From Insight to Impact
Unlocking Routes to Market for Food and Drink Brands
Join an exclusive, insight-led day built for ambitious Scottish food and drink producers ready to win in 2026 and beyond. Delivered by the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership's programmes The Knowledge Bank and The Academy, this high-impact, full-day event brings together exclusive insights, route to market understanding, and expert perspectives from leading UK insight agencies and high-profile retailers/foodservice operators.
With a mix of presentations and Q&A sessions, you’ll gain a rare, behind-the-scenes understanding of how shoppers and consumers are changing, where growth is really coming from, and how to turn insight into real business opportunities.
Discover more about the event, including the agenda, travel and parking, with the FAQs below.
Event details
Date
Tue, Mar 17, 2026 | 1 day event
Location
John McIntyre Conference Centre
Edinburgh University Campus
Pollock Halls
18 Holyrood Park Rd
Edinburgh
EH16 5AY
FAQs
IGD – The Institute of Grocery Distribution produces and shares practical research, trend reports and presentations that help businesses in the food and grocery sector understand what’s happening now and what’s coming next. It publishes data-driven reports on topics like shopper behaviour, retail formats, convenience market forecasts, sustainability and workforce trends, and then turns those findings into insightful summaries, webinars and in-person talks that explain the implications for retailers, suppliers and policymakers.
WBN – Worldpanel by Numerator (UK) shares clear, practical insights about what people across the UK are buying and how their shopping habits are changing. It tracks thousands of households and turns that data into easy-to-understand reports and presentations on things like grocery trends, market share, price changes, branded vs own-label products, and category growth. Its talks and updates are widely used by retailers and brands to keep up with what shoppers are doing right now.
In Scotland, Worldpanel by Numerator (UK) often zooms in on Scottish shoppers specifically – looking at how buying habits differ from the rest of the UK, how local brands are performing, and which categories are growing. These Scotland-focused insights help Scottish retailers and producers understand their market better and plan with more confidence.
TWC – The Wholesale Company is a UK data and insight company that specialises in tracking what independent convenience stores and the wholesalers that supply them are selling. Its main product for this market is called SmartView Convenience (SVC) – a regular reporting tool built from EPOS sales data collected from a representative panel of about 5,000 independent and symbol-group stores supplied by wholesalers like Booker’s Premier and Londis, Bestway’s Best One and Costcutter, Nisa, and Unitas-branded outlets. That data is then analysed and scaled up to show trends across the whole independent convenience sector in Great Britain. This data supports wholesalers and retailers in listing the right products and ensures that producers can understand their brand performance in this important market.
Lumina – Lumina Intelligence provides an overview of trends across both retail and foodservice channels. It helps UK foodservice businesses see what’s trending and what customers are buying. It tracks data from restaurants, cafés, takeaways, and other foodservice outlets, then turns it into easy-to-understand reports and presentations. This helps brands and operators make smarter decisions on menus, products, pricing, and growth opportunities in the foodservice sector.
IGD will provide an up-to-date view on the UK economy, the retail, foodservice and wholesale markets, and share expertise on what is driving consumption across these areas, highlighting opportunities for producers to explore in more detail from grocery stores to cafes, to prisons and schools – a great overview for those looking to get a clear picture of the macro environment they are trading in.
A focus on the Scottish market will again give an updated view as to what the latest dynamics are in Scotland, and this will include exclusive Scottish data from Worldpanel, alongside a “never seen before” overview of the new The Knowledge Bank and Scotland Food & Drink consumer tracker, highlighting lots of opportunities for producers to understand the nuances of operating in Scotland and the importance of Scottish provenance.
The afternoon breakout sessions have both the combination of new, exclusive and never seen before insight from our four agency partners, which will give businesses a clear view as to the dynamics in that channel and what they need to know to operate successfully. Worldpanel will share a commissioned presentation to highlight how producers can successfully navigate HFSS in the grocery channel.
We will be unveiling our brand new relationship with TWC to talk about the independent convenience channel, serviced by key UK wholesalers. Attendees will receive a great insight into this important channel for Scottish brands, highlighting opportunities to trade with independent retailers such as Spar, Nisa, Booker Premier and Londis.
On foodservice, Lumina will provide an updated dive into the contract catering and events channel, and IGD will share its brand new out of home service which has invaluable insights into this channel, with a specific focus on the travel and leisure channel, again a source of huge opportunity for Scottish producers.
