Scottish brands have bounced back, according to Worldpanel by Numerator’s 2025 Brand Footprint report, which shines a light on the top five most chosen Scottish FMCG brands by shoppers in Scotland.
The data shows that 52% of FMCG brands in Scotland saw gains in 2024, up from just 36% the year before.
Irn Bru held onto its number one spot with a 3% rise in spend and 1.1 million shoppers. The full sugar variant continues to lead, showing higher penetration than any other line in the range.
McGhee’s came in second place with a penetration of 50.8%, with shoppers buying nearly 11 times a year. Strong sales of soft white rolls and potato scones are driving growth, especially online and in supermarkets.
Graham’s saw the highest penetration at 55%. Growth is driven by the one litre Gold Smooth milk and the rising frequency of its protein and skyr yoghurts across Scotland and beyond.
Tunnock’s has 1.4 million shoppers and 53.3% penetration. While overall frequency has dipped slightly, chocolate biscuit bars are being bought more often and teacakes are reaching more homes, supported by strong supermarket and online sales.
Bells secured fifth place with a 4% increase in spend and 98,000 new shoppers. The pie brand’s presence in Scottish households has grown to 49.7%, and despite a small drop in frequency to 6.2 trips, the brand is seeing growth across all major channels, including online and supermarkets.
Worldpanel by Numerator’s global data reveals that just over half (50.2%) of FMCG brands were chosen more often in 2024, marking a rebound from 45% in 2023. This pattern, known as the ‘50:50 game’, highlights that even the world’s biggest and most recognisable brands can’t take growth for granted. In Scotland, the 50:50 game reveals a clear pattern in FMCG, where around half of all brands grow each year while the other half decline. In 2024, 52% of brands increased their growth, a strong recovery from 2023’s 36%, yet still in line with the long-term trend, observed the company.
“Growth isn’t a matter of luck but of strategy, with penetration as the key driver,” claimed the firm . “Many Scottish brands are small or local and the data shows that smaller brands are more likely to grow, though as they scale, maintaining that growth becomes more difficult, the group observed. All brands lose shoppers over time and as their base gets larger, replacing lost buyers and adding new ones becomes increasingly challenging, making a strong, deliberate growth strategy more important than ever.”
Lesley Ann Gray, Strategic Insight Director at Worldpanel by Numerator, said: “For brands, the chances of finding a place in household cupboards and fridges around the world are as uncertain as a coin toss, with inflation and geopolitical pressures heavily influencing how people shop and which products they choose. That does not mean, however, that growth is purely down to chance. Even so, brands should anticipate that next year the odds of growth will decline from an even split (50:50) to something more like 45:55, which means they will need to work even harder to achieve success.”
