Understand the cultural and socioeconomic influences that shape i...
Understand the cultural and socioeconomic influences that shape industry demand throughout Asia-Pacific, with local insight, market statistics and analysis ranging from strategic regional overview to in-depth coverage by country or city.
Direct selling re-emerged during the review period, following many years of absence from Uzbekistan. Following poor performances, most companies had exited this channel prior to the review period in 2012, due to tightening restrictions, including…
Direct selling declined in terms of current value sales in Vietnam in 2023, with the drop driven by the continued fall of leading brands Herbalife Nutrition, New Image, and Amway as they struggled in the context of global inflationary pressures.…
Robust growth momentum was seen for discounters in China in 2023, with increases in both current value terms and in outlet numbers. This was driven by increasing economic uncertainty in the country, which led more Chinese consumers to seek products…
The leading chained players in discounters have been eyeing potential expansion opportunities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the improved situation has made it easier for them to justify greater investment in outlet growth. Players have…
Discounters remained only a small retail channel in South Korea in 2023, and continued to see a decline in outlet numbers in this year, although returned to slight current value growth. In South Korea, major retailers have embraced private label…
2023 proved to be a challenging year for discounters in the Philippines, in light of a limited store count and fierce competition with other retailers. With the revival of hectic pre-pandemic lifestyles, including the return of consumers to their…
After seeing a notable decline in value sales in 2022 during the waves of COVID-19 across the country, when many consumers lost confidence in spending on non-essential durable goods, general merchandise stores saw a moderate rebound in its sales in…
General merchandise stores saw a second year of double-digit current value growth in Hong Kong in 2023, finally recovering to the pre-pandemic (2019) level of sales, after disruption due to the loss of tourist flows. Although variety stores saw…
General merchandise stores maintained dynamic double-digit current value growth in India in 2023, and finally saw the recovery of its sales to the pre-pandemic level. Growth was also seen in outlet numbers, which rose to over 4,000 stores, all of…
General merchandise stores registered current value growth in Indonesia in 2023. Since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, consumer behaviour has changed rapidly. People are getting used to purchasing products online, which has diversified their…
In 2023, department stores benefited from a rebound in the number of tourists visiting Japan and the depreciation of the yen. Although it lagged somewhat behind other countries, Japan finally lifted COVID-19 regulations in 2023. As for the recovery…
In line with global trends, department stores in Malaysia are losing appeal due to growing interest in fast-fashion retailers such as H&M, Zara, Uniqlo, and Padini which offer the latest fashions at relatively affordable prices. Small boutique stores…
Variety stores in Singapore continued to record solid growth in 2023, driven by the rising cost-of-living pressures, which were a key area of concern for local consumers. Amid a muted economic climate, and rising prices as a result of inflation and…
General merchandise stores maintained growth in both outlet numbers and current value sales in South Korea in 2023, with increases seen for both variety stores and department stores, although the latter remained by far the larger channel. Department…
Following two years of economic downturn, general merchandise stores in Taiwan experienced a remarkable resurgence 2023, witnessing double-digit growth in retail sales. Surpassing the convenience stores channel, general merchandise stores reclaimed…
Variety stores in Thailand saw positive though slowed growth in terms of current value sales in 2023. The segment was hit hard by the pandemic and its economic fallout; many local consumers remained reluctant to shop from variety stores as they…
The general merchandise stores channel in the Philippines, which is dominated by department stores, saw buoyant growth in current value terms in 2023. An increase in mobility, including the return of consumers to their physical offices, contributed…
General merchandise stores in Vietnam benefitted from increased inbound tourist flows in 2023, with Vietnam’s tourism industry continuing to rebound post-pandemic and luring millions of international visitors within the year’s first nine months.…
Modern grocery retailers continued to outperform traditional retailers in terms of growth in Azerbaijan in 2022, gaining value share in a trend that is set to persist. This expansion is supported by ongoing urbanisation and investment in the…
Kazakhstan has strong trade links with Russia in particular and its war in Ukraine negatively impacted the economy and led to high inflation. While skyrocketing international oil and gas prices boosted the local economy, its usual outflow to the…
In 2020, the IMF discontinued funding for Pakistan as the country failed to implement policies regarding taxes and price increases on energy, which worsened Pakistan's economic woes in 2022, resulting in unstable economic and political policies.…
Although modern trade formats continue to increase their value share in 2022, bazaars are still the dominant grocery retailing channel due in part to the fact that bazaars have a well-established place in Uzbekistani culture, with consumers being…
In 2023, overall health and beauty specialists saw a steady increase in current value terms and in terms of outlet numbers compared with 2022 in China. Positive current value growth was achieved across all channels, including pharmacies, despite the…
Health and beauty specialists saw another year of current value growth in Hong Kong in 2023. One of the players driving growth was Sa Sa International, the leading player in beauty specialists in Hong Kong. It reported that its sales in Hong Kong and…
