Welcome to the September-October issue of Grocery Trader. The UK’s two largest food redistribution charities are merging to tackle the scale of food waste and food insecurity at a time of urgent need. Each year, the UK wastes 10.7 million tonnes of food, while 14% of UK households live with food insecurity. With demand rising and eight in ten charities fearing they cannot keep up, combining forces now will support rescuing more food, cutting more waste and reaching more people.
READ THE SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER ISSUE HERE
Total till sales at UK supermarkets grew (+4.1%) in the last four weeks ending 6th September 2025. This growth up from +3.7% recorded in August signalled the end of the Summer holidays as shoppers shifted focus to back to school items and preparations for Christmas celebrations. The growth was also likely supported in part by rising inflation (+4.1%), which increased the overall basket value.
Aldi has announced plans to invest a record £1.6bn over the next two years (2026-27), opening 80 stores as sales continue to rise. The supermarket said it was ‘more determined than ever’ to meet the UK’s growing demand for affordable groceries as more families look to balance household budgets. A total of 21 stores are set to open in the next 13 weeks, including Shoreditch in London, Durham in the North East, and Kirkintilloch in Scotland.
When it comes to food and drink, innovation has long followed a familiar pattern. Trends – from hyped products to in-demand ingredients – have traditionally been identified by forecasters, developed by R&D teams, and eventually come to land on supermarket shelves. It’s a process that can take months, even years, and one that has typically relied on a small group of experts to make happen, writes Alex Brown, CCO and co-founder of Campfire.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is continuing to focus its enforcement activities across multiple sectors to protect consumers and support the government’s growth agenda. Armed with new powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC), the CMA may launch more investigations into companies in the grocery sector. These lengthy probes often begin dramatically with unannounced “dawn raids” that can turn a quiet Tuesday morning into chaos, write Kate Newman, Partner and Head of Competition and Nicola Holmes, Principal Associate, at Mills & Reeve.
Grocery retailers traditionally measure the cost of waste in write-offs, lost revenue and inefficiencies. But now, a progressive industry is expected to take a more effective management approach. The pressure is on retailers to rethink how they manage perishable inventory under the spotlight of environmental scrutiny, shrinking margins and heightened consumer expectations writes Alex Considine Tong, Chief Product Officer at Retail Insight.
Enjoy reading the issue.
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