From convenient snacks to restaurant-inspired meals, retailers must cater to a wide range of Big Night In needs.
Rising living costs and changing social habits are driving more consumers to socialise at home, making the Big Night In (BNI) an increasingly important mission for convenience retailers.
According to Sharon Warburton, Head of Category at AG Barr, the trend is becoming increasingly significant for convenience retailers.
“In 2026, the Big Night In represents a crucial mission for convenience retailers,” she says. “Consumers are adjusting to rising prices in bars and restaurants, with almost a third saying they will visit less often [Circana Foodservice Sentiment Study, May 2025], instead creating their own occasions at home.”
As more consumers moderate alcohol consumption, retailers have an opportunity to grow basket spend through soft drinks.
Warburton highlights the importance of variety. “With one in five shoppers choosing to avoid alcohol [Alcohol change UK], retailers with a range of delicious and interesting flavours in a variety of pack formats will see the biggest uplifts.”
Low- and no-sugar products are becoming particularly important, with low-calorie carbonates now accounting for 55% of category value sales and growing faster than regular alternatives [Circana Value Sales, 12 w.e 07.03.26, Total Coverage].
Following a successful limited-edition launch, Irn-Bru Ice Cream has been added permanently to the Zero range, while Irn-Bru Zero Cherry has launched exclusively into convenience.
At the more indulgent end of the soft drinks spectrum, dairy drinks are also finding their way into the BNI basket. According to FrieslandCampina, consumers continue to seek indulgent moments within everyday life. This is reflected in the growth of brands like Chocomel, which has successfully attracted a new wave of shoppers who are engaging with the “at-home treat occasion”.
RTDs in demand
Ready-to-drink alcohol is another BNI winner, especially with younger adult consumers.
Scott Bell, Marketing Director at SHS Drinks, says the shift towards home entertaining continues to gather pace. “Consumers still want memorable occasions with friends, but increasingly they’re creating them at home.”
RTDs remain one of the fastest-growing alcohol segments, delivering 14% annual growth [UK Take Home RTDs, 52 weeks, w/e 16/05/26], while WKD itself continues to enjoy strong momentum.
The brand has delivered more than 10% value growth in recent months [UK Take Home RTDs, 12 weeks, w/e 11/07/26] and continues to strengthen its appeal through a broad range of formats and strengths.
“From alcohol-free choices with WKD 0.0% through to higher-strength WKD X variants, the portfolio enables retailers to meet evolving consumer preferences while maximising sales opportunities,” says Bell.
Flavour remains critical. Products such as WKD X Blue Raspberry have generated exceptional growth, while the new WKD Cocktails range brings popular on-trade serves including Blue Lagoon, Venom and Cheeky V into the home environment.
SHS Drinks is supporting growth through a £10m consumer investment programme during 2026, helping ensure the category remains highly visible among younger adult drinkers.
Take-home message
Global Brands is also benefiting from the growing popularity of BNI home drinking occasions.
According to Craig Chapman, Head of Brand at Global Brands, RTDs account for 28% of convenience alcohol value sales [The Knowledge Bank 2025], with more than half of buyers specifically purchasing for home consumption [Mintel 2026].
“For planned occasions that require hosting, stocking multipacks or larger formats is key, offering an easy, all-in-one solution for shoppers looking to stock up with enough choice to suit different tastes without overcomplicating the shop,” he says. “For example, VK’s 70cl bottle and mixed packs are built for group settings and best enjoyed when getting together with friends for social occasions.”
Multipacks are also central to craft beer consumption, with more than half (55%) of all craft beer spend coming from four- to six-packs, states BrewDog [Circana Total Impulse latest MAT wks data up to 25.05.25].
“We also continue to see success with our BrewDog mixed multipack SKUs, which are up 87% versus YA [Circana Total Impulse w/e 25.05.25],” says Georgia Ladbrook, Shopper Marketing Manager, Impulse, BrewDog. “Perfect for sharing and trialling different styles, these packs are ideal for the Big Night In occasion, and by driving wider availability linked to the Big Night In mission, there is an opportunity to upweight basket spend.”
From a craft beer perspective, IPA is the most popular and best-performing style of beer year-round, worth 70% of the craft beer market [ibid], while Punk IPA remains the number-one craft beer brand [ibid], making it an important signpost to help shoppers navigate fixtures and a must-stock for retailers looking to maximise BNI sales.
Last summer, BrewDog introduced price-marked versions of its best-selling products: Punk IPA 4-pack and Hazy Jane 4-pack. Earlier this year, BrewDog extended its PMP range with the introduction of Lost Lager and Cold Beer Pint Can 4-pack PMPs.
