Eastern Europe

In 2022, alcoholic drinks achieved moderate volume growth amidst growing inflationary pressure, rising unit prices and lower personal disposable incomes. The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine further exacerbated the precarious economic…

In 2022, Alcoholic drinks in Bulgaria were mainly influenced by a 16.9% inflation rate, the Ukraine war, supply problems, high transport costs and delivery delays. All this led to a considerable rise in unit prices and stock problems among…

2022 was a tough year for alcoholic drinks in Croatia as high inflation impacted discretionary spending in the year. Fortunately, this was offset by strong growth in the on-trade channel as tourism was almost at its pre-pandemic level. Rising prices…

Beer witnessed a trend for more premium, perceived healthier and more expensive products like ale, which also benefited from the return to the on-trade channel as Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions were lifted. The prices of beer and other types of…

While off-trade volume sales remained higher, the on-trade channel was the major driver of total volume sales growth in beer and spirits in 2022. Growth rates were closer in on- and off-trade volume terms in wine. The stronger overall growth…

While alcoholic drinks in Hungary recorded substantially improved growth in total current value sales in 2022, this was primarily due to soaring inflation fuelled by the global recovery from COVID-19, the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and…

The Latvian economy began to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, but witnessed further instability from the geopolitical problems caused by the war in Ukraine. Nevertheless, alcoholic drinks reaped the benefits of the eased pandemic…

Alcoholic drinks saw steady growth in total volume terms in 2022. After the turmoil seen during the pandemic, sales began to stabilise in 2022 as COVID-19 fears subsided and restrictions were eased and consumers began to return to their old…

While unit prices of most other consumer goods saw double-digit percentage growth rates, in line with inflation, the unit prices of alcoholic drinks saw more moderate growth since many of the major brands are of domestic origin and were able to limit…

Alcoholic drinks in Poland recorded a slight downtick in terms of total volume sales during 2022. Despite the considerable surge in on-trade sales, buoyed by the unrestricted operational ability of foodservice establishments post-pandemic, this…

Despite the economic and geopolitical uncertainty of 2022, alcoholic drinks in Romania enjoyed some significantly positive developments in some of its categories. This was in large part due to the successful eradication of COVID-19 restrictions as of…

As COVID-19 fears subsided in 2022 there was a strong desire among many Serbian consumers to start socialising again with this helping to stimulate on-trade volume growth with sales fully recovering after the significant decline seen during 2020.…

Alcoholic drinks, as a product area, in Slovakia experienced the impact of weakened purchasing power among Slovak consumers in 2022. However, the price growth in the industry was relatively slower compared to other sectors. This can be attributed to…

Alcoholic drinks has recovered to pre-pandemic sales levels in volume and value terms, with consumption rising following the abolishment of social and travel restrictions. Horeca establishments were open without any limitations in 2022 enabling…

Overall, the consumption of alcoholic drinks in the Czech Republic continued declining in total volume terms in 2022, with signs of this trend developing even before the pandemic, especially through the on-trade. The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions…

Despite price hikes, beer continued to witness volume growth in 2022 supported by the recovery of the on-trade. Significant unit price increases were visible across all product categories as rampant inflation pushed up costs and producers were forced…

In 2022, beer in Bulgaria saw a slight increase in retail volume terms thanks to the preference for lower-alcoholic drinks and awareness of the health benefits of beer. However, although on-trade beer volume sales continued recovering post-pandemic,…

Beer sales have been revived with the recovery of tourism in Croatia. Following two years of pandemic-related restrictions, there were no border restrictions or on-trade measures imposed in 2022. However, while on-trade sales, which are largely…

On-trade sales of beer collapsed in 2020 as Coronavirus (COVID-19) led to the closure of bars, pubs and restaurants. While off-trade sales continued increasing, picking up some of the lost on-trade sales, the size of the on-trade decline as well as…

As in 2021, ale posted the fastest total volume and value growth in 2022. This performance was connected with the trend for more premium, and expensive, beer, which is perceived to have a richer taste. Moreover, on-trade sales popularised ale more…

Growing numbers of tourists and immigrants, mostly people affected by the outbreak and course of the war in Ukraine, stimulated strong total volume sales growth for beer in 2022. The on-trade channel was the major driver of total volume sales growth…

While total volume sales of beer in Hungary continued to increase in 2022, growth was slower than in 2021 and by the end of the year they had still not reached pre-pandemic levels. Overall demand was constrained by rising prices and falling…

The beer category made a considerable recovery in 2022, with on-trade establishments fully re-opened from March 2022 as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were relaxed. On-trade volume sales soared as consumers returned to bars and restaurants, keen to…

2022 was a very good year for beer in Lithuania with sales seeing strong growth through both the off-trade and on-trade in volume terms. Life in Lithuania largely returned to relative normality in 2022 after the country’s pandemic restrictions were…

