The trend towards ‘foodvenience’, along with the emergence of younger, entrepreneurial independent retailers influencing buyer demand, is fuelling the convenience property market, with Scotland’s Central Belt highly sought after.
The insights were revealed in retail property expert Christie & Co’s Business Outlook 2026, which reported a surge of acquisition demand for convenience sites in 2025, which is set to continue in 2026.
Around 80% of Christie & Co’s retail transactions last year were convenience store deals and, despite general economic trends in the UK, the firm reported that the average price of retail businesses it sold increased by 5.9%.
Steve Rodell, Managing Director – Retail and Leisure, claimed that a generational resurgence was driving a “more agile and community-responsive retail landscape where success is increasingly defined by localised stock selections and operational efficiency through economies of scale”.
He also observed that retailers had embraced hybrid formats that blend traditional convenience with ‘foodvenience’, which involves on-site prepared food tailored to customers’ needs.
Christie & Co’s Top 5 Market Predictions for 2026:
- Operators will continue to embrace hybrid formats to blend traditional convenience with on-the-go tailored service for the modern customer.
- Emerging younger, entrepreneurial independent retailers will look to acquire stores and expand.
- Strategic divestment by corporate operators will continue.
- There will be an ongoing shift toward targeting a younger customer base, through employing innovative technologies and social media engagement.
- Prime and good secondary convenience store investments below £1.5m will remain popular with private investors but demand for weaker secondary/tertiary properties will be less robust.
