Growth in the UK sports and energy products sector is driven by rising health consciousness, increased sports participation, and a demand for convenience.
These combined factors are leading to innovation in “healthy” energy drinks, performance nutrition, and products catering to “everyday athletes” seeking mental and physical boosts, cleaner labels, and natural ingredients, with influencer marketing and brand adaptation to broader wellness trends also key.
Consumers are seeking products that support overall health, weight management, and focus, moving beyond simple hydration.
More people engaging in sports and fitness activities creates greater demand for hydration, energy and recovery products.
There is a growing preference for ingredients like real fruit juice, natural caffeine (from green coffee beans), and the avoidance of artificial sweeteners and UPFs (Ultra-Processed Foods).
The lines between sports, energy, and functional drinks are blurring, with new products offering added vitamins, minerals, gut health, or immunity support.
The appeal of sports and energy products is broadening beyond hardcore athletes to busy professionals and parents seeking mental energy, focus, and convenience for daily life.
Brands like Prime Hydration leverage social media stars and influencers to attract younger demographics and drive rapid market penetration.
Brands are targeting specific needs, from endurance athletes (Science in Sport) to general lifestyle consumers (PhD Nutrition), and exploring new occasions like alcohol moderation alternatives.
High-protein snacks and meals are popular for satiety and weight control.
Low and no sugar options are catering to health concerns, with a move towards lower calorie and sugar-free variants.
Eco-conscious consumers favour brands with B-Corp certifications and sustainable practices.
Tenzing Founder Huib van Bockel, comments: “The category continues to grow as demand for energy increases across busy, active lifestyles, but the nature of that demand is evolving. Consumers are no longer willing to compromise between functionality, taste and ingredient quality. There is rising demand for products that deliver real, effective energy – such as natural caffeine, electrolytes and vitamins – while still being refreshing and great-tasting. At the same time, shoppers are moving away from artificial ingredients, excessive sugar and ultra-processed products, favouring cleaner, more transparent formulations. Taste remains one of the biggest purchase drivers, but it now needs to sit alongside credible functionality and natural ingredients, rather than artificial shortcuts.”
Today’s shoppers expect energy drinks to deliver more than just hydration. Natural caffeine, electrolytes and vitamins are increasingly table stakes, but they must be delivered in a way that feels clean, refreshing and easy to drink. Products that offer functional benefits without feeling heavy or medicinal are resonating most strongly.
“We’re seeing growing demand for high-protein products across the wider sports and functional drinks space, including ready-to-drink formats,” adds van Bockel. “However, success in this area depends on getting the balance right. Consumers want the added nutritional benefit of protein, but not at the expense of taste, drinkability or refreshment. Heavy textures or overly functional flavours can limit repeat purchase. The most successful products will be those that deliver clear functionality while still feeling light, accessible and enjoyable enough to be consumed across multiple moments in the day.”
TENZING’s best-selling range is led by Raspberry & Yuzu, Pineapple & Passionfruit, and Peach & Honeymelon. These flavours consistently perform well because they combine great taste and refreshment with flavours that feel familiar yet slightly exotic. Consumer feedback and research show that TENZING rates highly on both taste and refreshment, which the brand attributes directly to its commitment to using only natural ingredients, with no artificial sweeteners or synthetic flavours. This results in energy drinks that are lighter, cleaner and more enjoyable to drink, encouraging repeat purchase.
The brand’s latest innovation, Fiery Mango, has already seen strong success. Created as a purpose-built winter energy drink, it disrupts the category by delivering seasonally relevant functionality, including added Vitamin D, magnesium and Lion’s Mane. It offers a punch of real, meaningful benefits at a time when consumers need it most, something no other energy drink is currently doing, while remaining true to its natural ingredients and great taste.
TENZING is the UK’s No.1 Natural Energy brand and the clear leader in the natural energy segment. It is also the third biggest energy drink brand in London grocery, reflecting strong demand in urban, high-frequency retail environments. TENZING is one of the biggest-growing brands amongst established energy drinks. Importantly, it is driving incremental growth, with a significant proportion of its shoppers new to energy drinks, helping to expand the category rather than simply cannibalise it.
“Brands that succeed will be those that prioritise transparency, real ingredients and great taste,” advises van Bockel. “Consumers are increasingly informed and sceptical, so authenticity and trust are critical.” The brand is investing significantly in brand awareness through large-scale OOH and digital activity, supported by a widespread sampling programme and strong presence within its sport, lifestyle and work communities.
“Visibility, chilled availability and clear navigation towards better-for-you options are key. Energy remains an impulse-driven purchase and availability at the right moment is crucial,” suggests van Bockel. “We work closely with retail partners to support range optimisation, activation and education, ensuring TENZING is positioned to drive both sales and incremental category growth.”
