Hello, welcome to our February newsletter, diving into the most interesting things we’ve spotted from the world of retail and CPG over the last month.

Featuring CPG collabs (the good and the bad), acquisition news, the “Everything Must Have Protein” trend continuation, a booze-related (but not fuelled) long read, and 3 absolutely must-attend events.

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January’s Interesting Things

1. In Collaboration News
   
   1. Absolut Collab with Tabasco - Absolut continue the trend of collaborations (notably with Heinz a couple of years ago). But this one caught everyone’s eye in the office last month. This nails a common cross-shop; Vodka and Tabasco, without the pre-mix. This works as solving a mission for shoppers (see our longer read on why this is important in alcohol below). Great for both brands (plus the images are ace).
      
      1. https://www.absolut.com/en/products/absolut-tabasco/ 
   2. Coca-Cola Launch… Makeup? - A limited edition drop of Coca-Cola beauty products in collaboration with influencer, Bruna Tavares. This is an interesting experiment crossing into a totally unrelated category. I expect this to do well in marketing case studies, but shoppers don’t seek “Sensory Translation of Brand Equity” when they buy makeup.
      
      1. https://www.neoma.media/blog/coca-cola-makeup-core-marketing-strategy-behind-the-bruna-tavares-collaboration 
2. In Acquisition News:
   
   1. P&G Acquires Wonderbelly - We’ve seen the boom in Digestive Health in Soft Drinks (see Olipop, Poppi), but in its more natural home, the “Free From” digestive relief startup Wonderbelly was acquired by P&G, sitting naturally alongside its portfolio like Pepto and Metamucil. Strong benefits to both brands here - more distribution, younger consumers - should be a winner.
      
      1. https://us.pg.com/blogs/wonderbelly-joins-pg-personal-health-care-portfolio/ 
   2. Kroger Acquires The Good Crisp Co. - MPearlRock (Kroger’s partner Private Equity arm) acquired The Good Crisp Company - a gluten-free, non-GMO “canister crisp” (don’t say “Pringles”). Likely some Private Label benefits here, but expect other retailers to quietly limit distribution now it’s Kroger-adjacent.
      
      1. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260113656430/en/MPearlRock-Acquires-The-Good-Crisp-Company-a-Leading-Clean-Label-Salty-Snack-Platform 
3. In “Everything Must Have Protein” News
   
   1. Beyond Meat Launches Protein Drinks - We’re presenting a case study at an event in London in a few weeks about how to launch innovation that crosses categories - this most certainly is not it. Beyond Meat is launching “Immerse Protein Drink” - 10 grams of pea protein, a giant cognitive leap for shoppers who know them for burgers, not beverages.
      
      1. https://investors.beyondmeat.com/news-releases/news-release-details/beyond-meatr-launches-beyond-immersetm-protein-drink 
   2. New High Protein Drink - Pure Genius launched a drink containing 23 grams of protein (around 4 boiled eggs, for those wondering). Feels like we’re in a race for the most protein-dense claim out there at this stage, and will probably fly off the shelves for exactly that reason, whether anyone needs 23 grams in one shot or not.
      
      1. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mel-robbins-launches-pure-genius-protein-a-pocket-sized-23-gram-protein-shot-designed-for-busy-people-302652229.html 

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How Shoppers Make Alcohol Decisions

Speaking of missions and occasions in alcohol (see: Absolute x Tabasco above), we released a longer read article on how shoppers buy into the alcohol category, and what brands need to be doing to meet these needs.

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Beer, Wine & Spirits is one of the most context-driven categories in grocery. Shoppers rarely enter the aisle thinking in brands or SKUs. They arrive with an occasion, a mood, or a constraint in mind - tonight, the weekend, guests, gifting, unwinding, moderation.

Alcohol purchases are often intentional, but rarely rigid. In the VST Value Tracker, Beer/Wine/Spirits sits in the “mostly planned” camp: 67% say purchases are completely or mostly planned (Sept 2025). That’s high intent, but it doesn’t mean fixed choice. Many trips are planned at an occasion level (“get wine for dinner”), but not locked to a specific brand or SKU.

This flexibility has become more commercially important under sustained value pressure. In the VST Value Tracker (Sept 2025), 71% cite cost of living as a top concern, and 75% say price/value drives where they shop. At the same time, shoppers are not simply buying the cheapest option: 56% say they’d rather spend more for better quality (Feb 2025), while 47% say they try to buy the cheapest products on shelf (Sept 2025). That tension between trading-down in some moments and trading-up in others  is exactly the environment BWS teams are operating in.

This category review brings together the behavioural patterns that shape alcohol decision-making and the strategy questions that matter most for CPG teams navigating growth, innovation, and retailer conversations.

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Continue reading:

https://www.storetrials.com/new-blogs/how-shoppers-make-alcohol-decisions-and-what-it-means-for-cpg-strategy 

Events

February is the start of conference season for us - sign-up or come and say “hi” at any of the events below!

Shopper, Retailer & Category Insights Conference - London, UK - 12th Feb

We’ll be speaking at the Shopper, Retailer & Category Insights conference in London on the 12th Feb. During this session, we’ll be sharing how to launch true innovation to expand a category. If you’d like to join us there, you can get tickets from here, or let us know if we can help out by replying to this message.

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CMA | SIMA Conference - Las Vegas - 15th-18th Feb

We’ll be attending the CMA | SIMA conference in Las Vegas in February. Let me know if you’d like to join, or if we can meet up whilst there. Tips for locations outside of casinos always welcome!

VST What’s In-Store - Manchester, UK - 23rd April

We’ll be running our second ever “What’s In-Store” event in the UK on 23rd April. You can expect some case studies and interactive panels on making better decisions for the shelf - faster, and with less friction. You can sign up to attend here.

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