Five things you need to know about the future of UK convenience

UK convenience stores, like the entire FMCG industry, are feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Having gained significantly from meeting local needs during the lockdown, growth will moderate over the next two years. The channel will be worth £46.4bn in 2022, up from £41bn in 2019, according to our latest channel forecasts.

More people have been mainly using convenience stores for food and grocery shopping, particularly during the lockdown. The shopper profile and missions are changing; saving time is becoming more important.

Shoppers are visiting as few stores as possible during the pandemic, and there’s an increase in top-up and main shop missions. And with more people working from home, food-to-go has been significantly impacted.

We’ve identified five key ways in which the pandemic will influence UK convenience, both in-store and out of store. To help you plan for a post-pandemic trading environment, this is what the future could look like.