Eastern Europe

With minimal additional public investments and moderate business spending on away-from-home tissue and hygiene products in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the category witnessed marginal volume growth in 2023. Significant price increases were also an issue…

Menstrual care in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a mature category that witnessed volume decline in 2023, due to a shrinking consumer base and declining population. Nonetheless, with the help of rising prices caused by inflation, menstrual care continues…

Nappies/diapers/pants in Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of hardest hit categories in tissue and hygiene as it is heavily impacted by the country’s declining population, thus creating a smaller potential consumer base. Low birth rates continue to…

Consumer demand for retail adult incontinence remains stable in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with marginal growth in retail volume terms. In response to rising prices, the category has seen strong double-digit retail value growth. Older people are the…

In retail tissue in Bosnia and Herzegovina, toilet paper, paper tableware and paper towels all saw a moderate decline in retail volume terms in 2023. Consumers opted to economise and refrained from buying less essential products like paper tableware.…

Tissue and hygiene in Bosnia and Herzegovina continued to experience the effects of high inflation in 2023, although the rate was significantly lower than in 2022. Inflation has weakened consumer purchasing power as many households face higher costs…

The wipes category in Bosnia and Herzegovina witnessed moderate growth in 2023 as consumers placed a stronger emphasis on personal hygiene in the post-pandemic era. Overall, locals are enjoying a higher standard of living, and this has increased use…

AFH tissue and hygiene in Bulgaria continued to steadily recover from the harsh impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions in hotels and restaurants, which is the biggest AFH channel, hindered sales in 2020 as many establishments were…

Despite strong rising prices, all away-from-home tissue categories in Croatia recorded growth in 2023 due to a remarkable tourist season. Despite inflation and general economic insecurities, inbound tourists have bounced back in the post-pandemic era…

Away-from-home tissue and hygiene in Estonia recorded double-digit growth in 2023. This strong value increase was largely due to price increases as inflationary pressures continued to be felt in the country. Away-from-home toilet paper experienced…

The surge in sales of away-from-home tissue and hygiene products in 2023 was primarily fuelled by the revival of tourism in Georgia. As international travel resumed, the demand for tissue products in hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality…

In 2023, a full return to pre-pandemic levels of activity outside the home and rising inflation saw away-from-home tissue record double-digit growth in current value terms.

In 2023, menstrual care in Bulgaria witnessed steady retail volume growth despite the continued unit price increases in the category. Price inflation was most notable at the beginning of the year when inflation was still at its peak from 2022.…

In 2023, the increase in value in menstrual care in Croatia can be primarily attributed to increased prices for raw materials and escalating production expenses. Manufacturers and distributors in Croatia, who were already experiencing margin…

In 2023, retail sales of menstrual care products in Estonia recorded double-digit growth, though this strong value increase was largely driven by price increases as inflationary pressures continued to be felt in the country. Slim/thin/ultra-thin…

In 2023, retail sales of menstrual care products in Georgia recorded substantial value growth. This value increase was largely driven by price increases, however, as volume growth was more muted. Inflationary pressures continued to be felt in the…

With women spending more time on activities such as visiting fitness centres and travelling in the wake of the pandemic, there was greater demand for a range of menstrual care products, especially higher-value products, in 2023, which led to an…

Retail volume sales of nappies/diapers/paints in Bulgaria continued to fall in 2023, in line with the ongoing decline in the country’s birth rate which is reducing the overall consumer base. Indeed, the very low numbers of babies being born Bulgaria…

In line with rising price points, nappies/diapers/pants in Croatia recorded positive double-digit current retail value growth in 2023. Value sales also benefited from wealthier consumers increasingly demanding eco-friendly and higher-quality…

Nappies/diapers/pants experienced a decline in volume sales in 2023, primarily attributed to the decreasing birth rate in the country. With fewer births, there is reduced demand for baby care products, including nappies, diapers, and pants. Economic…

The sales of nappies, diapers, and pants in Georgia are strongly influenced by birth rates. Over the review period, there was a significant decrease in the birth rate in the country, and this trend continued into 2023. Consequently, while the volume…

Nappies/diapers/pants continue to be negatively impacted by declining birth rates in the Czech Republic in 2023 which led to a decline in volume sales. Disposable pants, however, benefitted from having a natural composition and low environmental…

Retail adult incontinence in Bulgaria continued to witness robust growth in 2023, both in retail volume and current value terms, supported by the ageing population and growing urological problems. Rising demand was due mainly to an expansion of the…

An ageing population continued to support retail sales of adult incontinence products in Croatia in 2023. Rising product awareness and increasing availability in Croatian retailers further contributed to a positive performance. In addition, the…

The surge in volume growth for light adult incontinence products in 2023 reflects an increasing trend towards proactive health management among consumers in Estonia. With a growing emphasis on personal wellness, individuals are seeking solutions that…

