The Goods UK – 4 April 2025
Welcome back to The Goods UK. While retailers prepare for next week’s cost increases, we’re talking about supermarket’s answer to the takeaway, the rise of “fam travel” and highlights from 2025’s Retail Tech Show.
Stats of the week
- 750 million: the number of food-to-go items Greencore supplies each year to supermarkets, convenience and travel retail outlets, discounters and coffee shops. (The Standard)
- 6.5 million: the number of Google searches for Dubai chocolate in March. (Good Housekeeping)
- 16.7%: duck’s share of the total poultry market, up from 15% in 2015. (The Grocer)
What’s in: this week’s trends
- Egg ID anyone?: No one does April Fool’s Day better than the marketing teams of leading consumer brands, and this year did not disappoint. Some of our personal favourites include Waitrose implementing an age restriction on Easter eggs, Ikea announcing a 2-kilometer-long store concept, and Branston’s launching a baked bean-flavour lipgloss. The day was marked by endless creative and light-hearted pranks. (The Grocer, Dezeen)
- Trips over tulips: With 140,000 passengers expected to have passed through Luton Airport over Mother’s Day weekend, this year’s celebration highlighted the growing demand for experiences – specifically travel – over material gifts. (Travel and Tour World) Whether showing appreciation or making cherished memories, so-called “fam travel” is expected to influence traveller’s summer plans. According to American Express, Millennials and Gen Z are particularly motivated to book thoughtful, meaningful trips this year, and what better way to treat your Mum than with a jet-set weekend. (Fox News)
- Budget blues: With the highly anticipated National Insurance and minimum wage increases coming into effect this week, retailers and hospitality firms are bracing for an additional £2 billion in costs. (The Standard) The impact on performance can already be seen, with Pets at Home reducing its profit guidance for FY26, meanwhile data suggests (Reuters) that the rate of UK shop closures is set to accelerate and risk of job losses to increase, following the changes. (Reuters)
Cash or card: shopper behaviour
What’s in and out of our baskets right now? This week, we’re talking dinnertime dupes, bucket list destinations, and the chocolate that has sent Brits into a frenzy.
- Food for thought: New research shows that Brits spend a staggering £51,000 over a lifetime on takeaways, with those in London and Glasgow being the biggest spenders. (The Sun) But with tighter household budgets, and over 50% of respondents admitting they can’t afford the takeaways they would ideally like, supermarkets are leaning into the “treat at home” culture and launching “fakeaway” dupes. Last week, Asda opened a pizza pop-up in Glasgow outside a national pizza takeaway restaurant and this week, Aldi launches a new Roosters range inspired by Nando’s. (The Mirror)
- Beach bound: St Lucia, Curaçao, and Rio de Janeiro have topped the list of trending destinations for 2025 according to Google Flights. With “island vacation outfits” also trending and “checked bags” being searched more than ever, holidaymakers are clearly wanting to pack more into their beach breaks. (The Standard) This is despite the rising cost of checked luggage, with Southwest Airlines announcing this week that it is ending its “bags fly free” policy. (FT )
- Chocolate craze: After going viral on TikTok last year, the demand for “Dubai chocolate” has soared, prompting brands, confectioners and supermarkets to create their own Knafeh inspired sweet treat. (Daily Mail) With queues outside of Lidl and Waitrose limiting customers to two bars per person, the trending sensation is said to have contributed to a nearly 40% surge in holiday bookings to Dubai, according to luxury holiday provider Destination2, showing the power of “taste tourism”. (Yahoo News)
Making moves: industry changes & innovation
ICYMI, industry icons are reinvigorating their brand through unique and creative ways. Here are some movers and shakers that you should know about:
- Retail Technology Show 2025: What a conference! Tik Tok showed us the huge sales numbers that its “live shopping” events are driving; Shein talked up the benefits of its business model for waste reduction; (Retail Tech Innovation) and the M&S Chairman Archie Norman described the challenges for grocery making true profit from food online. (Forbes)
- AI models: H&M is stepping into the future with plans to create 30 ‘digital twins’ of its fashion models using AI technology. (ITV News) The clothing giant says it’s working with models and agencies “responsibly”, promising that individuals will retain rights to their digital selves and get paid per use. Not all are sold on the idea though – Equity’s (trade union) Paul Fleming warned that AI “must not be a race to the bottom”, while Model Alliance’s Sara Ziff questioned the impact on fashion workers. The move follows similar experiments from the likes of Levi’s and Mango. (The Independent)
- Crackdown on crime: Asda is trialling a new AI-powered CCTV software, scanning shoppers faces against a list of individuals who have previously committed crimes on the premises! (Retail Week) Reminiscent of something from Total Recall, the supermarket giant said that the technology can help it battle spiking rates of retail crime, which caused c.1,400 assaults on staff last year. Not everyone is convinced of the benefits, however, with #StopAsdaSpying trending on Twitter last week. (Twitter)
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