Sizing things up
Within the wider beer and cider market, Aston Manor Cider claims that BNI sees consumers gravitate towards larger packs.
“With shoppers planning ahead for evenings in, multipacks and larger take-home formats play an important role,” says Head of Marketing Grace Anthony. “Value-led cider formats, particularly PET bottles and multipacks, are resonating strongly with consumers who want to cater for groups while keeping spend under control.”
The firm claims that its strongest-performing SKUs are those that offer the best value. Crumpton Oaks 2.5l PET is the No.1 cider PET in the UK convenience channel [TWC, Cider, Product Performance, Volume, Last 13wks to 30.11.2025] and Crumpton Oaks 4x568ml is up 38% [ibid].
While larger pack sizes work well for BNI, Sarah Duncan, Heineken Commercial Strategy Director, notes that convenience shoppers are limited by what they can carry.
“Smaller pack sizes are more accessible for those who are walking to their local store, especially those located in busy town and city centres where taking home larger multipacks might not be accessible. It’s also important to keep in mind that while some convenience stores may have parking facilities, not all will, so consumers will be looking for beer and cider they can carry easily home, so small-pack sizes (three- to six-packs) will win here.”
However, retailers who offer home delivery are able to overcome this barrier. Jaz Ali of Jaz’s Premier in Grangemouth took full advantage of his Scoot rapid delivery service by running promotions on larger beer pack sizes during the World Cup.
“We did a Fosters 10-pack, a bottle of cola and a six-pack of crisps for £9.99 for Scotland games,” he says. “We’ll start doing that during the league as well.”
Sporting occasions represent substantial opportunities, concurs KP Snacks.
“Strong brand associations with major events significantly increase product relevance for shoppers, with 77% of sports viewers saying they notice brands surrounding sporting events [Bauer Media Outdoor Sports Advertising Survey July – September 2023] and 58% planning to buy snacks around sporting events [Bauer Media Outdoor Sporting Intentions Study, March 2024, N=1,256],” says Head of Convenience and Impulse Stuart Graham. “McCoy’s is perfectly positioned to capture this demand as the official Savoury Snacks Partner for the NFL in the UK and Ireland, making it ideal for watching the big game at home.”
KP Nuts’ association with PDC Darts World Champion Luke Littler also helps drive relevance around key viewing occasions.
As it celebrates its 40th anniversary, ice cream brand Mackie’s has picked up two stars at the 2026 Great Taste Awards.
Mackie’s Traditional variant was described as “utter perfection”, while its Salted Caramel flavour was lauded for its smooth, creamy texture and well-balanced flavour.
The firm gave a “huge thank you” to its staff for the care, dedication and hard work that goes into making its ice cream.
Looking back on 40 years in the business, the company said: “Since making our first tubs of ice cream on the family farm in 1986, we have grown to become one of the UK’s fastest-growing premium ice cream brands and Scotland’s best-selling ice cream brand by volume [Kantar Worldpanel], while remaining firmly rooted in Aberdeenshire, where we still make all of our ice cream and chocolate.”
Share the fun
The firm claims that sharing remains the largest segment within crisps, snacks and nuts, now worth more than £2bn [Nielsen IQ, Total Coverage, Total Value, MAT 13.06.26] and is growing.
PepsiCo advises merchandising sharing snacks by complementary categories to boost BNI sales.
“Retailers can position sharing packs near soft drinks to drive cross-category sales and boost the Big Night In opportunity,” says Ed Merrett, Wholesale Controller at PepsiCo.
“To amplify this, using point of sale materials can deliver 12% sales uplift [NIQ, Independents & Symbols Cal Yr 2025 – w/e 27/12/25].”
He advises retailers to place sharing formats at the top of their main displays so they are right in the shopper’s eyeline. “This grabs attention and encourages trade-up to larger packs, which deliver higher value than singles. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the value, the higher they should sit.”
In addition to larger formats, BNI shoppers are also seeking affordable luxury, observes Mars Wrigley.
“Value remains important to this occasion, so price-marked packs (PMPs) and the Big Night In go hand-in-hand,” states Lauren George, External Communications Manager at Mars Wrigley. “PMPs offer reassurance to consumers that they are paying a fair price for a quality product, while also helping convenience retailers build trust and confidence with shoppers and drive repeat purchases.”
The firm’s new Skittles Flavour Flip fits the bill as it comes in a £1 PMP 109g bag, as well as a 136g pouch. Each pack contains a Skittles lentil with two-in-one flavour and colour combinations in every bite. They are particularly well suited to teen-influenced households, adds George.
Fini has also tapped into demand for a multi-sensory experience with products like Fini Sour and Inside Out Tubes.
