Asia Pacific

In Malaysia, the market for vacuum cleaners continued its growth in 2023, with a more impressive rate than was seen in 2022 but at a moderated pace compared to the surge experienced during the height of the pandemic. This growth is underpinned by a…

Bottled water one of only two soft drinks to register an increase in volume sales in 2023 – the other was concentrates. The growing awareness of the importance of staying hydrated led to an increased demand for bottled water. Bottled water is also…

With inflation even higher than in 2022, consumers felt the financial pinch and as a result, volume sales of carbonates fell in 2023. That being said, competition remained tight and players looked to compete with each other by introducing or even…

Unlike most other soft drinks in Pakistan in 2023, the performance was positive for concentrates, which registered healthy volume growth. Part of the reason for the healthy growth is that powder concentrates in particular are more affordable than…

Energy drinks registered a steep decline in volume sales in 2023, as soaring inflation dampened demand and consumers prioritised essentials. In addition, as energy drinks are more expensive than other soft drinks such as carbonates, this further…

Nestle´ remained the leading player in juice during 2023, accounting for over a third of volume sales. The company’s success lies in the high brand recognition of the umbrella Nestlé brand, a loyal consumer base, a wide distribution network and…

RTD coffee registered the steepest fall in volume sales among soft drinks in 2023. RTD coffee is considered expensive and with inflation soaring, volume demand fell. Growth also continued to be inhibited by the limited availability.

RTD tea registered a decline in volume sales in 2023, as soaring inflation dampened demand and consumers prioritised essentials. In addition, as RTD tea is more expensive than other soft drinks such as carbonates, this further dampened volume sales.…

The picture was bleak for soft drinks in Pakistan in 2023, with retail volume sales falling across the board, with the exception of bottled water and concentrates. That being said, overall retail volume sales increased slightly, due to bottled water…

While tea continued to be the most popular hot drink in Pakistan, coffee registered modest volume growth, partly supported by continuing population growth. Instant coffee continued to dominate retail channels, with only minimal volume sales for fresh…

As reduced public concern about COVID-19 and the ending of associated restrictions saw most people in Taiwan go back to the office and begin spending more of their leisure time outside the home, coffee showed an improved performance in on-trade…

Hopes for a quick economic recovery from the pandemic have been overshadowed by internal and external factors that threaten household living standards in Laos. Depreciation and (largely as a result) high inflation have led to rising prices,…

Sales of hot drinks registered marginal growth in 2023. Coffee, the largest category, and other hot drinks recorded growth, while retail volume sales of tea declined. A developing coffee culture supported rising demand for fresh coffee, with tea…

Hot drinks registered health value growth in 2023, as well as moderate volume growth, which was supported by continuing population growth. That being said, Pakistan’s economy continued to struggle and the government secured a further USD3 billion…

With a lack of foreign reserves in the country due to the current economic crisis, the government of Sri Lanka had to impose import restrictions which limited the availability of some hot drinks. Inflation also remained in double figures which put…

Hot drinks in Taiwan performed positively in 2023, with growth in total volume sales slightly surpassing that recorded in 2022. This improvement was mainly due to an uptick in on-trade consumption as diminishing public fear of COVID-19 and the ending…

In spite of rising prices, other hot drinks, and in particular chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks, registered double-digit constant value and volume growth. Continuing population growth partly supported the increased sales. In addition, as…

While chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks showed an improved performance in off-trade volume terms in 2023, growth was considerably slower than at the on-trade level. This was partly due to maturity, though retail demand was also constrained as…

Fiji has fallen among ‘mostly unfree’ for economic freedom, with persisting political uncertainty and worsening fiscal health. Nevertheless, over the near future, economic growth should be relatively strong as tourism rebounds. Consumer expenditure…

Pakistan continues to be a nation of tea drinkers and in 2023, tea registered modest volume growth, party supported by continuing population growth. However, volume sales fall through foodservice channels, as consumers cut back on drinking in local…

As with coffee, cold brew tea continued to gain popularity in Taiwan in 2023. Together with the fact that the country’s humid climate makes many people more inclined to favour cold and refreshing beverages, particularly during the summer months, this…

The resurgence of both volume and current value sales of bags and luggage is anticipated in 2023 overall, primarily owing to the relaxation of pandemic constraints and the lifting of restrictions in the early months of the year. As offline activities…

Retail sales of bags and luggage registered a vastly improved performance in both volume and constant value terms in 2023, when compared to the previous year. As the country emerged from COVID-19 crisis, Indonesians became increasingly keen to…

Tourism was one of the industries that was significantly impacted by COVID-19, as border restrictions were tightened globally. Many consumers also refrained from taking domestic trips in the first phase of the pandemic. There were multiple forms of…

All of the categories in bags and luggage displayed slower growth in 2023 compared to 2022 both in retail volume and current value terms. This was partly due to a stabilisation of demand with sales having been restored to pre-pandemic levels.…

