United Kingdom

In 2020, sales of womenswear declined strongly as a result of store closures, home confinement and lifestyle disruptions brought about by the virus, which prevented consumers from going out to work and socialise as they normally would have. Being…

Fruit/herbal tea performed particularly well during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and continued to help drive overall sales growth in tea in 2021. The category was already growing due to the health and wellness trend even before the outbreak of the…

Sales of athletic apparel were already growing pre-pandemic as a result of the broader casualisation trend popularised by millennials, as well as the health and wellness trend, which led to an increased interest in fitness, and the growing streetwear…

In 2021, demand for chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks continued to be driven by new consumer habits, such as more at-home consumption occasions, as new dynamics such as flexible working shaped consumption patterns. To fill this additional time…

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to be felt in 2021, as the UK entered a third national lockdown in January. Restrictions eased gradually – in Britain, non-essential stores reopened in April; and in Northern Ireland, not until June. The…

Sales of jeans in the UK suffered significant double-digit retail volume and current value declines in 2020 and into the early part of 2021, as lockdowns and social distancing led to store closures and home confinement for many consumers due to the…

The easing of COVID-19 restrictions in the middle of the year led to the start of recovery in foodservice volume sales in the UK in 2021. However, this was not sufficient for a full recovery to the pre-pandemic level. In fact, foodservice…

A slight rebound in volume sales was seen for hosiery in 2021, after a poor performance in 2020, when demand fell drastically due to store closures and the shock of the first confinement. However, sales of hosiery are set to return to volume decline…

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in more coffee being consumed at home, supporting the retail growth of coffee. Consumers developed new consumption and shopping habits in 2020, and many bought equipment to make their own coffee, such as coffee…

The childrenswear category was less negatively affected by the pandemic than either menswear or womenswear in 2020. This was due to the necessity of buying children new clothing regularly as they grow. During the lockdowns, casual clothing, and…

The lockdowns and social distancing measures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant lifestyle disruptions for British consumers in 2020. Store closures, home confinement and an atmosphere of anxiety and uncertainty for much of the…

Toilet care tablets/powders, toilet care cleaning systems and toilet liquids/foams are all set to register declines in 2021 when compared to 2020’s surge in demand. Rim blocks and rim liquids on the other hand, will remain stable. This is due to…

Surface care is set to register a marginal decline in both retail volume and current value terms in 2021, following significant growth rates the previous year when the pandemic heightened hygiene awareness amongst local consumers. Nevertheless, the…

Polishes is set to continue to register declines in 2021 exacerbated by consumers returning to work, school and socialising outside of the home, reducing time dedicate to general household chores including polishing. However, this performance is a…

Laundry care is set to record positive retail volume growth in 2021, driven by liquid tablet detergents, in-wash spot and stain removers, liquid fabric softeners, fabric fresheners and other laundry aids. Retail value remains in positive territory,…

Home insecticides continues to experience stable albeit undynamic growth in 2021, with spray/aerosol insecticides registering the strongest performance in retail volume growth terms overall. This has been partially fuelled by the change to more…

Per capita consumption shows that consumers are continuing to purchase a greater quantity of products with antibacterial qualities and sanitisation benefits. This has prompted new launches in home care geared towards specific functions, as well as…

Dishwashing is predicted to experience declines in both volume and value sales terms in 2021. This is an effect of reduced demand for much of the category following strong performances in 2020 as an impact of the lockdowns, which forced households to…

Bleach is predicted to record marginal declines in both retail volume and current value sales in 2021 when compared to 2020 which saw a surge in demand due to heightened hygiene awareness as a result of the pandemic. The marginal declines are due to…

Air care is set to remain popular in 2021 as many UK households remained at home over much of the first half of the year due to further restrictions in place as a result of rising COVID-19 cases. As a result, consumers socialised at home more often,…