It was another tough year for food and grocery.
Donald Trump levelled a series of tariffs that spooked producers and put trading relationships under strain, while this side of the pond, the Labour government began to hit its stride with its second budget and a series of pay rises and budgetary burdens.
Inflation remained relentless. Supply chain issues hit cocoa so badly that many bars and biscuits can no longer claim to be chocolate, while those same pressures forced the cost of a bag of Maltesers above that of sirloin steak per kilo.
Not even GLP-1 drugs were immune from price hikes. Not that that meant a stay of execution for the likes of Slimfast.
And that’s to say nothing of rampant shrinkflation as customers consistently pulled home less bang for their buck.
Asda hit the news cycle hard, with news of Allan Leighton trying to turn the retailer around, while engaging in a price war and stripping out thousands of SKUs to bring Asda back to basics.
Cyberattacks were the talk of summer, rapidly chastening M&S and Co-op as consumer data was pilfered from the ether.
EPR was the talk of the rest of the year as costs spiralled for producers, who directed their anger towards the Chancellor.
Farmers also took their anger out on Rachel Reeves’ planned changes to Inheritance Tax by driving their tractors into Westminster.
And the most stressful time for retailers is yet to come.
Despite it all, The Grocer wishes you a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2026.
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