Health and beauty specialists maintained double-digit current value growth in India in 2023, with increases seen across all channels. The strongest value growth was seen by beauty specialists, with sales finally returning to the pre-pandemic (2019)…
Health and beauty specialists saw current value growth in Indonesia in 2023. Beauty shops such as Sephora, Guardian and Sociolla have become well-recognised by consumers. Additionally, these retailers have an extensive omnichannel network through…
On 8 May 2023, the Japanese government announced that it would reclassify COVID-19 as a class 5 infectious disease, which is the same classification as seasonal flu. As a result, decisions regarding infection control are now left to individuals and…
Guardian continued to lead health and beauty specialists overall in 2023, as well as health and personal care stores, with Watsons as its closest competitor at number two in both cases. These players are key contributors to the segment’s growth in…
Similar to other retail channels such as apparel and footwear specialists, beauty specialists in Singapore benefited from the resumption of pre-pandemic lifestyles, such as a return to the office, social activities and international travel. With…
Health and beauty specialists saw fairly static outlet numbers in South Korea in 2023, after several years of decline, but saw a second year of growth in current value terms. The largest channel in value terms, pharmacies, maintained growth in South…
After two years of decline, health and beauty specialists in Taiwan experienced a significant resurgence in 2022, a trend that continued into 2023. With the easing of pandemic restrictions and the removal of mask mandates, consumers eagerly returned…
Retail current value sales in health and beauty specialists in Thailand rose again in 2023, with life returning to pre-pandemic patterns. The channel has so far shown strong recovery from the coronavirus crisis. Beauty specialist retailers such as…
Health and beauty specialists in the Philippines saw an improved performance in current value terms in 2023. Growth was boosted by an increase in mobility, including the return of consumers to their physical offices, which
Health and beauty specialists recorded a slowdown in terms of expansion of outlet numbers in Vietnam in 2023, with independent retailers in particular struggling in the face of raised rents and increased utility costs. The channel has been undergoing…
The sales of home products specialists were hit hard in China during the different waves of the pandemic, especially in 2020 and 2022, as consumers tightened their belts when it came to non-essential products, foot traffic reduced in stores, some…
In 2023, home products specialists saw a current value decline in Hong Kong, as although home improvement and gardening stores and pet shops and superstores maintained growth, homewares and home furnishings stores saw another year of falling sales.…
Home products specialists maintained double-digit current value growth in India for a third consecutive year in 2023, along with slow growth in outlet numbers. Although growth was seen across all channels, pet shops and superstores saw the strongest…
Home products specialists saw current value growth in Indonesia in 2023. Globally, there is currently a trend of mindful luxury consumption that involves consumers looking for products offering high quality and timeless designs. Luxury product…
Home products specialists saw growth in current value terms in 2023. Increases were seen across all channels, but as in the previous year, growth was driven mainly by homewares and home furnishing stores. The leading player in this channel, Nitori,…
Mr DIY continued to expand aggressively in Malaysia in 2023, cementing its lead in a highly fragmented competitive landscape. The success of Mr DIY mainly lies in its ability to provide a large variety of good-value products under one roof, thereby…
Despite recording a marginal decline in 2023 as demand started to stabilise following the surge during the pandemic and subsequent seclusion, value sales of homewares and home furnishing stores in Singapore remained above 2019 levels. Retail giant…
Home products specialists maintained its decline in outlet numbers in South Korea in 2023, but returned to low growth in current value terms. Homewares and home furnishings stores saw the slowest value growth rate in 2023. This channel faced…
Amidst the backdrop of increased demand for home accessories and furniture during the pandemic, home products specialists in Taiwan witnessed a steady rise in retail sales in 2023. This growth was propelled by the surge in online sales, with homeware…
Home products specialists in Thailand saw significant expansion in 2023 as big brands continued to roll out new stores, especially upcountry, and to tailor their business models to cater to local demand. Over the review period consumers showed rising…
Home products specialists in the Philippines saw relatively modest growth in current value terms in 2023, compared to the previous year. This was due to persisting inflationary pressures, which placed a strain on household budgets, With many…
Home products specialists in Vietnam turned in a positive performance in 2023, with current value sales growth rising, though at a slower rate than was recorded in 2022 when the channel rebounded post-pandemic. Continued work-from-home trends have…
Despite seeing a halt to the decline in outlet numbers in 2023, hypermarkets continued its long-standing decline in retail current value terms in China in 2023. One driver of the fall in sales is that the channel is under intense competition from…
After witnessing a significant fall in current value sales in 2020, in the first year of the pandemic, hypermarkets returned to dynamic growth in India in 2021 and 2022, and this trend continued in 2023, finally rising above the 2019 level of sales…
Hypermarkets saw a decline in current value terms in Indonesia in 2023. Despite the positive trend observed in the overall retail industry in line with the ongoing post-pandemic recovery, larger modern retailers such as hypermarkets are struggling.…
Hypermarkets usually sell a wider range of products compared with other types of grocery retailers, such as supermarkets and convenience stores, but may not be as centrally positioned or as favoured for regular visits. Nevertheless, hypermarkets…