Asia Pacific

Despite substantial price hikes amidst rising inflation in Taiwan, growth in sportswear current value sales in 2023 is set to be slower than in 2022. This is mainly because falling purchasing power and heightened economic uncertainty have led most…

Aligned with an increased focus on the importance of health and wellness among Thai consumers, there has been an increase in people taking part in workout routines and exercise activities. In 2023, sportswear brands have continued to leverage this…

Breathable and dry-fit fabrics have considerably gained in popularity in the Philippines due to the practical benefits of using such fabrics in the country because of its climate and because of the active lifestyles of its population today. Humid…

Sportswear continues to see double-digit growth in current value terms in 2023, although this is largely based on elevated inflation rather than a significant recovery in demand. The gloomy economy has negatively affected the recovery of sportwear in…

Staple foods is expected to register healthy current value in 2023, despite continuing economic uncertainty because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, supply chain disruptions, the rise in inflation and tightening monetary policy. While inflation is…

Consumer purchasing power fell in 2023 due to devaluation of the local currency against the dollar. This has made many staples unaffordable to a large swathe of the population. Most middle income demographics tend to do a minimum shop to cover their…

In 2023, staple foods will see an improved performance in comparison with the previous year. In line with the full reopening of the economy and the resumption in tourism, demand has improved. Likewise, packaged food is becoming more popular in…

Pandemic restrictions were lifted in China at the beginning of 2023; thus, production, logistics, and product availability have gradually resumed in staple foods. However, after a year of exceptional growth in 2022, retail volume sales are set to…

Staple foods has faced a challenging year in 2023, as many consumers in Hong Kong have shifted their spending from retail to foodservice. After three years impacted by the pandemic, consumers have been eager to dine out and experience travel, which…

Staple foods saw high retail current value growth in India in 2023, on the back of favourable macroeconomic factors and changing consumer preferences regarding food choices. Favourable macroeconomic factors such as high GDP growth and rising median…

Staple foods overall benefited from consumer purchasing power beginning to rise in 2023 as Indonesia’s economy started to rebound following difficult years during and immediately after the pandemic. Sales volumes were boosted by broadening consumer…

Staple foods in Japan is set to grow in current value terms in 2023, largely driven by unit price increases due to inflation and increases in production costs. Although many manufacturers had already implemented price increases in 2022, the costs of…

Kazakhstan has strong trade links with Russia and its war in Ukraine is negatively impacting the economy and leading to high inflation. While skyrocketing international oil and gas prices is boosting the local economy, its usual outflow to the global…

In 2023, Laos is facing a new set of economic challenges attributed to the global surge in fuel prices, the devaluation of the Lao Kip, and rising inflation. As of April 2023, inflation increased significantly, primarily driven by the devaluation of…

Retail sales of staple foods in Malaysia recorded continued growth in volume terms in 2023. This was in spite of rising food prices, thanks to the weakening of the local currency, the ringgit, against the US dollar, which brought about higher import…

Political and economic repercussions, such as regional conflicts, inflation, and currency depreciation, resulting from the 2021 coup have cast a shadow on Myanmar's staple foods in 2023. Retail prices have persistently surged across various…

Pakistan’s economy continues to struggle and the government secured a further USD3 billion bailout from the IMF in July 2023, avoiding an impending default. Inflation continues to be very high and is being driven by several factors, including…

Staple foods in Singapore continued to experience marginally higher average unit prices from the lingering effect of the inflationary wave in 2022. Climate change and geopolitical risks further impacted global food production and supply chains,…

Staple foods, closely associated with economic conditions in South Korea, is experiencing slower growth rates in many categories due to recent external economic factors. Elevated inflation rates have led to an upward trend in retail value sales…

In 2023, staples in Sri Lanka witnessed a shift in consumer preferences. Baked goods like fresh bread and pastries have gained popularity as more prepare their meals at home. Health-conscious are consumers seeking diverse breakfast cereals.…

In 2023, staple foods in Taiwan was affected by the resumption of travel and eating out as key trends with the lifting of Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions. Thus, demand shifted back from retail to foodservice as a result of less time spent at…

Staple foods in Thailand is seeing an overall positive performance, in both value and volume terms. That said, the category continues to be affected by inflationary pressures which are pushing up prices, alongside the cost-of-living crisis which is…

Retail sales of staple foods and alternatives in the Philippines recorded moderate growth in volume terms in 2023. This was in spite ongoing inflationary pressures, with food prices posting an upward trend, thanks to energy price hikes and…

After a very turbulent period for staple foods in 2022, with geopolitical changes in the region driving up prices on most grocery products, volume sales have picked up in 2023. The Uzbek economy has improved with retail prices in a number of…

Retail prices of staple foods in the Vietnam continued to rise in 2023. While inflationary pressures began to ease, the ongoing war in Ukraine had a major impact on the prices of key raw materials, due to the disruption of the global supply chain.…

In 2023, as local consumers return to more normal lifestyles, total volume sales of starchy roots are starting to recover from the previous year’s disruptions when pandemic-related restrictions in China were still in place, which negatively impacted…

