Understand the key trends shaping demand and future opportunities...
Understand the key trends shaping demand and future opportunities across industries in Eastern Europe, with the latest regional and country-level analysis and market statistics.
High inflation from 2022 in the wake of the war in Ukraine and subsequent increases in prices of goods and energy continued in 2023. The overall economic situation in the country worsened and increased the cost of living for Czech households.…
Following on from the economic fallout of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, the Czech Republic experienced very high inflation in 2022 and 2023. This worsened the economic situation and caused surges in prices, which hindered demand amid the higher…
A deterioration of the economic situation in 2023, caused by still high inflation and steep increases in prices, hit the demand for other hot drinks in the Czech Republic. As consumers faced higher cost of living pressures, they looked to reduce…
The rate of inflation in the Czech republic remained high in 2023. This resulted in a worsened economic situation for Czech households amid cost of living increases. Czech consumers responded by reducing their expenditure on perceived unnecessary…
The Hungarian coffee industry faced headwinds in 2023 due to deteriorating economic conditions and rising prices. Consumers became more price-sensitive, opting for cheaper private label coffee products or even reducing their overall coffee…
Hot drinks in Hungary experienced stagnant volume growth in 2023 due to unfavourable economic conditions and significant price increases. Consumers responded to these challenges by reducing their consumption of hot drinks or switching to lower-priced…
Other hot drinks, often considered treats given to children by their parents, faced challenges in Hungary in 2023. The volume sales of other hot drinks declined, primarily due to the stability or even decline in the demographic profile of…
Tea continued to experience significant price increases in 2023, mirroring the trend observed across other hot beverage categories. While coffee remains a staple in Hungarian households, tea is often perceived as a seasonal beverage primarily…
While coffee is expected to register double-digit current value growth, volume sales are expected to fall marginally. A couple of factors are expected to lead to the slight volume decline. Continuing price rises dampen volume sales, as does…
Instant coffee in Bulgaria is experiencing a phase of stagnation, primarily due to the outdated perception of instant coffee compared to more modern alternatives like capsule coffee and bean-grinding machines. The demographic of instant coffee users…
High inflation continues to exert a strong impact on the coffee category in 2023, putting pressure on all parts of the industry, from production to consumption. Coffee production is labour intensive, but also incurs costs in terms of fertilizers,…
Overall, retail volume sales for hot drinks are expected to fall marginally, due to a slight fall in volume sales for coffee, which is by far the most popular hot drink in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Continuing population decline dampens volume sales, as…
The hot drinks market in Bulgaria in 2023 is significantly influenced by the cost-of-living crisis. With an inflation rate among the highest in the EU, Bulgarian consumers are experiencing squeezed disposable incomes and escalating grocery product…
The year 2023 has been characterized by another year of high inflation, with consumers struggling with costs. Despite this, coffee is gaining popularity not only in cafés, but also at home and in the workplace, with a growing interest in speciality…
Value sales are still relatively low in what is an immature product area, which still has plenty of room for growth. As such, though prices are still on the rise, it is expected to register moderate volume growth in 2023. Chocolate-based flavoured…
In Bulgaria's other hot drinks category, chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks maintains the largest volume share despite facing several challenges. These challenges include declining birth rates and a growing consumer preference for low-sugar…
Other hot drinks continues to face the threat of high inflation in 2023, with pressure on costs resulting in further price rises. Consumers are seeking more budget-friendly options in this category, with a shift away from premium and gourmet hot…
The picture is positive for tea in 2023. Current value growth is expected to register a double-digit increase, as price continue to rise. However, constant value growth is also expected to register a moderate increase, as is volume growth. Tea still…
In response to rising prices and decreasing incomes, Bulgarian consumers are increasingly favouring local tea brands over international ones. This preference is driven by the perception that local brands offer higher quality at more affordable…
Tea registered stable volume growth in 2023, aided by its popularity in Poland where it is widely consumed. Retail volume growth has slowed, however, with consumers facing higher prices in the tea category as part of a broad rise in the cost of…
Croatians love their coffee, but it is a mature product with little room for growth. Also, in 2023, with prices still rising, this puts a further dampening effect on coffee, with both volume and constant value sales expected to fall. Continuing…
Retail current value sales of coffee were driven by sharp rises in average current unit prices towards the end of the review period, as the prices of commodities and production and supply costs increased substantially. This led to thriftier shopping…
Overall, retail volume sales for hot drinks are expected to fall marginally, due to a slight fall in volume sales for coffee, which is by far the most popular hot drink in Croatia. The picture is not much better for tea and other hot drinks, with…
In 2023, hot drinks’ performance was impacted by a number of factors, with divergent or opposing effects on categories. For example, cocoa commodity price hikes created upward pressure on retail unit prices in other hot drinks, driving up value…
Other hot drinks is expected to register slight volume growth in 2023. That being said, continuing rising prices is still hitting profit margins and constant value sales are expected to fall. Ongoing population decline also dampens sales somewhat.…
