Austria

In Austria, retail volume sales of cigarettes experienced a notable decline in 2023, falling below pre-COVID-19 levels for the first time. This decline follows a pandemic-induced increase when travel restrictions limited access to cheaper cigarettes…

Heated tobacco products saw strong growth in 2023, solidifying their position as the most established nicotine source next to cigarette smoking in Austria. Consumers widely perceive these products as less harmful than cigarettes, making them a…

Volume sales of cigars and cigarillos continued to decrease in Austria in 2023, but at a significantly slower rate than cigarettes. Demand for these products experienced a strong push during the pandemic, and volume sales for both cigars and…

In 2023, the retail value sales of cigarettes in Austria continued their downward trajectory, dropping below pre-COVID-19 volume sales levels of 2019. During the pandemic, cigarette consumption had seen a temporary boost due to increased consumption…

The challenging economic conditions in Austria, including inflationary pressures and fluctuating consumer purchasing power, influenced consumer spending habits and preferences in 2023. As prices rose across various categories, consumers sought more…

The demand for rice, pasta, and noodles in Austria rebounded in 2023 after retail volume sales declined sharply in 2022. As consumers looked for convenient meal solutions amidst busy lifestyles, rice, pasta, and noodles emerged as go-to options for…

Sales of meat and seafood substitutes in Austria experienced a temporary decline in retail volume terms in 2022, attributed to various factors such as supply chain disruptions, economic uncertainty and shifting consumer preferences. The category…

After a challenging year in 2022 in which volume sales declined sharply, sales of processed fruit and vegetables witnessed a notable resurgence in 2023 in Austria. This turnaround can be attributed to various factors, including a slightly more stable…

Sales of breakfast cereals in Austria experienced a notable rebound in 2023 following the decline in retail volume sales observed in the previous year. Shifting consumer preferences, increased product innovation and evolving lifestyle trends all…

Baked goods experienced mixed fortunes in 2023 with the category registering positive growth in current value terms by a small decline in retail volume terms. The main factor influencing the rise in sales in value terms was inflationary pressures…

In 2023, Austria’s real GDP contracted by 0.7%, which was below Western Europe’s average growth. The economic slowdown was attributable to high inflation, rising interest rates, labour shortages and sluggish public consumption and investment. Going…

Lingering inflationary pressures continued in sweet spreads in Austria in 2023, resulting in stronger value growth supported by high prices, while volume sales just about managed to remain positive. Indeed, as sweet spreads are perceived as less…

Sales in sauces, dips and condiments maintained demand in Austria in 2023, resulting in positive value growth underlined by still-high prices, alongside smaller volume growth due to the baseline demand. These factors are being driven by…

Meals and soups saw strong value growth in Austria in 2023, driven by inflationary pressures leading to high unit prices, while volume sales are also bouncing back into stronger positive growth. That said, challenges remain, as while inflationary…

Sales in edible oils continued to stabilise in 2023 in Austria, following the era of price hikes and supply disruptions. That said, the return to foodservice does somewhat place downwards pressure on potential sales, when compared to the era of home…

Sales in cooking ingredients and meals continued to stabilise in Austria in 2023. This is thanks to inflation starting to slow down, thus resulting in more stable food prices. For example, we can note this in edible oils, which was a category…

Wipes in Austria saw continued growth in current value terms in 2023. However, this was driven to a large extent by inflationary pressures, which led to an increase in unit prices. Personal wipes remained highly popular with consumers, having…

Retail sales of tissue and hygiene in Austria registered a positive performance in current value terms in 2023, following the significant growth of the previous year. However, this was mainly due to prevailing inflationary pressures, as rising raw…

Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence recorded strong growth in current value terms in 2023 continuing the trend of the previous year. However, this was mainly due to prevailing inflationary pressures, as rising raw material, production and transport…

Retail tissue in Austria recorded continued growth in current value terms during 2022, supported by an increase in average unit prices. With raw material, energy and transport prices rising substantially, manufacturers were faced with higher…

Retail adult incontinence in Austria recorded strong growth in current value terms in 2023. While this was partly due to inflationary pressures, such products also experienced a heightened demand, due to the growing number of consumers suffering from…

Demand for nappies, diapers and pants in Austria increased in 2023. While many women postponed their plans to start a family during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of babies aged 0-1 years in the population rose in 2022 and remained at a stable…

Menstrual care in Austria saw only modest growth in current value terms in 2023. Moreover, this increase was entirely attributable to inflationary pressures, as rising raw material and supply chain costs led to an increase in unit prices. The cost of…

Away-from-home tissue and hygiene in Austria registered a positive performance in current value terms in 2023, following the significant growth of the previous year. However, this was mainly due to prevailing inflationary pressures, as rising raw…