Starchy roots is set to maintain slow and stable total volume growth in India in 2023, with increases expected by all measures. Potatoes remains by far the dominant category within starchy roots, but is set to see the slowest rate of growth in 2023.…

Total demand for starchy roots in Japan continues to improve in 2023, mainly driven by foodservice and retail channels. Like many categories of fresh food, foodservice volume sales of starchy roots experienced significant declines at the height of…

The unit prices of starchy roots increased significantly throughout 2022 and 2023 due to constant rises in the costs of production and unfavourable weather conditions throughout the year. Like other fresh food categories, the farming and production…

In 2023, an increased awareness of the importance of health and wellness contributed to the rise in demand for starchy roots in Vietnam. The nutritional advantages of eating these foods, such as high-quality carbs, dietary fibre, and crucial…

Store cards remains a negligible category in the country. The majority of establishments in India tend to offer loyalty cards (these can be used to add and store reward points as credit currency, a simpler solution without the threat of debt…

Store cards are often referred to as “Gaisho cards” in Japan. Gaisho is a department most often found in department stores, positioned somewhat like direct selling. Gaisho are elite staff members with high levels of skill and experience, and these…

Store cards in South Korea is experiencing a trend of stagnant growth. Despite the enduring appeal of store cards and their unique set of benefits, the growth rates in both 2022 and 2023 feature stabilisation rather than substantial expansion.…

Store cards are not available in Taiwan. Hypermarket chain Carrefour was the last retailer to offer such cards and it ceased its operations in 2005. A trend towards alternative payment options such as digital wallets and the widespread popularity of…

At the beginning of 2023, the Thai government launched the Shop Dee Mee Khuen (Shop and Pay tax deductions program) allowing a personal income tax deduction of up to THB40,000. This programme covers a variety of goods and services such as fuel, food…

Store cards have a negligible presence in Vietnam with there being little interest or awareness of these card products. Furthermore, the government strictly controls the supply of credit in Vietnam which makes it a complicated and lengthy process to…

Street stalls/kiosks benefited from the normalisation of consumers’ daily routine outside of the home in 2023, with chained tea street stalls leading the surge. While other formats of street stalls/kiosks, such as those offering braised snacks, fried…

Street stalls/kiosks returned to growth in current value terms in Hong Kong in 2023, with transaction volumes and outlet numbers also rising. Street stalls/kiosks in Hong Kong have become synonymous with local delicacies, offering a wide range of…

Street stalls/kiosks maintained growth in outlet numbers and current value sales in India in 2023, with transaction volumes also finally exceeding the pre-pandemic (2019) level in this year. Street stalls/kiosks has historically been dominated by…

Street stalls/kiosks saw a second year of double-digit growth in current value terms in 2023. These small booths typically targeted low- to middle-income consumers, who remained highly price sensitive. With the return of on-site working and…

Street stalls/kiosks continued to see an increase in current value sales in 2023, thanks to the rising popularity of food trucks. Even during the pandemic, food trucks were less negatively impacted thanks to their mobility, which allowed them to…

Jom Cha by Farm Fresh is one of the latest street stalls/kiosks serving varieties of drinks such as bubble tea. One of the marketing tactics employed is the use of renowned fresh milk, Farm Fresh, which is produced locally and enables the player to…

Street stalls/kiosks in Singapore are expected to be affected by the local government’s increasing focus on health and wellness. Singapore has been exploring potential regulatory measures aimed at lowering the sodium content in food since September…

In 2023, tanghulu (sugar-coated fruits on a bamboo skewer) emerged as the most prominent snacking mega-trend in the entire food industry in South Korea. The popularity of tanghulu began with mukbang YouTubers who focused on ASMR content, creating…

There was a major shift in street-stalls/kiosks in Taiwan at the end of the review period. After a three-year pandemic, the re-opening of the Taiwanese border in October 2022 led to a surge in tourism, which resulted in crowding at tourist spots,…

Street stalls /kiosks in Thailand witnessed healthy growth in current value terms in 2023, with sales approaching pre-pandemic levels. This was driven to a large extent by the recovery of both domestic and inbound tourism, as both locals and…

Street stalls/kiosks continued to experience buoyant growth in current value terms in 2023. Sales were boosted by an increase in foot traffic in shopping malls, where a high number of chained outlets are located. Standalone stalls also benefited from…

Street-stalls/kiosks registered a marked slowdown in growth in terms of both current value and number of transactions in 2023. Such outlets are especially popular with lower-income segments, which were particularly impacted by the elevated rate of…

In 2023, the performance of sugar and sweeteners, like other fresh food categories, is being influenced by the post-pandemic scenario, leading to reduced home consumption and an increase in foodservice volumes, with the latter driving overall demand.…

Sugar and sweeteners is expected to see continued total volume growth in India in 2023. Meanwhile, retail current value growth is expected to be significantly higher than retail volume growth, primarily due to retail price increases as a result of…