Price promotions and discounts reigned supreme among marketing activities as Slovak consumers exhibited thrifty shopping behaviour in 2023. Selective shopping encompassed a prioritisation of essential goods in an attempt to save money, or simply a…
Tea fares better than coffee in 2023, with a slight increase in volume sales. However, this is mainly due to it being a much less mature product. That being said, continuing rising prices is still hitting profit margins and constant value sales are…
Amid a highly inflationary climate, informing higher production and logistics costs, unit price growth propelled retail current value sales of tea in 2023. However, the residual economic fallout of COVID-19 and high inflation towards the end of the…
While coffee remains the most popular hot drink in Georgia in 2023, it is expected to register retail volume decline for the second year in a row. Significant price hikes is dampening volume sales, with consumes also trading down to cheaper brands.…
Hot drinks is expected to register moderate constant value growth in 2023, though volume sales are expected to decline, driven by a poor performance in coffee. Continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and high…
Other hot drinks is expected to register healthy constant value and positive volume growth in 2023. Within foodservice, volume growth is very healthier, reaching the double-digits, and boosted by increasing numbers of foreign tourists, as well as an…
The picture is much rosier for tea than coffee in 2023, with healthy volume and constant value growth expected. Within foodservice, volume growth is even healthier, reaching the double-digits, and boosted by increasing numbers of foreign tourists, as…
Coffee registered a retail volume decline in 2023, with retail value sales growth being the result of rising unit prices, high inflation and increasing costs for energy, transport and logistics. In addition, the price of the raw coffee bean grew,…
Rising inflation and the heightened cost of living in Romania in 2023, negatively impacted retail volume sales of basic food and drinks, including hot drinks. Coffee sales were particularly challenged, with negative retail volume sales, as the unit…
The growth of other hot drinks in 2023 resulted from consumption changes noted during COVID-19, when working from home and studying from home became the norm. During this time, chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks, targeting children, saw an…
The growth in retail volume for tea in 2023 resulted from affordable prices and perceived health benefits, with tea aligning with the rising interest in health and wellness among consumers. As such, players marketed their teas as improving immunity…
Coffee is by far the most popular category within hot drinks in Ukraine but the category has seen heavy losses since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Sales plummeted in 2022 as large numbers of consumers fled the country while foodservice sales were…
Sales of hot drinks were significantly impacted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 with sales plummeting as large numbers of people fled the country in search of safety. With Russia’s war continuing in 2023 the population remained significantly…
Chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks was one of the hardest hit categories by Russia's invasion of Ukraine with sales plummeting in 2022. This is due in large part to the fact the key target audience for these products are kids, many of which left…
Like most products, sales of tea suffered heavy losses in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine which led to a large number of consumers fleeing the country as well as a loss of territories. Sales were also impacted by temporary stock shortages…
The substantial rise in coffee prices has decelerated the growth of coffee volume sales in Serbia. Notably, only coffee pods have experienced an upward trend, primarily due to an expanding consumer base and relatively lower market maturity. The…
Whilst fresh ground coffee is the dominant choice in Slovenia, instant coffee is gaining popularity from a lower volume base. In 2023, instant coffee mixes are the fastest growing product in the category driven by the convenience trend. Instant…
In 2023, the consumption of hot drinks in Serbia faced a slowdown due to rising prices and a decline in disposable income. Consumers responded by reducing consumption volumes, shifting towards more affordable brands, opting for private label…
Hot drinks in Slovenia enjoyed steady volume growth in 2023, despite the upward pressure on prices as inflation remained above normal levels. Coffee is the not only the largest category in hot drinks, but it is experiencing a surge in popularity in…
The return of consumers to pre-pandemic lifestyles has triggered intensified competition with on-trade establishments. With consumers spending more time outside their homes and seeking on-the-go options, on-trade sales are experiencing slower growth…
Other hot drinks witnessed steady volume growth in 2023, which mainly consists of chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks for children. However, in recent years, category players have been making efforts within chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks…
The escalation in prices coupled with a decline in disposable income has adversely affected the sales of tea in 2023 within Serbia. Additionally, as consumers gravitate towards a return to their pre-pandemic lifestyles, spending more time outside…
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, health awareness among consumers has heightened in Slovenia. This has driven growth in the tea landscape in Slovenia, with green tea, and herbal teas, being fast-developing area. Continuing this trend, in 2023,…
Fresh coffee recorded the fastest volume and value growth in 2023 due to the rising demand for natural products. As coffee is the most popular hot drink in Estonia and thanks to the growing emphasis on healthy living, Estonians are willing to pay…
Retail volume sales of coffee saw a stagnant performance in 2023, as the high cost of living affected consumer purchasing behaviour. Forced to spend more on utilities and food, Latvians shifted away towards more affordable products. The market also…