Vending saw good growth again in 2023, when Austria finally put the COVID-19 pandemic largely behind it and public life and consumer mobility finally returned to normal. During the pandemic and temporarily closed stores, there has been a lot of…

Just like grocery retailers as a whole, hypermarkets saw strong growth in value sales in 2023, although this was entirely price driven as inflation remained at unusually high levels for a second consecutive year. Demand was down as consumers…

Small local grocers was also characterised by a reluctance to spend among consumers in 2023, as inflation and the cost of living have risen sharply since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis in spring 2022. Sales rose sharply again in 2023, although…

After a year of slowdown, the retail market experienced significant growth in value terms although this was entirely price-driven as inflation remained at unusually high levels for a second consecutive year. Although disposable income in 2023 slowly…

After a slow year, retail e-commerce saw significant growth in value sales again in 2023, although this was entirely price driven as inflation remained at unusually high levels for a second consecutive year. Although disposable income slowly…

Just like grocery retailers as a whole, hypermarkets saw strong growth in value sales in 2023, although this was almost entirely price driven as inflation remained at unusually high levels for a second consecutive year. Demand itself only showed…

Consumer restraint affected the entire retail sector in 2023, but it was particularly pronounced in home products specialists. Consumers had already invested heavily in their homes during the pandemic, when they were spending much more time at home.…

Driven by significant price increases, overall health and beauty specialists saw strong growth in value sales in Austria in 2023, roughly at the same level as retail offline overall. Consumers' willingness to spend in this category has generally…

General merchandise stores continued to significantly outperform retailing overall in terms of value sales growth due in the main to the continuing expansion and success of variety stores. It was one of the areas least affected by the generally sharp…

Just like grocery retailers as a whole, discounters saw strong growth in value sales in 2023, although this was almost entirely price-driven as inflation remained at unusually high levels for a second consecutive year. Demand itself only showed…

Just like retail as a whole, direct selling saw significant growth in value sales in 2023, but it was entirely price-driven as inflation remained at unusually high levels for a second consecutive year. Given the focus of direct selling in Austria on…

Just like grocery retailers as a whole, convenience retailers saw strong growth in value sales in 2023, although this was almost entirely price driven as inflation remained at unusually high levels for a second consecutive year. Demand itself only…

Consumer restraint affected the entire retail market in 2023, but appliances and electronics specialists was one of the categories most negatively affected.

Although disposable income slowly recovered in 2023 compared to repeatedly high inflation, consumers remained relatively frugal in their spending on apparel and footwear. Many made savings by opting for apparel or footwear and reduced their shopping…

In 2023, toilet care saw some modest current value growth thanks to inflationary pressures increasing average unit prices. Despite the impact of inflation on unit prices, the focus on toilet care remains significant among Austrian consumers. The…

Surface care saw a healthy increase in current value sales in 2023, driven by rising average unit prices, while overall volume sales saw a decline. Despite local consumers maintaining higher standards for hygiene and cleanliness post-pandemic, with…

In 2023, polishes saw continued volume decline, having received a boost during the pandemic when local consumers spent more time at home. Due to busy schedules, local consumers have less time available for deep cleaning and polishing their households…

In 2023, laundry care saw healthy current value growth, primarily driven by the introduction of innovative products, particularly within the categories of laundry detergents and liquid fabric softeners. These products enabled local consumers to wash…

In Austria, the rise in insects attributed to increasing temperatures linked with climate change has led to a significant increase in the demand for insecticide baits in 2023. Hospitality and tourism operators have also sought methods to control…

In 2023, home care recorded current value growth, primarily driven by price increases attributable to inflation and, in a few instances, premiumisation and innovation. The escalating time constraints of local consumers have fuelled the demand for…

In 2023, dishwashing saw moderate current growth, mostly driven by hand dishwashing products. Post-pandemic, there has been a decline in volume sales as local consumers spend more time dining out, reduce the number of meals prepared and eaten at home…

Post-COVID-19, sales of bleach have been declining in Austria due to growing consumer concerns about its strong chemical composition. During the pandemic, local consumers sought strong cleaners to reduce the risk of infection. Although many consumers…

In 2023, a decline in the amount of time spent at home post-pandemic led to a concomitant reduction in the use of air care products, thereby constraining volume growth in this area. Economic uncertainties and inflation also prompted local consumers…

Austria experienced exceptionally high inflation once again in 2023, reducing consumer incomes and dampening spending in almost all areas of consumer foodservice. Foodservice operators faced increased costs in energy, materials and labour, which were…

Austria experienced exceptionally high inflation once again in 2023, reducing household incomes and dampening spending in almost all areas of consumer foodservice. Foodservice operators faced increased energy, materials and labour costs, which were…

As a result of the energy crisis triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Austria saw exceptionally high inflation for the second year in a row in 2023. For local consumers, this meant less disposable income and a concomitant reluctance to spend…