Asia Pacific

In 2023, cider/perry in Japan witnessed a total volume decline. However, the on-trade rebound was significant, continuing the double-digit growth observed in 2022. Despite the lifting of COVID-19 quasi-emergency measures across all prefectures in…

Cider faces significant competition in the on-trade setting. Amongst the products providing notable competition to cider is shochu/soju. In the Indonesian market, shochu/soju is mostly consumed mixed with juice, which dilutes it to a similar level of…

Cider/perry held only a negligible presence in India in 2021. Given the country’s hot climate and interest in sparkling drinks it would suggest there is a potential market for these products, although currently cider/perry is only being produced on a…

Following the removal of pandemic restrictions, demand for cider/perry in Hong Kong continued to improve in 2023 due to the strong performance of off-trade in the city. In addition, the sustained openings of on-trade outlets led to a marginal…

In 2023, cider/perry in China maintained high growth rates, with total volume and current value growth rates in the double digits. Particularly high growth was seen in the on-trade channel, with growth rates exceeding 20%. The strong growth of…

Cider/perry posted only marginally positive growth in 2022 as its recovery after the steep decline seen in sales in 2020 seemed to run out of steam. Following the double-digit decline in 2020, cider/perry showed a modest rebound in volume sales terms…

Chocolate confectionery saw a slowdown in demand in retail volume terms in 2023, thanks to inflationary pressures, which had a negative impact on purchasing power. As a result, consumers had less disposable income to spend on non-essential items,…

Rising inflation has been denting households’ purchasing power and consumer spending in 2023. Nevertheless, despite certain shifts in consumer behaviour, willingness to spend on chocolate confectionery is still rising in 2023, and retail volume sales…

Sales of chocolate confectionery remained stable during 2020 and 2021 as sales benefited from robust at-home consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the category has seen stronger growth in 2022 and 2023 with demand picking up as…

Thailand has returned to normality in 2023, following the restrictions created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers have returned to out-of-home, on-the-go lifestyles, along with a large number of tourists visiting the country. As such, this revival…

Consumer demand for chocolate confectionery has stabilised in 2023, with consumption shifting from bulk purchases in supermarkets to impulse small packs in convenience stores. Overall, volume sales of chocolate confectionery are nearing pre-COVID…

Chocolate confectionery in South Korea is expected to see low retail current value growth in 2024, along with marginal retail volume decline. Mixed developments are being seen in 2024, influenced by broader market trends and changing consumer…

With the rising cost of raw materials for chocolate confectionery, such as dairy ingredients, cocoa beans, sugar, and oil, many brands are actively seeking ways to improve their profit margins, such as reducing production costs by pushing product…

Demand for chocolate confectionery in Pakistan remains robust in 2023, despite the every-increasing rate of inflation. Soaring raw material and production costs are forcing manufacturers to look at ways to reduce unit costs. Many have shifted towards…

2023 is seeing innovative product development proving to be a significant driver of demand for countlines and chocolate pouches and bags in chocolate confectionery in Malaysia. Among the key players, Nestlé is showing a particular focus on…

In 2023, the chocolate confectionery category is set to see a slight recovery after a drop in sales in the previous year. The main reason for the poor performance in 2022 was problems with the supply of products, as well as raw materials for local…

Since 2022, chocolate confectionery in Japan has seen a steady rise in the unit price per kilogram, and this trend is anticipated to persist in 2024. Increasing prices are largely attributed to the premiumisation of confectionery, which began around…

Digital marketing has emerged as one of the most effective methods to boost chocolate confectionery sales in Indonesia, amidst a growing number of tech-savvy consumers in the country. One of the main advantages of digital marketing is the ability to…

The per capita consumption of chocolate confectionery in India in 2023 is only 7% of consumption in the US and 10% of consumption in the UK. Generally, chocolate confectionery in India has limited mind space association, primarily focused on gifting,…

Despite rising cocoa costs and supply chain disruptions, total demand for chocolate confectionery in Hong Kong continues to grow, with seasonal holidays emerging as a key growth driver. Seasonal chocolate and boxed assortments tend to be strong…

Chocolate confectionery in China saw solid retail current value growth in 2023, and this trend is expected to be maintained in 2024. Beyond the traditional formats, chocolate confectionery continues to evolve in terms of textures and tastes. First,…

While chocolate confectionery in Azerbaijan is poised to record a moderately improved result in current value growth terms in 2024, this is mainly attributable to price hikes imposed to offset elevated inflation linked to the global recovery from the…

During the height of the pandemic era (2020 and 2021), sales of childrenswear plummeted in value and volume terms as children were required to stay at home, by government diktat, and schools were closed. However, the end of the pandemic, alongside…

The COVID-19 crisis had a differing impact on birth rates in different countries. In the Philippines, there was a baby boom, as an increased birth rate resulted from families being cooped up in their homes during the period of lockdowns. This has led…

The purchasing behaviour of Thai parents and guardians is becoming more sophisticated when it comes to purchasing childrenswear. While they are still looking for value-for-money they are also increasingly focusing on both fashion and product quality.…

