Eastern Europe

Both cigars and cigarillos registered volume growth in Serbia in 2024, unlike cigarettes, which saw volume sales fall. One reason for the positive performance of cigars and cigarillos is that the price gap between cigarettes and cigars and cigarillos…

In 2023, the volume sales of beer in Georgia continued to grow, albeit at a slower pace compared to previous years. This growth, although more stable, was underpinned by both an increase in domestic production and a rise in imports. The Horeca…

In 2023, the impact of immigrants from Russia on alcoholic drink sales in Georgia was negligible, resulting in a more subdued sales growth compared to the previous year. Despite this, moderate inflation and a stable exchange rate contributed to the…

Wine in the Czech Republic faced declining volume sales in 2023 as economic conditions worsened. The high cost-of-living drove consumers to cut back on purchases within the wine category. Current value growth was buoyed by increased prices due to…

Wine saw strong growth in current value terms in 2023 but this was the result of price hikes rather than an increase in demand with sales declining in total volume terms as financial pressures led to consumers adopting a more cautious approach to…

Total volume sales of wine fell slightly in Hungary in 2023. However, during the year, sparkling wine volume sales continued to grow, finally exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Sparkling wine consumption, traditionally reserved for celebrations and…

Wine in Bulgaria continued to enjoy buoyant retail volume growth, underpinned by the recovery of on-trade sales following the pandemic. However, wine consumption through the on-trade still remained below 2019 levels as inflationary conditions and…

In 2023, wine in Bosnia and Herzegovina experienced a notable slowdown in consumer demand, although it remained comparatively stronger when compared to beer consumption trends. This shift in consumer preferences hinted at a gradual transition towards…

Tobacco saw double-digit current value growth in Ukraine in 2023. After marked upheavals following the outbreak of war in 2022, global tobacco players adapted to the new reality and returned to new launching new products. These launches were mostly…

Total current value sales growth for tobacco in North Macedonia in 2023 was up markedly on that recorded in 2022. The improvement was primarily attributable to unit price hikes resulting from tax increases and inflationary pressures fuelled by the…

Retail sales of cigarettes in Lithuania are steadily declining as consumers increasingly shift towards alternatives such as vaping and heated tobacco. This trend raises questions about whether the overall popularity of smoking is genuinely decreasing…

In 2023, the major trends in tobacco in Latvia remained consistent with previous years. Sales of regular cigarettes continued to decline, while vaping and heated tobacco products gained popularity. However, an alarming trend was the resurgence of…

The challenging economic situation in the Czech Republic led to weaker demand for spirits in both the off-trade and on-trade in 2023. Czech households came under more intense financial pressure due to prevailing high inflation, with the price of…

The average unit price of spirits in Poland rose sharply in 2023 due to high inflation, an increase in production costs, and a further increase in the excise tax rate by 5%. Although these price rises translated into strong growth in current value…

Total volume sales of spirits increased slightly in Hungary in 2023. A small yet affluent customer segment, characterised by a higher level of knowledge about spirits and a discerning taste for quality, continued to drive the market for premium…

In 2023, the consumption of spirits in Bulgaria increased with volume sales rising well in on-trade venues but declining marginally in retailers. Current value growth was fuelled by price rises after a long period of stability. Nevertheless, the…

Consumer demand for spirits witnessed a significant slowdown in 2023, marked by minimal total volume growth across the category. This trend was characterised by mixed performances among the three largest spirits categories. While whisky categories…

In 2023, e-vapour products in Lithuania continued to show strong growth. A significant number of consumers are shifting from regular cigarettes to alternatives perceived as less harmful, particularly single-use vaping devices and heated tobacco.…

Smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products, and heated tobacco in Latvia continued its upward trajectory in 2023, primarily driven by the increasing popularity of heated tobacco and single-use vaping systems. While this growth trend has been consistent…

E-vapour products saw a fall in sales in current value terms in Ukraine in 2023, while heated tobacco products saw growth in both current value and volume terms. E-vapour products experienced a significant change in market conditions in Ukraine…