“Shoppers are increasingly looking for products that feel different, exciting and worth the spend, even within accessible impulse categories,” says Steven Greaves, Managing Director UK and Ireland at Fini.
Going global
Another big trend is Asian-inspired sweets, such as Fini Mini Mochis, which the group claims are moving firmly from niche into the mainstream as shopper interest accelerates.
“Research shows that 78% of UK shoppers now purchase Asian-inspired bagged snacks, while online discussion around Asian sweet and savoury snacks continues to grow year-on-year [Innova Market Insights],” says Greaves. “This shift underlines just how mainstream global influence has become within confectionery, with shoppers continuing to engage with bold flavours, colours and distinctive textures.”
Demand for global-inspired flavours also impacts BNI meals.
“Convenient, easy-to-prepare meal solutions – such as world food meal kits, heat & eat meals and ready-to-use sauces – are key BNI purchase drivers as they align with cost of living trends and deliver restaurant-quality ready meal options as an ideal alternative to eating out,” says Akash Mittal, Brand Manager at Empire Bespoke Foods (EBF), which imports and distributes speciality foods from around the world.
The group offers a wide range of authentic meal kits and accompaniments based on global cuisines including Indian and Korean (Master Cook), Japanese (S&B), Malaysian (Malay Taste), Thai (Thai Taste) and Vietnamese (Nem Viet). He suggests retailers further capitalise on BNI by creating ‘pick ’n’ mix’ displays featuring meal kits, snacks and drinks.
Shezad Aslam, Managing Director of Aagrah Food, which specialises in Kashmiri and Indian cooking tarka pastes, sauces and sides, believes there is an especially strong BNI opportunity for Indian cuisine.
“Scotland has always punched above its weight when it comes to appetite for authentic Indian food,” he says. “It’s no coincidence that some of the highest concentrations of Indian restaurants and takeaways in the UK are found north of the border, and that appetite is now translating directly into the BNI fixture.
“Within BNI, cooking sauces, pastes and accompaniments sit at the heart of the ‘fakeaway’ occasion, and in Scotland specifically we’re seeing strong performance from curry sauces and pastes, poppadums and naan, the categories that let a household recreate a proper restaurant-style curry night without leaving the kitchen.”
Making a meal of it
St Pierre Groupe has also recognised the trend towards recreating restaurant-inspired meals at home for less than the cost of dining out.
The firm claims that its savoury brioche buns give shoppers an opportunity to trade up.
“Shoppers are looking for small upgrades that deliver stronger taste, quality and enjoyment without significantly increasing the overall cost of the meal,” says Commercial Director Rachel Wells. She claims that St Pierre Brioche Buns and Hot Dog Rolls allow shoppers to elevate burgers, hot dogs and fakeaways at modest cost, helping retailers deliver premium options without sacrificing value.
Products that can feed several people are also becoming increasingly important, adds Josh Corrigan, Customer Development Director, UK, at St Pierre Groupe.
“Baker Street’s Burger Buns and Hot Dog Rolls offer a simple and versatile base for popular Big Night In meals, helping shoppers create crowd-pleasing burgers and hot dogs at home,” he says. “Their longer shelf life also gives consumers the flexibility to buy ahead, while helping retailers maintain availability and reduce waste.”
Retailers should also cater for BNI shoppers who want a casual night in with minimal preparation, advises Kepak Foods.
“Rustlers can be prepared in less time than it takes to watch a commercial break,” says Head of Convenience Ross Davison. “As Rustlers products are more likely to be eaten during relaxing moments in front of a TV [World Panel Usage, 52 w/e May 18 2025, % Share Occasions vs LY], and with 73% of Rustlers shoppers agreeing that eating and drinking out is prohibitively more expensive [Savvy Shopper Panel, Base: 1,002 UK Shoppers, January 2025], Rustlers really is made for the Big Night In occasion.”
Whether shoppers are planning a curry night, hosting friends for the big game or simply settling in on the sofa, retailers that can meet every element of the Big Night In mission stand to reap the rewards.
Retailers have just one month left to make the most of Pringles’ limited-edition Burger King flavours.
The non-HFSS Pringles x Burger King Bacon Double Cheese XL Flavour and Pringles x Burger King Chicken Royale Flavour bring the taste of two fan-favourite burgers to the snack aisle, offering shoppers a bold new option for sharing occasions at home.
Available until the end of September (subject to availability), the range has listings with Booker, Bestway and leading buying groups, as well as One Stop, Spar and Nisa.
Shoppers can use their Pringles x Burger King tubes to redeem an exclusive buy-one-get-one-free offer in restaurants by scanning the QR code on pack.
