Soft drinks accounted for 17.5% of total convenience sales in 2025, according to new data from specialist convenience insight agency Talysis.
Its Convenience 2025 report, based on EPoS data from thousands of independent and symbol group stores, found impulse had “firmly established itself” as the primary driver of convenience.
Talysis said categories that meet on-the-go needs and offer functionality were gaining relevance in the sector, noting that soft drinks in particular had emerged as a “clear growth engine”.
Growth in soft drinks was driven largely by energy and sports products, meanwhile “innovation, functionality and NPD” had reshaped the category, the report showed.
In alcohol, established segments continued to decline last year, while RTDs rapidly gained share. RTD growth was supported by “chilled availability and impulse-led execution”, according to the agency.
RTDs showed growth in every region in 2025 and are on track to “challenge, if not overtake, cider in 2026”, it added.
Total convenience channel sales fell 1.7% in 2025
The report showed that the convenience channel was down 1.7% last year, with sales falling by 2.5% over the Christmas period.
Talysis said regulatory changes such as the disposable vape ban had a “disproportionate impact” on convenience due to its heavy reliance on tobacco-related footfall. It also cited “reduced discretionary spending” as a result of inflation pressures.
While tobacco and smoking alternatives remain the largest category in convenience, the disposable vape ban had “altered purchasing behaviour and category economics,” the agency added.
Ed Roberts, managing director of Talysis, said: “These are challenging times for convenience operators and the extra burdens created by the disposable vaping ban, increased business costs and ongoing inflationary pressures mean that only the best will survive in the long-run. However, it’s not all doom and gloom out there and there are opportunities for retailers to capitalise on.
”Focusing on customer missions, high-growth categories, agile implementation and clarity in pricing will be critical to driving growth in a challenging market. Convenience retailers will need to demonstrate their long-standing resilience and ingenuity once more as we go through 2026, but there are some positives to take from our findings.”
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