Presentations from the day will only be available to those attending the event, so it's very much worth coming along to stay ahead of your competitors.
Attending the whole day will provide delegates with a full overview and context of the wider market, helping to inform the strategic direction for their business to build on with their own plans.
There are a wide variety of speakers for attendees to network with, and being there for the full day will ensure plenty of opportunities to do so.
Delegates will get the opportunity to choose two out of the four breakouts to attend. These will be run on a rolling basis and guidance will be given as to when and how to move from one breakout to the next.
The City of Edinburgh has an extensive and accessible bus network. Bus information for visitors to
Edinburgh can be found here.
You can pay for your ticket on the bus, either with exact change or contactless debit and credit card, or Google Pay, Apple Pay etc.
A single ticket for travel within the city is £2.20 and the fee is automatically capped at £5.50 if you pay with the same card more than twice on the same day. If you take the AirLink bus from the Airport to the centre (100) the fare will be £5.50 for a single journey £8.00 for an open return.
When planning your bus journey to the conference centre, enter Pollock Halls (Higher Education) as your destination.
Travelling from the airport to the city centre and vice versa is quick and easy on the bus or tram.
There is a taxi rank outside the Pollock Halls main reception and there is a taxi free phone inside the reception. Alternatively, you can order a black cab (City Cabs or Central Taxis) or an Uber taxi using their app on your phone. The entire fleets of Edinburgh's two main black cab firms are wheelchair accessible, with over 900 taxis between them.
We strongly recommend public transport where possible. There is limited complimentary parking available on a first come, first basis at the Pollock Halls Campus. There are 12 electric charging points from Charge Place Scotland on the campus. Delegates will need to collect a permit from the security gate or from our reception to display on their vehicle whilst onsite.
Please be aware that from 1st June 2024 Edinburgh operates a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) to improve air quality in the city centre. This zone covers much of the city centre.
You can quickly check if your vehicle meets the LEZ standards using the online tool provided by the City of Edinburgh Council here. Some vehicles, such as those with disabled badges or blue badges, may be exempt. We recommend checking your vehicle's compliance before your stay to avoid any penalties.
For further information, please visit the City of Edinburgh Council website.
If you’re no longer able to make it to the event but have a colleague who can attend in your place, please email events@foodanddrink.scot and let us know no later than three days prior to the event. After this stage, we will not be able to reallocate confirmed tickets.
If you would like to change your breakout attendance selection, please email events@foodanddrscot no later than close of play 10 March to confirm your revised selection.
After this date, while we will do the utmost to ensure you are able to attend the sessions you would like to, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate changes to your selection.
IGD – The Institute of Grocery Distribution produces and shares practical research, trend reports and presentations that help businesses in the food and grocery sector understand what’s happening now and what’s coming next. It publishes data-driven reports on topics like shopper behaviour, retail formats, convenience market forecasts, sustainability and workforce trends, and then turns those findings into insightful summaries, webinars and in-person talks that explain the implications for retailers, suppliers and policymakers.
WBN – Worldpanel by Numerator (UK) shares clear, practical insights about what people across the UK are buying and how their shopping habits are changing. It tracks thousands of households and turns that data into easy-to-understand reports and presentations on things like grocery trends, market share, price changes, branded vs own-label products, and category growth. Its talks and updates are widely used by retailers and brands to keep up with what shoppers are doing right now.
In Scotland, Worldpanel by Numerator (UK) often zooms in on Scottish shoppers specifically – looking at how buying habits differ from the rest of the UK, how local brands are performing, and which categories are growing. These Scotland-focused insights help Scottish retailers and producers understand their market better and plan with more confidence.
TWC – The Wholesale Company is a UK data and insight company that specialises in tracking what independent convenience stores and the wholesalers that supply them are selling. Its main product for this market is called SmartView Convenience (SVC) – a regular reporting tool built from EPOS sales data collected from a representative panel of about 5,000 independent and symbol-group stores supplied by wholesalers like Booker’s Premier and Londis, Bestway’s Best One and Costcutter, Nisa, and Unitas-branded outlets. That data is then analysed and scaled up to show trends across the whole independent convenience sector in Great Britain. This data supports wholesalers and retailers in listing the right products and ensures that producers can understand their brand performance in this important market.
