How Are Weight-Loss Drugs Reshaping Retail? 

With expanded FDA approvals, insurance coverage expected, and discounted versions arriving, GLP-1 drug adoption is expected to accelerate in the years ahead, promising disruption well beyond grocery aisles.

Concerning food, research has revealed that GLP-1 agonist medications work, in part, by suppressing appetite signaling in the brain. A recent study from Penn Medicine found GLP-1 drugs reduce “food noise,” a condition where people think constantly about food.

The arrival of GLP-1 drugs has the potential to decrease overall food consumption, but is particularly seen as a threat to ultra-processed food, or junk food, as those taking weight loss drugs prioritize nutrient-dense, high-protein foods.

Research earlier this year from Oklahoma State University found current and previous users of GLP-1s consume less processed foods, soda, refined grains, beef, pork, vegetables, alcohol, fruit juice, and dairy milk. Seeing smaller dips in consumption were chicken, coffee, fish and seafood, nuts, eggs, plant-based meat, whole grains, and plant-based milk. Only fruits, leafy greens, and water showed an overall increase in consumption.

“You don’t want to fill up on empty calories,” Laura Zervos, a dietician, recently told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette of the attitudes held by GLP-1 drug users.  “Stores are gonna have to focus on the outer perimeter of the store, where the fresh foods are.”

Weight-Loss Drugs Could Cause Significant Ripple Effect Across Several Consumer Goods and Services Industries

In apparel, a study from Impact Analysis of national sales and returns data from leading apparel retailers between 2022-2024 found demand for larger sizes (L, XL, XXL) has fallen while sales of smaller sizes are rising. The study found 400 million apparel units could be misaligned with customer demand by 2027 if the trend accelerates.

Prashant Agrawal, founder and CEO of Impact Analytics — a provider of planning, pricing, and forecasting software — said in a statement: “Retailers must act now to recalibrate size curves or be stuck discounting unsold stock while missing the opportunity to serve tomorrow’s consumer with full margin integrity.”

AlixPartners’ global survey, as part of its 2026 Global Consumer Outlook, indicated that traditional fitness spend — including gym-focused clothing, gym memberships as well as healthy foods — may be significantly impacted as GLP-1 drug use expands.

In a co-authored column for Harvard Business Review, PwC’s Ali Furman and Paul Leinwand wondered “how far the ripple effects might extend” to other sectors such as beauty, fitness and hospitality as GLP-1 drugs become more affordable and mainstream.

The two wrote, “What happens to industries organized around indulgence, convenience, or entertainment if appetite, motivation, and self-perception change at scale? What new business models could emerge related to nutrition? What kinds of companies might be created around self-expression, movement, and experience? What are the sustainability implications as consumption declines? Will we see entirely new industries emerge at the intersection of pharma, nutrition, and lifestyle?”