Game of Thrones recently celebrated its 15-year anniversary, reminding viewers of the iconic phrase “winter is coming”. For food and drink brands navigating higher costs and more cautious shoppers, that phrase has never felt more apt. Private label is no longer playing catch-up – it’s leading the charge.
Mintel analysis reveals that private label is now out-innovating branded products in the UK for the first time. In 2025, private label accounted for 53% of new food and drink product launches tracked in Mintel’s GNDP. For context, it was responsible for just 39% of launches pre-pandemic (in 2019) and only 18% in 2000.
But this isn’t simply a numbers game. Private label is often out-innovating branded products in quality as well. Retailers have become surprisingly agile, harnessing AI to translate social media signals into limited-edition products, before many major brands have a chance to react. The craze for pistachio chocolate is a perfect case in point.
Seasonal moments have become another weapon in the own-label arsenal. Limited edition food and drink ranges tied to events through the year drive footfall and offer weary shoppers affordable pick-me-ups. That is even more important as eating out can often feel like it requires a second mortgage!
Take how M&S has turned summer into an event. It has launched more than 500 new products for the hotter months, including Smoky Style Long Dogs and Choc Cone Ends.
How can brands fight back?
It’s not all doom and gloom for brands. Mintel GNPD data shows private label’s share of innovation is uneven across categories. While supermarkets account for seven in 10 ready meal launches, they represent just 37% of chocolate confectionery launches, and a mere 6% in sports and energy drinks.
This is partly because supermarkets prioritise core meal categories, but it also highlights that brands’ dominance in indulgent categories is a far tougher nut for retailers to crack.
Indeed, branded food products can learn much from the way drinks brands excel in building loyalty by building aspirational communities. The loneliness epidemic among the young helps explain why two thirds of UK 16– to 34‑year‑olds are interested in communities built around a specific brand.
Celsius illustrates this perfectly. The energy drink has positioned itself as a healthier option. It partners with thousands of everyday fitness influencers as part of its ‘Live Fit’ identity. This has helped it expand its community beyond hardcore fitness fanatics to incorporate those with a zest for life. That philosophy recently culminated in Australia’s first convenience store, in partnership with 7-Eleven.
Disrupting the own-label game
Brands can also play private label at its own game by disrupting categories where the latter dominates. These are often ‘boring’ meal categories that need innovation that suits contemporary consumers. Strong Roots, for example, brings premium, clean-label aesthetics to the frozen vegetable category.
For food and drink brands, winter may be coming. But as in Game of Thrones, the outcome hinges on preparation. To avoid the private label transition from challenger to ruler, brands must sharpen their innovation game, both quantitatively and qualitatively, while building communities that add further layers to their emotional connection to consumers.
Jonny Forsyth, food and drink principal strategist, Mintel
No comments yet