Overview
- NIQ reports that Mexican household consumption is contracting and projects restrained spending to persist into 2026.
- Food costs remain the top concern for shoppers, with NIQ citing coffee up about 26.9% and cocoa up roughly 127.9% between 2024 and 2025.
- A new IEPS on sweetened beverages in 2026 is expected to lift prices further, adding to pressure on grocery baskets.
- Income headwinds compound caution, as INEGI data show October gains in informal jobs (+831,800) alongside a loss of 176,300 formal positions and remittances fell earlier this year.
- Retailers report slower sales—most chains saw Q3 declines versus early 2025 except La Comer—and are competing on price, assortment and omnichannel options as shoppers trade down or choose smaller packs even as premium segments grow in value.