Rachel Austerberry, UK Retail Sales Director, Grenade, comments: “The protein category continues to perform well with the protein bar segment worth £163.2m, +6% vs previous 52 weeks (Circana).” Snacks that offer protein as a functional ingredient remain in high demand from shoppers across the UK, but not all protein snacks are created equal.
While protein is a key ingredient that shoppers seek out when it comes to healthier snacking, when protein-packed snacks can also deliver on flavour, this category will challenge more established ones such as confectionery or crisps.
“And not all protein shoppers are looking for the same type of protein snack. We see two distinct types of shoppers in this category—those that are embarking on active lifestyles and those that are looking for alternative, healthier snacks,” adds Austerberry.
“Where we find that these two types of shoppers collide is when the snack is satisfying, convenient, has a good amount of protein and of course, tastes great.
“As we are looking to continue to grow the protein category and continue to recruit shoppers into bars and shakes, we work closely with our retail partners to drive visibility and education around protein and protein bars and shakes where we offer market-leading products.”
Innovation is key to driving growth in the protein bar category. As the market leader, when Grenade launches new product innovation, it not only drives sales but also recruits new consumers to the category.
The brand’s latest innovation, the limited-edition Soft Core Creme Egg protein bar, is its softest protein bar yet and a completely new format of bar. It is made from light, fluffy protein dough with a decadent signature yolk-coloured Creme Egg flavoured filling, all wrapped in delicious smooth milk chocolate.
Grenade is breaking new ground with this innovation, which complements its core range. The Soft Core Creme Egg protein bar is the first ever official Creme Egg flavoured protein product and is designed to drive consumer interest and recruit new consumers to the category. This bar is ideal for consumers looking for a snack on the go, some fuel between meetings or a post-gym perk.
While this 45g bar has a more indulgent texture and taste, it is also packed with over 13 grams of protein and has just 2 grams of sugar and is non-HFSS.
The new year often brings new habits and among those are ones centred around health and wellness, which ties in nicely with the growing protein trend. As the category continues to grow, we have seen protein appear in more food and drink categories like yoghurt and cereals, for example. These categories help fuel interest in protein products and have a role to play in haloing the benefits of protein. Protein bars and shakes, however, continue to hold more than 96% of category value (Circana).
Consumers are buying protein bars for a variety of reasons. The primary driver is the amount of protein the bar contains with 42% of consumers looking for bars that contain 20g or more protein (Market Measures. With 20g or more protein in all of the Grenade 60g bars and 330ml protein shakes, the range caters towards this appetite for high- protein products. In addition to protein levels, consumers are also looking for better-for-you alternatives that deliver on flavour, but without the added sugar.
Smaller format protein bars can help drive penetration into the category. The 35g Grenade bars pack all of the flavour of their wider range but are a smaller eat, and lower price-point to entice new snackers into the category. They also provide a protein-packed snack to accompany a full meal solution for consumers looking to get more protein from their lunch. This format also works well for on-the-go snacking throughout the day.
Grenade’s 35g bar currently sits in the top 10 best-selling protein bars (Circana), proving the success of providing a smaller option for retailers.
“In grocery, we find that multipacks as well as our 35g snack size bar offer shoppers alternative choices outside of our core range,” says Austerberry. “The multipack format is a great opportunity for retailers to grow basket spend while the smaller snack size bar can be offered as part of a meal deal, which drives trial and can help recruit new shoppers to the category.”
In addition to protein bars, protein shakes are also performing strongly, now worth £113m, showing strong double-digit growth at +21%, so deserve similar shelf space to protein bars.
Last year, Grenade reinvested in its popular range of high protein, low-sugar protein shakes, building on awareness of the brand to deliver another option for consumers to shop protein-fuelled products. The range of shakes has been reformulated to give UK consumers the very best in high protein, low sugar liquid that delivers functionality and flavour. Each 330ml bottle has over 25g of protein, is low in fat and sugar and is made from natural flavours and colours. The range is also suitable for vegetarians and is non-HFSS.
“We’ve focused on formulating five delicious flavours including Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Chocolate Salted Caramel, Cookies & Cream, Strawberries & Cream, and White Chocolate,” continues Austerberry. ‘We know that our shoppers favour chocolate and indulgent flavours when purchasing shakes, so the range is well positioned to tap into that trend.”
As well, the bottles can be recycled kerbside, including the cap and sleeve, so UK consumers can enjoy hitting their protein goals while doing the right thing for the planet.
The brand believes the range is shaking up the RTD protein category and can drive incremental sales for retailers, particularly when the full range is stocked alongside Grenade’s best-selling Protein Bars.
“We create immersive experiences that are disruptive within the category and drive interest and excitement,” adds Austerberry. “For years, we’ve taken tanks through the streets of London and deployed our distinctive attitude to help drive the snacking revolution. We’ve been relentless in the pursuit of better-tasting snacks, and we are determined to continue to bring new shoppers into the category and meet the objections of protein bars and shakes head-on. And we have seen our efforts pay off.”
