‘Vapes, energy drinks, bagged snacks are fastest-growing grocery categories’

Convenience store staples have been among the fastest-growing products this year, according to recent NielsenIQ data, with vapes, carbonated and energy drinks, snacks and petcare products topping the charts.

With UK shoppers purchasing more items on the go as they returned to regular in-store shopping, sales of carbonated drinks (+£264m), sport & energy drinks (+£251m) and bagged snacks (+£229m) has spiked. 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 adds that spirits (-£752.5m), table wine (-£615m) and lager (-£575m) were the fastest-falling categories in the grocery sector. 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.

Another noteworthy growth was seen in pet care with 11.7 per cent 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.

Overall, vaping (+£435m) was the overall fastest-growing category in 2022, with the Elf Bar (+£318m) disposable vape pen the fastest-growing product, claims new data from NielsenIQ and The Grocer.

“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,” reports quoted NielsenIQ managing director UK and Ireland, Rachel White, as saying.

“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 adds.