Retail adult incontinence continued to exhibit stable volume sales growth in Georgia in 2023. However, the absence of prescription or reimbursement schemes for adult incontinence products remains a challenge. Consequently, consumers must either…

Consumer demand for retail adult incontinence and consumption habits is ongoing, which led to growth in volume sales in the country in 2023. This was due mainly to the ageing Czech population, with an increase in the demographic aged 65 and over, the…

Volume sales of retail tissue in Bulgaria declined in 2023 due to weaker demand for napkins, boxed facial tissues and toilet paper, although for differing reasons. Napkins are not only considered less essential, but consumers were put off by price…

A strong unit price increase in all retail tissue categories had negative impact of volume sales in Croatia in 2023. The only category to see volume growth in the year was toilet paper as this is an essential item. Consumers sought to make savings in…

In 2023, retail sales of retail tissue in Estonia recorded solid growth, both in value and volume terms. Boxed facial tissues experienced remarkable volume growth in 2023, driven by heightened consumer awareness and evolving lifestyle trends. The…

The return to pre-pandemic lifestyles in 2023 has stimulated volume sales of retail tissue in Georgia. Despite this growth, there has been a decline in unit prices. In 2022, the price of cellulose surged, leading to significant increases in tissue…

Retail tissue saw modest volume growth and double-digit growth in current value terms in 2023, with inflationary pressures helping bolster the value performance. Amid rising inflation, local consumers are more price sensitive and look for…

As with retail adult incontinence, an ageing population remained the key driver of Rx/reimbursement sales in Croatia in 2023, with the category recording solid volume and current value growth in the year. Incontinence products are considered medical…

In 2023, the demand for Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence witnessed continued growth in Estonia, with both value and volume experiencing an upward trajectory. This growth trend persisted despite the ongoing challenges associated with limited…

In 2023, Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence recorded moderate volume growth, resulting from growing consumer awareness not only of incontinence, but also from health insurance companies and their reimbursement payments to consumers for the…

Tissue and hygiene in Bulgaria witnessed positive development in 2023, with high inflation bolstering sales especially in the second half of the year. Retail prices remained elevated and even saw some slight increases, as most producers grappled with…

In 2023, retail value sales of tissue and hygiene in Croatia recorded strong growth due to rising inflation and significant price increases in all product areas. While positively impacting retail value growth, rising prices changed consumers’…

In 2023, tissue and hygiene witnessed substantial growth across both retail and away-from-home segments, propelled by various influential factors. Firstly, heightened consumer awareness, particularly regarding adult incontinence items, emerged as a…

In 2023, tissue and hygiene in Georgia sustained a stable performance, buoyed by consistent economic conditions, a burgeoning immigrant population, and a resurgence in pre-pandemic lifestyles. Despite encountering challenges such as dwindling birth…

Tissue and hygiene was affected by strong price increases, leading to significant value sales growth of all product types. Consumers reacted by reducing the frequency of their purchases leading to stagnation or a decline in volume sales of several…

Wipes in Bulgaria increased in retail volume and current value terms in 2023, as the category is still relatively new and has strong growth potential. A stronger emphasis on hygiene has occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic, with categories like wet…

Sales of wipes in Croatia continued to record steady retail volume growth in 2023, while retail current value sales benefited from rising price points. Consumers have become more hygiene conscious since the outbreak of COVID-19, with this helping to…

In 2023, retail sales of wipes recorded steady growth, though this value growth was largely driven prices increases as inflationary pressures continued to be felt in the country. Intimate wipes experienced robust volume growth in 2023, emerging as…

In 2023, wipes in Georgia are witnessing a resurgence in volume sales growth following a decline over the review period amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, brand loyalty remains low as consumers prioritise affordability over brand recognition.…

Wipes saw robust current value growth in 2023, thanks in part to inflationary pressures on prices, but also because, despite the waning pandemic, hygiene-consciousness remained high in the Czech Republic. A key driver for the category is the…

In 2023, away-from-home (AFH) tissue and hygiene recorded double-digit retail value growth in Hungary, boosted by rising price points. However, while retail volume growth was slower than the previous year, it remained positive in most areas, with…

Throughout 2023, the growing population precipitated a notable uptick in the demand for away-from-home toilet paper. Various establishments, spanning restaurants, hotels, offices, and public facilities, experienced a resurgence in operations, thereby…

Throughout 2023, away-from-home adult incontinence in Lithuania maintained a stable trajectory, despite encountering challenges in competing with the robust sales observed in the prescription (Rx) sector. Hospitals, serving as pivotal entities within…

In 2023, retail value sales of menstrual care products saw significant growth in Hungary, driven by rising inflation an ongoing price hikes. In response to these price changes, women looked for deals and discounts on the landscape, checking the…

The year 2023 witnessed a remarkable surge in the demand for tampons among Latvian women, primarily attributed to the increasing adoption of active lifestyles. This trend, echoing the patterns observed in the previous year, reflects a notable shift…