Grenade is the number one protein bar brand (Circana) and holds eight of the top 10 protein bars. Its best-selling flavours include Grenade OREO, Grenade Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel and Grenade Cookie Dough.
The brand is also an official sponsor of gen-Z favourite, Baller League, in efforts to capture the attention of the next generation of protein snackers. It continues to look for ways to excite new consumers and increase the penetration of protein bars.
“Visibility is key for the success of a healthier snacking range, particularly protein bars,” advises Austerberry. “With one in five shoppers saying they can’t see protein bars where they shop (Market Measures), retailers are missing out on a sales opportunity as protein bars have a high POR of more than 40%.”
CELSIUS®, the functional energy drink brand formulated for active lifestyles, is kicking off the new year with the launch of four new zero sugar, fruit-forward flavours for consumers in the UK and Ireland. The flavours – Sparkling Raspberry Peach, Sparkling Mango Lemonade, Sparkling Kiwi Guava, and Sparkling Strawberry Watermelon – are part of the brand’s ‘core’ line-up that have helped make CELSIUS the fastest growing energy drink brand in the U.S.
Landing on shelves from January 2026, as consumers set New Year’s resolutions that focus on health and wellness goals, the launch is engineered to capitalise on the seasonal surge in fitness culture and maximise incrementality for retailers. The brand’s ‘core’ range features striking, clean can designs that are emblematic of the CELSIUS LIVE FIT™ ethos.
Garrett Quigley, President, Celsius International, comments: “We are excited for consumers in the UK and Ireland to experience the latest innovation from CELSIUS arriving from January. We believe the zero sugar, fruit-forward flavours that distinguish CELSIUS from traditional energy drinks align with consumers’ evolving needs for great taste without compromise. This innovation is designed to bring new consumers into the growing energy category, drive growth, and be a meaningful contributor to higher basket value for our retailers.”
The new CELSIUS flavours reflect the brand’s commitment to drive category growth through continued innovation with fruit-forward offerings, keeping loyal fans engaged while attracting new shoppers. They will be available across major retailers, convenience stores, and gyms and supported by sampling, activations, and high-impact POS displays.
Additionally, Sparkling Raspberry Peach and Sparkling Mango Lemonade flavours will be available as a multipack for the first time in the UK and Ireland. The introduction of multipacks offers retailers a ‘drink later’ format that enables consumers to stock up their cupboards and conveniently add CELSIUS to their daily routines.
Born in fitness, CELSIUS is a functional energy drink brand that combines bold taste and a blend of essential vitamins and caffeine without sugar or preservatives. CELSIUS supports active lifestyles with a blend of essential vitamins which contribute to the normal function of the immune system (B6, B12, C) and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue (B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C), while helping to increase alertness and improve concentration (caffeine).
XO Fitness, the UK-based performance nutrition brand focused on making elite-standard products accessible to everyone, is pleased to announce its feature in Home Bargains, launching as part of the retailer’s New Year in-store Extreme Fitness Sports Event campaign.
Timed to coincide with the annual focus on fitness, wellbeing and healthy routines, the Home Bargains Extreme Sports Event feature showcases standout brands designed to support consumers as they reset their habits for the year ahead. XO Fitness’s range is included within this curated health and wellness space, offering shoppers convenient access to hydration and performance-focused nutrition during one of the most important retail periods for the category.
XO Fitness was founded with the aim of bridging the gap between professional-grade sports nutrition and everyday fitness needs. The brand develops science-led formulas using carefully selected, premium ingredients, with a strong emphasis on quality, functionality and independent testing. By removing unnecessary complexity and inflated pricing, XO Fitness delivers products that can be used daily by gym-goers, athletes and anyone living an active lifestyle.
The Home Bargains feature places XO Fitness in front of a broad UK audience, reinforcing the brand’s growing presence within mainstream retail and its appeal beyond specialist fitness channels. This latest retail feature reflects the continued momentum behind XO Fitness as demand grows for accessible, performance-driven nutrition that fits seamlessly into everyday routines.
Selected XO Fitness products are available in Home Bargains stores nationwide as part of the New Year health and wellness feature. The XO Fitness range includes brand new innovations such as the creatine sachets, chews and gummies, electrolytes, energy gels and collagen powders.
Sophie Gaughan, Account Director at H&WB brands, the owners of XO Fitness, commented on the upcoming feature: “Being featured in Home Bargains as part of their New Year health and wellness campaign is a huge milestone for XO Fitness. Our goal has always been to make high-quality, performance-led nutrition accessible to everyone, not just elite athletes. This feature allows us to reach a wider audience at a time when so many people are focused on improving their health and building better habits for the year ahead.”
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