- Publication date: Wednesday 8 July 2026
- Editorial submissions deadline: Wednesday 17 June 2026
- Editorial contact: Amy North, amy.north@wrbm.com
The meal deal has evolved from a convenience offer into a key driver of footfall, innovation, and competition across retail and food-to-go. Previously just a humble sandwich, bottle of pop, and a packet of crisps, what’s on offer has changed to accommodate consumer needs with health, excitement, and global flavours among the considerations for NPD.
This feature will explore the evolution and take a closer look at what items are included now.
Key topics this feature will explore:
- How important are meal deals in food to go?
- How have the items in meal deals changed over the past few years and why?
- What does this tell us about their role?
- What does this tell us about consumer needs and priorities out of home?
- What makes a successful meal deal today?
- Are customers still motivated by value, or is convenience/quality more important now?
- How is this reflected in the cost of meal deals today vs a few years ago?
- Meal deals were previously just for lunchtime with the classic sandwich + drink + crisps combination dominating. How are they playing out at other occasions, such as breakfast?
- What new formats are emerging (e.g. hot meal deals, breakfast bundles, subscriptions)?
- How important is personalisation or digital targeting in meal deals?
- How are other operators, such as coffee shops and bakeries, competing?
- What will the UK meal deal look like in five years’ time?
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