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Report
en_GB
Making biscuits feel permissible offers a powerful opportunity to unlock more at-home snacking occasions. Over half (52%) of consumers say not wanting to eat too many biscuits discourages them from…
UK
Biscuits, Cookies and Crackers
simple
UK Sweet Biscuits Market Report 2026
"Permissibility is key to growth by unlocking more frequent use. Nostalgia, textures and linking biscuits with break moments offer powerful emotional levers."
Making biscuits feel permissible offers a powerful opportunity to unlock more at-home snacking occasions. Over half (52%) of consumers say not wanting to eat too many biscuits discourages them from keeping them at home, weighing on usage. Packaging that supports moderation and positive health cues can help biscuits secure a place as an everyday household staple.
The sweet biscuit category faces a challenging outlook in 2026, with rising costs putting pressure on the companies while rising inflation see shoppers scrutinise grocery budgets, hot weather also weighing on volumes.
Biscuits’ mood boost connotations offer a powerful emotional lever in 2026 and 2027, amid rising pressures on consumers. Interest in bold textures points to opportunities to elevate biscuits’ treat credentials and justify spend, and to target hosting as an underdeveloped occasion.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
Market performance, including the impact of wider inflation, cocoa costs and hot weather on value and volume sales
Key trends in recent launch activity and future innovation opportunities across health and indulgence
Key demographic groups and the importance of targeting new usage occasions
The opportunity for sweet biscuits to secure a greater role in at-home snacking occasions by improving permissibility
How nostalgia, texture innovation, hosting occasions and break-time positioning can drive usage frequency and category value
Collapse All
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
What you need to know
Outlook for sweet biscuits and chocolate biscuit bars
Opportunities
Drive everyday biscuit occasions through greater permissibility
Look to the ‘me time’ break
Elevate biscuits through sensory appeal and guest-worthy positioning
Discover the top five trend territories for success in UK bakery using Black Swan’s social prediction technology
THE MARKET
Snapshot – market size and forecast
Market factors
Biscuits are well placed to weather weak consumer confidence
Graph 1: financial wellbeing and confidence indices, 2019-26
Biscuits fit ‘moderation mindset’ amid healthy eating efforts
Restrictions on HFSS food and drink limit visibility of biscuits
Escalating inflation puts biscuits under scrutiny
Graph 2: consumer price inflation for bread, other bakery products, chocolate and all food, 2019-25
Market size
Market size and forecast
Market size and forecast of sweet biscuits and chocolate biscuit bars
Graph 3: retail market value forecast for sweet biscuits and chocolate biscuit bars, 2021-31
McVitie’s retains top position in sweet biscuits
Graph 4: leading brands’ sales in the sweet biscuits market, by value, 2023/24-25/26
Fox’s Fabulous, Maryland and Jammie Dodgers shine in sweet biscuits
Penguin and Blue Riband buck volume decline in chocolate biscuit bars
Graph 5: leading brands’ sales in the chocolate biscuit countlines segment, by value, 2023/24-25/26
THE CONSUMER
Biscuits are a near-universal treat
Nine in ten eat sweet biscuits, four in ten of these three or more times a week
Graph 6: frequency of eating sweet biscuits, 2022, 2023 and 2026
Young people have wider biscuit repertoires
Graph 7: number of reasons for buying sweet biscuits, by age, 2026
Reliance on the hot drink occasion poses a risk
Build permissibility
Permissibility is crucial to support usage
Make biscuits more permissible
Adult-focused portion control boosts biscuit permissibility
Protein and natural claims drive biscuit preference
Reposition biscuit tins as not only for Christmas
Leverage biscuits’ role as mood boosters
Break moments, texture and nostalgia shape biscuit appeal
Celebrate “me time”
Leverage nostalgia to capitalise on powerful mood boost connotations amid rising consumer concerns
Tailor nostalgic cues to different generations
Dial up texture to compete with other snacks
Position biscuits as the choice for hosting occasions
PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
Category blurring continues
Launches explore both permissibility…
…and indulgence
Brands look to stay fresh with format and flavour NPD…
…and partnerships and redesigns
Brands leverage heritage, indulgence and distinctive assets in marketing
APPENDIX
Report scope
The market
Segment sales
Chocolate biscuit countlines: leading brands’ value sales
Chocolate biscuit countlines: leading brands’ volume sales
Chocolate biscuit countlines: leading manufacturers’ value sales
Chocolate biscuit countlines: leading manufacturers’ volume sales
Sweet biscuits: leading brands’ value sales
Sweet biscuits: leading brands’ volume sales
Sweet biscuits: leading manufacturers’ value sales
Sweet biscuits: leading manufacturers’ volume sales
Forecast methodology
Forecast methodology – fan chart
Market size and forecast of sweet biscuits and chocolate biscuit bars (volume fanchart)
Graph 8: market volume forecast for sweet biscuits and chocolate biscuit bars, 2021-31
Market size and forecast of sweet biscuits and chocolate biscuit bars (value)
Market size and forecast of sweet biscuits and chocolate biscuit bars (volume)
Market forecast and prediction intervals: sweet biscuits and chocolate biscuit bars(value)
Market forecast and prediction intervals: sweet biscuits and chocolate biscuit bars (volume)
The consumer
Consumer research questions
Consumer research methodology – EMEA
Repertoire analysis methodology
UK generation groups
Abbreviations
Abbreviations and terms
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