopause-friendly products – helping women to easily identify and shop confidently for products which may ease, relieve or support any one of the 48 menopause signs.
Every brand carrying the MTick must meet strict qualifying criteria, including minimum nutrient levels for food supplements and ensuring trust and quality for the menopausal consumer.
Tesco’s menopause-friendly bays will feature a range of MTick-certified products, including household names such as Always, Charles Worthington, Mitchum, Sanex and TENA, as well as supporting challenger brands including WUKA, Peachie, FaceFacts, The Solution, So Divine, and NutriBurst.
Tesco noted that many women can only name 3-5 of the possible 48 menopause signs, highlighting the role that retailers can play in improving menopause awareness, education and product signposting. To support this, the supermarket’s fixture will also provide women with educational content and messaging that calls out the breadth of product choice. The bay can support women seeking products for skin changes, hair changes, dry eyes, muscle, joint and bone pains, digestive issues, cognition and mood changes, bladder weakness, menstrual changes, and intimate and sexual health.
The fixtures will also feature a QR code that takes customers to GenM’s 48 signs page. The support hub provides education, advice and guidance on all the menopause signs.
Tom Lye, Tesco’s Category Director for Health and Wellness, commented: “We’re delighted to be continuing our work with GenM to support our customers and colleagues going through the menopause. Following a successful trial last year, we hope that having these permanent menopause-friendly bays in 93 of our large stores will provide reassurance and education as well as helping signpost customers to products that may be safer when going through the menopause or that might ease associated symptoms.”
Heather Jackson, Co-Founder and CEO of GenM, added: “This moment is a real milestone not only for GenM, but also for the 15.5 million women in menopause who right now, are not being understood or served as they deserve. Whilst we’ve seen the menopause category grow with menopause-friendly trials the last year, the very first permanent in-store designated space for MTick-certified products is a huge step forward for empowering women to have a better-lived experience of menopause and transforming how they search, source and shop for product solutions.”
