US Markets
Home›US Markets›Sectors›GLP-1 users spend less on UK groceries and shift brands
GLP-1 users spend less on UK groceries and shift brands
A Worldpanel by Numerator study of more than 11,000 UK households found grocery spending fell about £418 per household in the year after starting GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro.
Weight-loss medicines that mimic the hunger-regulating GLP-1 hormone are not only changing body weight, they are reshaping consumer spending patterns in the UK, according to BBC Business. Worldpanel by Numerator published survey and purchase data covering more than 11,000 households in February, and found that households with at least one GLP-1 user spent an average of £418 less on groceries in the year after they began their medication compared with non-users.
The study also pointed to a rebalancing of what shoppers buy, with GLP-1 users cutting back on some items and spending more on others. Worldpanel found users spent less on chocolate and pastries while buying more fruit and protein-rich foods such as prawns, along with less alcohol. At the same time, some non-food categories rose, with households buying more chewing gum, mouthwash, and hair dyes, which Worldpanel linked to side effects commonly associated with GLP-1 use, including concerns about thinning hair and bad breath. Nishita Pattni, a senior consultant at Worldpanel by Numerator, told the BBC the impact is more than shrinking demand, describing it as shifting demand.