Overall volume and current value growth rates for childrenswear in 2023 are set to be more modest than those recorded by womenswear and menswear, primarily because birth rates in Taiwan are in long-term decline. This demographic trend has resulted in…

In 2022, the total fertility rate in South Korea reached a new low of 0.78, with the number of newborns also dropping below 250,000 for the first time. The ongoing decline of new births in the country is resulting in falling retail volume sales for…

Despite Singapore experiencing a declining birth rate, with a record decline seen in 2022, childrenswear is set to maintain growth in both retail volume and current value terms in 2023. These increases can primarily be attributed to the lifting of…

Compared to other areas of apparel and footwear, childrenswear saw relatively modest growth in current value terms in 2023. Sales of childrenswear were comparatively unaffected by the pandemic, as despite the lockdown, parents still needed to…

Childrenswear did not perform well even before the pandemic, as the number of children has been continuously decreasing in Japan. Growth was then hit hard in 2020, experiencing a double-digit decline, followed by a year of little movement in 2021 as…

Childrenswear saw more modest growth in retail volume terms in 2023, relative to the two previous years. Compared to other areas of apparel and footwear, such as menswear, womenswear and hosiery, sales were comparatively unaffected by the COVID-19…

Childrenswear has been experiencing a notable surge in sales, fuelled by younger parents’ changing preferences and spending habits. With the rise of dual-income households, these parents possess more significant disposable incomes, enabling them to…

With the removal of lockdowns and the reopening of Hong Kong’s border, sales of childrenswear have notably rebounded in 2023. However, local demand for childrenswear remains tepid. The declining birth rate in Hong Kong was already placing pressure on…

As pandemic restrictions were lifted in China at the beginning of 2023, bricks-and-mortar sales have gradually been returning after the 2022 decline due to periodic lockdowns. The apparel and footwear industry, including childrenswear, is therefore…

Like butter and spreads, cheese remains one of the smaller categories within dairy products and alternatives in Vietnam, as it is not traditionally used in the local cuisine. A low level of awareness amongst the local population is also evident due…

Cheese is expected to be one of the weaker dairy performers in 2023, with more muted volume growth. Hard cheese in particular performs badly and is expected to register a fall in volume sales, with soft, more affordable soft cheese continuing to…

Despite continued inflationary pressures, cheese continued to exhibit a robust performance in retail volume terms in 2023. As the cost of cheese was prohibitive for some consumers, economy-priced spreadable and processed offerings, such as Cheese…

As cheese in not typically a main ingredient in Thai cuisine, tourism is an integral factor towards sales and, thus, cheese was affected by the event of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the lack of tourism during this time. As such, cheese manufacturers…

Similar to butter, the demand for cheese began to wane in the latter half of 2022. Consumers reverted to their habits of dining out, leading to a decreased inclination to cook and bake at home.

In 2023, cheese in South Korea is expected to continue to thrive in retail current value terms, building on the positive growth observed in the previous year. However, a notable opposite trend has emerged in volume terms, as all cheese categories…

In 2023, the High Court of Singapore ruled that the term “Parmesan” is a translation of the Italian term “Parmigiano Reggiano”. According to the ruling, only Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) cheese produced in a particular…

The rapid urbanisation across all regions of Pakistan is fuelling growth of cheese in 2023, alongside the increasing interest in Western lifestyles and diets, which is largely due to the increasing exposure to social media among affluent urban…

The dominant category in both retail volume and value terms, processed cheese (excluding spreadable), is being developed by significant new product development towards the end of the review period. The domestic foodservice operator QSR Trading Sdn…

Though cheese is expected to register double-digit current value growth, volume sales are expected to fall slightly. Kazakhstan has strong trade links with Russia in particular and its war in Ukraine is negatively impacting the Kazak economy and…

Cheese is set to see solid growth in retail current value terms in Japan in 2023, largely driven by unit price increases due to inflation and the rising cost of raw materials and energy. Major dairy players such as Megmilk Snow Brand, Meiji Co Ltd,…

The COVID-19 pandemic increased awareness and acceptance of cheese in Indonesia, which continues in 2023. During lockdown there was increased interest in cooking and baking at home, and cheese became more widely used as an ingredient. In addition,…

Retail demand for cheese in India continued to grow in 2023, as major players introduced new variants and expanded their ranges to cater for different consumption occasions. There is increasing demand for Western breakfasts among urban households,…

Sales of cheese in Hong Kong are expected to experience a significant retail current value boost in 2023, mainly due to a substantial rise in the average unit price. The overall unit price of cheese is set to increase by over 10% compared with the…

While the COVID-19 pandemic control measures have eased, and logistics and offline consumption have rebounded, it is anticipated that in 2023, both the retail value and volume sales of cheese will continue to experience a double-digit decline. This…

Retail price inflation slowed down in 2023 and this had a positive effect on the cheese category, with retail volume sales rising at a steady pace. Still, the cheese category remains import-dependent, a factor that also influences pricing. The war in…