Owing to a sharp decline in travel due to the pandemic, retail volume and current value sales of luggage in Singapore fell drastically in 2020, by nearly 50%. This was against the backdrop of more than an 85% decline in the number of outbound…

In early 2023, as the South Korean government fully lifted COVID-19-related restrictions and entered the endemic era, international travel fully reopened. As consumer spending has largely shifted to international travel, the growth of bags,…

Despite the political and economic uncertainty in Thailand, bags and luggage is set to continue to demonstrate double-digit current value growth in 2023, with the overall category expected to surpass the 2019 pre-pandemic revenue in this year,…

Following the end of the zero-COVID policy, sales of jewellery, which remained stagnant in 2022, have witnessed a resurgence in 2023, with double-digit current value growth expected in the year overall. The increasing prevalence of social activities,…

Retail sales of jewellery saw vastly accelerated growth in both volume and constant value terms in 2023. Such products are a key contributor to the Indonesian economy, with gold jewellery, in particular, being valued as both a symbol of wealth and…

Jewellery is set to maintain growth in retail volume and current value terms in 2023, with growth for both costume and fine jewellery, although this will slow compared with previous years. Polarisation has continued in jewellery in Japan in 2023,…

Both costume jewellery and fine jewellery registered weaker growth in 2023 both in retail volume and current value terms. Demand was impacted by the rising inflationary pressures being faced by Malaysians with most households seeing a significant…

The removal of most health-related restrictions in Singapore in 2022 gave rise to much higher sales of jewellery, as consumers in Singapore still prefer to shop for big-ticket items such as fine jewellery in-store to alleviate fears of delivery…

Ongoing high inflation and economic difficulties have been discouraging consumer spending on luxury products and discretionary items, including jewellery. Nonetheless, despite the expectation of a slight decline in retail volume terms, in current…

In 2023, overall jewellery is set to register a decline in current value terms, despite low growth in retail volume terms. This is expected to result in minimal value growth across overall personal accessories, as jewellery accounted for nearly 50%…

With the end of the zero-COVID policy, personal accessories, which experienced a contraction in 2022 in both retail volume and current value terms, is set to exhibit robust signs of recovery in 2023 overall. This resurgence has notably been driven by…

Retail sales of apparel and footwear in Indonesia registered accelerated growth in constant value terms in 2023, when compared to the previous year. As the country emerged from COVID-19 crisis, Indonesians became increasingly keen to travel,…

In 2023, there was a symbolic pivot in how Japan faced COVID-19. It was in May that the government announced that it would reclassify COVID-19 from a Class 2 infectious disease to a Class 5 infectious disease. Class 2 meant it was a crucial disease…

Since pandemic restrictions were lifted there has been a general uptick in sales across all categories of personal accessories, with this pattern continuing into 2023. The reopening of Malaysia’s borders has seen the return of international tourism,…

Overall retail volume sales of personal accessories are expected to register a small decline in 2023, as the industry has navigated a slowing sales momentum post-pandemic, while managing the challenge of rising prices as a result of inflationary…

Continuing high inflation and financial constraints derived from the unstable global economy have discouraged consumer spending on discretionary items, which is set to result in slower retail volume and current value growth for personal accessories…

Sales of personal accessories are expected to show continued signs of recovery in the market in 2023, despite factors hindering growth, such as local political uncertainty, higher household debt, high rates of inflation, and higher consumer…

Although state finances remain sustainable, the ruling party’s grip on power is eroding democracy and freedoms, whilst corruption remains a key problem. Economic growth continues to be robust, but external sector weakness exists and dependence on…

Myanmar’s military has created significant instability for the country, whilst corruption continues to be rife and economic freedom has worsened. High inflation is causing the economy to stall and the foreign investment climate has worsened…

In 2023, following the post-COVID-19 reopening, traditional and connected watches in China began to gradually recover, particularly after travel and health restrictions were lifted. After seeing a strong decline in 2022, the category is set to see…

Traditional and connected watches registered relatively modest growth in constant value terms in 2023, when compared to the previous year. This was due to the declining fortunes of quartz analogue watches, which represented the largest category in…

Increasing unit prices has been a decades-long trend in traditional watches. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, unit prices rose by over 10% YoY from 2020 to 2022. The last decade also saw numerous years of volume decline. A main reason behind…

Basic and mid-range traditional watches saw slower growth in retail volume terms in 2023 after seeing dynamic double-digit growth in 2022. The target audience for these products are generally more price-sensitive and they were impacted significantly…

Traditional watches in Singapore is set to achieve slower growth in 2023 compared with 2022, although the category is expected to continue to register solid growth in retail current value terms and lower but steady growth in retail volume terms.…

While in 2022 sales of traditional watches posted strong double-digit current value growth, driven by consumers’ high demand for luxury goods, 2023 is set to witness a strong slowdown in growth, as the unstable global political and economic…