UK convenience market experienced strong momentum in the second quarter of 2025, with soaring summer temperatures, record levels of delivery for managed outlets and the growing importance of price-marked packs all shaping shopper behaviour, states a report released today (Sept 9).
According to the latest quarterly data from Lumina Intelligence’s Convenience Tracking Programm, the unusually warm weather during the quarter fueled a surge in refreshment and entertaining missions.
Shoppers increasingly turned to soft drinks and barbecue staples such as sausages to satisfy their immediate needs and host friends and family.
This seasonal uplift in social occasions reinforced the importance of convenience stores as a quick and reliable solution for last-minute gatherings, highlighting their role not only in top-up shopping but also in meeting lifestyle-driven demand.
Meanwhile, delivery for managed outlets hit a new record, accounting for 8.5 per cent of occasions in managed convenience outlets.
Planned top-ups remained a key driver of this growth, particularly among affluent young families who sought reliable access to products without compromising on convenience.
This trend demonstrates how delivery is moving from being a niche service to a mainstream channel, reshaping expectations of convenience operators and creating fresh opportunities for retailers to engage a wider audience.
Another defining feature of the quarter was the continued rise of price-marked packs, which gained further traction across both forecourts and managed outlets.
Soft drinks in particular benefitted from shoppers’ preference for clear value cues, while demographic analysis showed shifts in living arrangements and family composition, with households with children increasing their share of shopping occasions.
Together, these developments underline the extent to which value, availability and practicality are driving shopper decision-making in today’s convenience landscape.
Andy Crossan, Insight Lead at Lumina Intelligence, commented, “Convenience remains central to UK shoppers’ daily lives, particularly during the summer months.
"The growth in delivery, combined with the strength of PMPs and the influence of family-driven missions, shows how value, availability and practicality are driving decision-making in 2025.
"Retailers and suppliers who respond to these needs will be best placed to capture growth in the months ahead.”