Beer continued to see moderate total volume growth in 2022 and high inflation impacted average unit prices. The category is still performing below pre-pandemic levels mainly due to limited on-trade performance, which continues to recover slowly post…

The year 2022 was anticipated as a return to normality after the upheavals brought on by the pandemic, marked by resumption of entertainment events, concerts, meetings and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in foodservice. However, Poland’s beer…

The Romanian beer market faced substantial challenges in 2022, predominantly stemming from the combination of escalating inflation, rising energy and transport costs, and the war in Ukraine. These influences considerably disrupted the supply of raw…

Serbians returned to the on-trade in greater numbers in 2022 as COVID-19 fears subsided and restrictions were lifted with this continuing to drive volume sales of beer. Lager remains by far the most popular beer in Serbia, although smaller beer…

Total volume sales of beer recorded a decline in 2022 due to the increasing prices of beer units. With inflation in Slovakia reaching double-digit growth, it has become more challenging for consumers to afford the same quantities of non-essential…

The inflation rate increased sharply in 2022 leading to double-digit growth in beer unit prices. Nevertheless, soaring beer prices have not heavily affected demand for beer, with volume growth rates elevated compared to 2021 levels. The recovery in…

Beer prices were driven upwards by rising production costs in 2022. This included among other things the increased commodity prices of hops which saw a massive increase in 2022 because of high demand and drought which limited farm yields. The sharp…

Thanks to renewed consumer demand, cider/perry saw volume sales stabilise following a period of fluctuations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Strong volume growth was achieved in 2022 amidst rising unit prices caused by rampant inflation.…

In 2022, cider/perry in Bulgaria continued its upward trajectory, surpassing 2019 volume sales in the off-trade channel as open-air socialising, concerts, festivals and garden parties resumed post-pandemic. Meanwhile, record high current value sales…

Cider/perry is comparatively new in Croatia, first developing visible share in 2010. The relative immaturity has driven strong growth from a low base over the review period. Off-trade consumption of cider/perry continued to grow in 2022, benefiting…

Cider/perry continued to see a dip in off-trade volume sales in 2022. The growing popularity of flavoured/mixed lager had a negative effect on cider/perry. Cider/perry retail unit prices rose in 2022 due to the galloping inflation in the country.…

Like the other main areas of Hungary’s alcoholic drinks market, cider/perry saw growth in total volume sales slow sharply in 2022 as the rapidly rising cost of living prompted consumers to rein in discretionary spending. It continued to perform…

Cider witnessed strong growth in 2022 and continued to gain back the losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The consumer foodservice industry returned to operating at full capacity in 2022, leading to a resurgence in demand for cider, which is…

Sales of cider/perry declined in 2022 after a brief revival in fortunes in 2021. Cider/perry has struggled to establish as significant demand as in other markets with it having a bad reputation for its high sugar content. With consumers becoming…

Due to ongoing consumer demand, cider/perry sales continued to show growth in 2022, albeit at a rate in the single-digit percentage range. This contrasts with earlier in the review period when growth was in the double and even triple-digit…

In recent years sales of cider/perry in Poland have shown a plateauing trend with a downward bias. This follows an extended period of decline, which has resulted in a lower base level for these products, albeit with a loyal customer base. The market…

The performance of cider/perry in Romania in 2022 was greatly influenced by several significant factors. On the one hand, there was a marked increase in product prices, and on the other, there was a reduction in consumer purchasing power. The decline…

Cider/perry in Serbia continued to see strong and stable volume growth in total volume terms in 2022, although growth continued to come from a small consumer base. The on-trade channel witnessed stronger volume and value growth although this was…

Cider in Slovakia has experienced a decline in volume demand due to strong competition from trendier products, particularly non-alcoholic beer and RTDs. This trend predates the pandemic and has been amplified by rising production costs and a decrease…

The cider category has seen robust growth in volume and current value terms in 2022, with the strongest performance seen in the on-trade. Horeca establishments opened throughout the year without restrictions from COVID-19. A strong tourist season…

Large brands like Somersby, Carling and Kingswood ended their distribution of cider/perry in the Czech Republic during 2022. The parent companies decided to focus their energies on a single key brand, or on more popular alternatives to cider/perry.…

The briefing introduces the Cities Households Necessities Spending Index. The index ranks 1,075 cities by household expenditure on non-discretionary items, namely food, housing, and clothing and footwear. This analysis focuses on 160 major cities.…

Slower growth, surging inflation, rising geopolitical risks and an accelerating deglobalisation trend are factors shaping the global economic, financial and trade landscape in 2022 and beyond. Despite the challenges, there are opportunities for…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. In 2023, global inflation is expected to ease from its peak in 2022, but remaining significantly above-trend. Geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market are…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. Global inflation is reaching a peak, although geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market remain key risks. The impact varies between countries, with…

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered the most severe global recession since World War II. In Q4 2020, the end of the pandemic started as countries began administering effective vaccines among the population; however, vaccine distribution…