The effects of the Queen’s Jubilee on the food and beverage industry
Laura Jackson, co-founder of Popcorn Shed, examines the effects of the UK’s celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on the food and drink industry.
The UK is commemorating a historic occasion this week, June 2, 5–6, 2022: Queen Elizabeth the II’s 70th year in the monarchy. Regardless of your feelings toward the Queen and the Royal family, you cannot avoid the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee fever. She is the first British monarch to achieve this milestone.
People in the UK will be celebrating this historic occasion with an extended four-day weekend. In addition to the nationwide festivities, parades, garden, and street parties, a new trend has emerged: the popularity of foods and beverages with jubilee themes. Supermarket shelves, adorned with royal decorations and bursting with products with distinctively British flavours, may be seen at stores like Tesco and Sainsbury’s, to mention a few. There is a wide variety of food and drink available to celebrate the historic moment, including Union Jack biscuits, British gourmet popcorn, cakes featuring portraits of the Queen, and gin bottles made specifically for the occasion.
fresh releases to commemorate the event
We at Popcorn Shed are renowned for our creative flavor combinations and fresh interpretations on classics. In honor of the Jubilee Celebration, we have introduced two British-themed gourmet popcorn flavors: Cherry Bakewell and Strawberries & Cream.
With two public holidays coming up, along with some decent weather (for the UK at least), demand for BBQ, desserts, alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks is predicted to skyrocket. As Britons get ready to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee and set aside their concerns about the expense of living for a few days, many producers have stated that the celebration has had a mini-boost to trade.
What does this signify for the beverage and food sector?
According to Marks & Spencer, at least 40% of Britons planned a street celebration, and 39 million adults, according to the Co-op, will be celebrating in some way. The Jubilee has the power to instill a sense of optimism in consumers, encouraging them to set aside their worries—even if only momentarily.
It hasn’t been an easy ride for the food and drink industry; from multiple lockdowns, to Brexit, packaging shortages and rising prices. Such factors have plagued the sector with a series of obstacles (supply chain challenges, increasing costs and labour shortages), which may explain why food and drink has been one of the main contributors to consumer inflation in recent months and why consumers might be seeing price increases in their regular spending. These price rises in food and drinks partly reflect the challenges faced by businesses in the food and drink sector.
In addition, a number of changes have occurred in the food and drink business as a result of strict laws, technological breakthroughs, and quickly shifting consumer behavior. Increased trade is desperately needed! The increase in trade spending for the Jubilee is anticipated to be temporary, though. British citizens’ disposable income is being squeezed as a result of inflation, which in April reached a 40-year high of 9% and is expected to continue rising.
Although many food and drink firms benefit from the Jubilee weekend boost, our industry is driven by consumers, and the ongoing need to innovate, be current, and be on-trend puts a strain on resources. This is made worse by the numerous economic challenges and roadblocks that our sector has had to overcome.