Lumina – Lumina Intelligence provides an overview of trends across both retail and foodservice channels. It helps UK foodservice businesses see what’s trending and what customers are buying. It tracks data from restaurants, cafés, takeaways, and other foodservice outlets, then turns it into easy-to-understand reports and presentations. This helps brands and operators make smarter decisions on menus, products, pricing, and growth opportunities in the foodservice sector.
IGD will provide an up-to-date view on the UK economy, the retail, foodservice and wholesale markets, and share expertise on what is driving consumption across these areas, highlighting opportunities for producers to explore in more detail from grocery stores to cafes, to prisons and schools – a great overview for those looking to get a clear picture of the macro environment they are trading in.
A focus on the Scottish market will again give an updated view as to what the latest dynamics are in Scotland, and this will include exclusive Scottish data from Worldpanel, alongside a “never seen before” overview of the new The Knowledge Bank and Scotland Food & Drink consumer tracker, highlighting lots of opportunities for producers to understand the nuances of operating in Scotland and the importance of Scottish provenance.
The afternoon breakout sessions have both the combination of new, exclusive and never seen before insight from our four agency partners, which will give businesses a clear view as to the dynamics in that channel and what they need to know to operate successfully. Worldpanel will share a commissioned presentation to highlight how producers can successfully navigate HFSS in the grocery channel.
We will be unveiling our brand new relationship with TWC to talk about the independent convenience channel, serviced by key UK wholesalers. Attendees will receive a great insight into this important channel for Scottish brands, highlighting opportunities to trade with independent retailers such as Spar, Nisa, Booker Premier and Londis.
On foodservice, Lumina will provide an updated dive into the contract catering and events channel, and IGD will share its brand new out of home service which has invaluable insights into this channel, with a specific focus on the travel and leisure channel, again a source of huge opportunity for Scottish producers.
Presentations from the day will only be available to those attending the event, so it's very much worth coming along to stay ahead of your competitors.
Attending the whole day will provide delegates with a full overview and context of the wider market, helping to inform the strategic direction for their business to build on with their own plans.
There are a wide variety of speakers for attendees to network with, and being there for the full day will ensure plenty of opportunities to do so.
Delegates will get the opportunity to choose two out of the four breakouts to attend. These will be run on a rolling basis and guidance will be given as to when and how to move from one breakout to the next.
The City of Edinburgh has an extensive and accessible bus network. Bus information for visitors to
Edinburgh can be found here.
You can pay for your ticket on the bus, either with exact change or contactless debit and credit card, or Google Pay, Apple Pay etc.
A single ticket for travel within the city is £2.20 and the fee is automatically capped at £5.50 if you pay with the same card more than twice on the same day. If you take the AirLink bus from the Airport to the centre (100) the fare will be £5.50 for a single journey £8.00 for an open return.
When planning your bus journey to the conference centre, enter Pollock Halls (Higher Education) as your destination.
Travelling from the airport to the city centre and vice versa is quick and easy on the bus or tram.
There is a taxi rank outside the Pollock Halls main reception and there is a taxi free phone inside the reception. Alternatively, you can order a black cab (City Cabs or Central Taxis) or an Uber taxi using their app on your phone. The entire fleets of Edinburgh's two main black cab firms are wheelchair accessible, with over 900 taxis between them.
We strongly recommend public transport where possible. There is limited complimentary parking available on a first come, first basis at the Pollock Halls Campus. There are 12 electric charging points from Charge Place Scotland on the campus. Delegates will need to collect a permit from the security gate or from our reception to display on their vehicle whilst onsite.
Please be aware that from 1st June 2024 Edinburgh operates a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) to improve air quality in the city centre. This zone covers much of the city centre.
You can quickly check if your vehicle meets the LEZ standards using the online tool provided by the City of Edinburgh Council here. Some vehicles, such as those with disabled badges or blue badges, may be exempt. We recommend checking your vehicle's compliance before your stay to avoid any penalties.
For further information, please visit the City of Edinburgh Council website.
If you’re no longer able to make it to the event but have a colleague who can attend in your place, please email events@foodanddrink.scot and let us know no later than three days prior to the event. After this stage, we will not be able to reallocate confirmed tickets.
If you would like to change your breakout attendance selection, please email events@foodanddrscot no later than close of play 10 March to confirm your revised selection.
After this date, while we will do the utmost to ensure you are able to attend the sessions you would like to, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate changes to your selection.
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