Events such as these are as much about the networking as they are about the agenda, and Walpole director of corporate affairs and international Charlotte Keesing and her estimable team ensured there was time enough to catch up with old friends and colleagues as well as make new introductions.
Charlotte had read our recently published report, Liquid Intentions, which investigates a new era of high-performing liquids, where every drink is engineered for outcomes, anchored in identity and tailored to the rhythm of modern life, and felt it would be particularly relevant to the Summit audience.
So, the team at The Lab broadened out the content to include food trends and sharpened the perspective to focus on luxury.
Walpole British Luxury Summit, 2026
Chris Sanderson, co-founder and chief creative officer at Walpole British Luxury Summit 2026
The result was Food and Drink Futures, which considered changing tastes in flavour, function and form. Central to our perspective is that consumption is now intentional and expressive – food and drink functions as an identity signal.
Key insights included the continued shift away from alcohol among younger demographics, the growth of the functional category, and that two in five of the UK population now buy functional drinks several times a month, rising to nearly two thirds (61%) of Gen Z, according to Ocado Retail.
We couldn’t ignore the exponential uptake of GLP-1 that is reshaping the nation’s eating habits both at home and out: 1.6m adults in the UK used GLP-1 from early 2024 to 2025, and that figure is set to rise dramatically.
More concerningly, 80% of Britons on GLP-1s now find social eating uncomfortable (sources: University College London, Perspectus Global).
Time for a rethink of your strategy?
Our Drinks Futures 2026-2027 macrotrend report, Liquid Intentions, maps out a full day in your future consumers’ shoes, exploring both non-alcoholic and alcoholic opportunities at home and out of home.
Partners of The Future Laboratory can access this report and our entire research library. Not a partner? Purchase the report via our shop to unlock leading trends shaped by the pioneering minds and disruptors redefining the drinks industry.
Liquid Intentions Macrotrend Report