Insights from Finsbury Food Group
Ross Lowrey-Heywood, Innovation Manager at Finsbury Food Group, shares his perspective on festive trends, shopper behaviours, and opportunities for convenience retailers this Christmas.
Key Christmas Trends in Convenience
At Finsbury, we’re expecting indulgence to be a defining theme this Christmas. Consumers are looking for bakes that feel worth the treat, products that bring joy, feel premium and make an impact both in flavour and presentation.
That’s where nostalgia comes in: a trend that combines the emotional comfort of nostalgic festive flavours with unexpected twists. Hybrid bakes like mince pie brownies, panettone-inspired sponge cakes or even playful takes like ‘pain au mince pies’ are set to capture attention. These products not only feel familiar but are elevated enough to feel exciting and worth splurging on, particularly important as consumers seek showstopping moments that connect back to tradition.
Sweet bakery is also fast becoming one of the most exciting and commercially viable festive categories in convenience. It offers cross-occasion appeal, from gifting and sharing to everyday treating. What makes it so powerful is its ability to deliver emotional resonance with relatively low risk.
Formats like festive loaf cakes, mini selections and hybrid bites offer retailers the chance to offer something new and seasonally relevant without stepping too far away from the familiar. With the right flavours and formats, sweet bakery can go head-to-head with more established festive categories in terms of shopper appeal.
Safe Bets for Retailers
The classics: mince pies, Christmas puddings and stollen will always be safe bets, but the way consumers engage with them is evolving. We’re seeing strong interest in flavour updates that retain heritage while adding something new, like sloe gin-soaked mince pies with a spiced orange crust, or chocolate and cherry stollen.
Mini formats are especially important for convenience retailers as they offer portion control, affordability and are ideal for impulse purchases. Products like mini mince pies or stollen bites are easy wins for limited shelf space and appeal across a wide range of missions, from everyday treating to party platters.
Discover how Finsbury’s seasonal range brings together classic favourites with modern twists.
Merchandising for Maximum Impact
Christmas should be treated as a rolling event, not a one-off fixture. We recommend that convenience retailers start the season in early November with premium gifting lines and indulgent formats, then evolve the range into sharing platters and family-friendly centrepieces closer to the big day.
Even a small festive bay can have a big impact if it’s well signposted, seasonally dressed and includes cross-merchandising such as pairing cakes with cream, sauces or drinks. Creating those in-store moments of inspiration is key to driving basket spend and encouraging repeat visits throughout the season.
Navigating Economic Pressures
Shoppers may be watching their budgets, but Christmas remains a moment of justified indulgence, especially when products feel worth the spend. At Finsbury, we believe value is about more than price: it’s about quality, satisfaction and delivering an emotional reward.
Sweet Bakery is well-positioned to meet this need, offering affordable luxuries that deliver both in taste and experience. Snackable cakes, festive traybakes and loaf cakes are all examples of formats that allow consumers to enjoy a seasonal treat without the expense of a full premium dessert.
Stocking Smart
Stocking smart is crucial, which means choosing flexible formats that can suit multiple occasions, from a quiet night in to a festive family gathering. Multi-portion traybakes, mini selections and loaf cakes work across a variety of missions and are less likely to be left unsold.
Limited-edition flavours that offer strong festive cues but carry longer shelf lives also help reduce risk. Crucially, retailers should phase their stock, starting small in early November and ramping up closer to Christmas, rather than loading the full range all at once.
Festive NPD Highlights
This year, our festive NPD is built around nostalgic flavours with a premium edge, think gingerbread paired with white chocolate, or Amarena cherry with dark chocolate. We’re layering in texture with gooey centres, flavoured frostings and drizzles to deliver indulgence and visual appeal.
Format innovation is also a key focus, with dessert sandwich bakes, hybrid formats and decorate-your-own kits designed to tap into both gifting and family rituals.
We’re also committed to inclusive innovation, ensuring that our vegan and gluten-free ranges feel just as festive and indulgent as the rest of the portfolio, because everyone deserves a seat at the Christmas table.
Ready to Elevate Your Christmas Offerings?
Discover how Finsbury Food Group can help your store deliver festive joy with indulgent, versatile, and trend-led bakery products. Explore our full range and make this Christmas your most profitable yet.
