By Lucy Britner, senior content consultant, William Murray
2025 will forever be the year of the strawberries and creme sandwich. A viral sensation from M&S, the sandwich was more popular on LinkedIn than a ChatGPT rant. And it didn’t take long for others to jump on the sweet sandwich trend – Tesco followed with a Birthday Cake sandwich, which even garnered a review in The Guardian.
The rise and rise of GLP-1 weight loss drugs has also dominated the headlines this year, with millions of consumers looking to the likes of Wegovy or Mounjaro to lose weight. The impact is being felt, with smaller portions becoming more prevalent. We expect this trend to continue into 2026 – and form part of a more nuanced debate, as new studies and habits emerge.
The November Budget was, of course, big news – and another hammer blow for the industry. As Kate Nicholls, chair of UKHospitality, put it: “Wage rises, holiday taxes and monumental increases in rateable values have put even further pressure on hospitality businesses, as a result of this Budget.” You can see what our finance director had to say about it, here.
In technology, the biggest story had to be the cyber attack on Marks & Spencer, no doubt leading businesses across retail and foodservice to look more closely at their own cyber security measures. A key consideration for anyone exploring crisis management.
In QSRs, healthy fast food chain Leon hit the headlines after the business was reacquired by its co-founder, John Vincent. There’s restructuring work going on at the moment, with the closure of unprofitable outlets and the prospect of more openings, once the ship is back on course.
Towards the end of the year, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver announced plans to relaunch Jamie’s Italian, six years after it disappeared from the high street. As fashion trends continue to work their way from the 90s and into noughties nostalgia, can we expect more brand revivals from the early 2000s?
Several campaigns also captured attention this year, particularly in the fast food world. Burger King’s Wagyu campaign was a stand-out, as was a Happy Meal campaign from McDonald’s, which struck a more serious note. In November, McDonald’s launched it first-ever blank Happy Meal box, encouraging kids to draw how they feel. The move followed research that found that 42% of kids struggle to talk to adults about how they feel, but 73% find it easier to talk about feelings when drawing.
