It’s been one hell of a year in grocery, and in addition to the exceptional news and analysis turned out by our team on a daily basis, sometimes it’s nice to slow things down a touch and luxuriate in a nice, warm long read.
That’s where the features desk comes in, and there’s been some exceptional journalism this year from our in-house team (shout out to our amazing reporters and editors for those weeks where they’ve juggled news and 2,000-plus-word features) as well as our crack squad of freelance contributors.
So, with 2025 drawing to a close – and the weekend almost upon us – we thought this would be a prime opportunity to remind our readers of some of the very best features of the year. Hopefully you’ll spot something you missed and enjoy an in-depth read over a leisurely Saturday morning coffee, tea or… sherry?!
Working backwards chronologically, the turn of this month brought with it a hard-hitting, behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like for shop floor staff to work in supermarkets at Christmas. Stories of customers fighting over brussels sprouts were told, alongside much more concerning tales of extreme stress, abuse from customers, slowly eroded perks, and the pain of missing out on time with friends and family due to the near impossibility of time off at ‘the most wonderful time of the year’.
There was also this fantastic piece (hats off to Cara Houlton, writing her first Grocer feature) on the incredible rise of fried chicken on the nation’s high streets, as we asked: who will win the UK’s chicken shop wars? Social media plays a big role in building the hype around those new chicken players, and earlier that month we explored the role of TikTok for the nation’s retailers big and small to find out who’s doing TikTok best – and how.
Robot revolution
September saw feature writer extraordinaire George Nott get to grips with robots (not literally, the robot would definitely win) in the food industry, looking into what roles they’re taking and where it leaves the sector’s human workers. And with speed and efficiency also taking centre stage in supermarket shopping journeys, Stephen Jones asked whether exciting retail theatre is facing the final curtain.
The end of May heralded our DEI Special, and the centrepiece was this feature looking at ‘the pay gap gap’. With mandatory reporting on ethnicity and disability pay gaps on the horizon, on top of the existing gender requirement, the piece asked why the fmcg giants seem to be ignoring socioeconomic background. That followed an earlier DEI-focused feature from Maria Gonçalves, which explored whether the impacts of Donald Trump’s anti-DEI drive would have an impact on these shores.
Also in May, Ian Quinn followed up his exclusive reporting on an explosive insider memo that warned of ‘wishful thinking’ on climate risks, with a deeper look into whether its publication might shake up a complacent industry. Meanwhile, in February, I braved the elements in Manchester to see first-hand the incredible work of a local ‘food club’ in helping alleviate hunger in the local community, leading to an in-depth look at the differences between food clubs and food banks – and whether the former might be the better option.
The team had clearly been bitten by the travel bug that month, although Niamh Leonard-Bedwell got to enjoy some Spanish sun in the course of reporting her excellent piece looking into how commodities are being adapted to cope with climate change.
Last but not least comes one of The Grocer’s biggest set piece features of the year. Our deep dive into what consumers really think of self-checkouts certainly made an impression – judging by the number of radio interviews we were asked to take part in subsequently about it. After commissioning exclusive research from Toluna & Harris Interactive, this 10-page behemoth provided the most comprehensive look yet at shopper attitudes to the rise of the controversial, but ubiquitous, technology.
So, while you’re stuck waiting for an overworked employee to approve your age at a self-checkout this Christmas, at least you’ll now have something to read. Feel free to delve into that piece, or any of the above, but most importantly, have a great Christmas.
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