Eastern Europe

Glass jars is the dominant pack type in jams and preserves, which remains the main sweet spreads category – but thin wall plastic containers are growing in popularity as a cheaper alternative, with this latter pack type again recording double-digit…

While flexible packaging remained the most popular packaging format for overall baby food in 2022, driven by prepared baby food, board tubs displayed an increase in pack type share within the category for several reasons. Firstly, as board tubs are…

In 2022, demand for the leading pack type within confectionery, flexible plastic, continued to grow. This was because confectionery products are often sensitive to moisture, air, and light, and flexible plastic packaging can provide a barrier against…

PET bottles witnessed an increase in pack type share within dairy packaging in 2022. This was because PET bottles are lightweight and shatter-resistant, ensuring both cost-effective transportation and reduced risk of breakage. The material's barrier…

While other leading pack types, such as flexible aluminium/plastic and flexible aluminium/paper, continued to lose ground within meals and soups packaging in 2022, thin wall plastic containers witnessed an increase in pack type share. This was…

Plant-based dairy continued on its dynamic growth trajectory towards the end of the review period, albeit from a low base. While plant-based dairy has been available in Romania for some years, the pandemic and associated health trends accelerated…

Metal food cans remained the most popular packaging type for processed fruits and vegetables in 2022, driven by their strength in the largest retail unit volume category of shelf stable fruits and vegetables. Nevertheless, the use of glass jars in…

Despite another low retail unit volume decline in 2022 in line with greater mobility outside of the home, demand for processed meat and seafood packaging remained above pre-pandemic levels, driven by urbanisation in Romania. With consumers’…

The use of PET bottles as a pack type for sauces, dips and condiments continued to gain momentum in 2022 for a number of reasons. Firstly, local consumers appreciate the transparency of this pack type as they can see the texture, colour and…

While thin wall plastic containers and glass jars remained the most popular packaging types for sweet spreads in Romania at the end of the review period, the niche of other rigid containers continued to record strong growth within chocolate spreads.…

Insights and data on the traditional automotive sector and the mobility industry can help businesses examine how changing travel patterns will impact future consumer behaviour. Growing climate pressures and rising urbanisation rates are pushing…

Insights and data on the traditional automotive sector and the mobility industry can help businesses examine how changing travel patterns will impact future consumer behaviour. Growing climate pressures and rising urbanisation rates are pushing…

The health and wellness industry continues to grow in importance post-pandemic as consumers become more aware of the negative health impact of processed foods, seeking healthier foods and beverages from a range of claims such as natural, organic,…

The COVID pandemic underlined the importance of healthier living which positively impacted demand for more natural products. This rising health awareness in the Czech Republic helped boost demand for health and wellness cooking ingredients and meals…

Plant-based alternatives to cheese, milk and spreads saw major innovation in 2022, which helped propel healthier dairy (and dairy free) products to new heights. For example, Pan Hrasek, a local brand from Emco spol sro, introduced new line of…

Hot drinks with natural ingredients and low or no added sugar remained popular in the Czech Republic in 2022. Naturally healthy products like tea saw strong growth thanks to the return of the standard flu season in the autumn and winter months of…

Rising health awareness in the Czech Republic continued to positively impact snacking trends in 2022. Natural ingredients, healthy positioning and product fortification remained in demand. These trends were further supported by new product launches,…

Health and wellness soft drinks options remained in demand in 2022 in the Czech Republic, with current value growth driven by inflation and product innovation. A gradual shift from retail to on-trade was also visible, as Czech bars and restaurants…

Health and wellness staple foods saw a strong year in terms of value sales growth in 2022, with demand fuelled by a sharp rise in unit prices. Strong sales also came from categories like gluten-free and meat substitutes, as a growing number of Czech…

The health and wellness industry continues to grow in importance post-pandemic as consumers become more aware of the negative health impact of processed foods, seeking healthier foods and beverages from a range of claims such as natural, organic,…

In 2022, more Polish consumers looked for vegan products within ready meals, and due to rising consumer demand, players expanded their portfolios. For instance, Iglotex expanded its vegan portfolio Proste Historie in the form of frozen vegan ready…

Already, 6% of Poles between the ages of 18 and 65 identify as vegan. The reasons for this choice of diet vary, including health, animal welfare, or as a way to lose weight. Despite being relatively new to the concept of veganism, Poles have shown a…

Hot drinks preferences amongst Poles have been influenced by new flavours, and the expanding addition of novel, healthy herbs, roots and plants. Increasing numbers of consumers are tending to support more ethical businesses, which has fuelled their…

With rising awareness of healthy food, Polish consumers have been gradually turning towards healthy snacks whenever they can, including on-the-go, for school, work, and picnics. Producers of packaged snacks therefore aim to provide consumers with…

As the number of obese and overweight people in Poland has been increasing, NGOs and the Ministry of Health promote increasing physical activity and reducing calorie consumption, especially underlining reducing the consumption of sugary drinks. The…

While vegetarian staple foods continued to gain strength in Poland in 2022, they were already treated as basic products by Polish consumers. For this reason, producers have been attempting to raise consumers’ interest with additional features in…

This report provides valuable insights into product innovation in Poland, analysing data from Euromonitor’s Innovation platform. The report covers the beauty, health and home categories, showing the level of new brand and subbrand launch activity.

This report provides valuable insights into product innovation in Poland, analysing data from Euromonitor’s Innovation platform. The report covers the food and beverage categories, showing the level of new brand and subbrand launch activity.

Apparel accessories registered another year of growth in 2023, as Romanians continued to go out more often than before and, therefore, showed a higher level of preoccupation with their personal image. The difficult economic context meant that apparel…

Apparel and footwear continued to grow in both value and volume terms in 2023 despite a difficult economic context. Romanians are notably preoccupied with their personal image, and they display a high level of brand loyalty and are attracted to big…

Romanian consumers are showing a tendency to be more frugal in the context of high inflation with rising prices for raw materials and final products. This was reflected in a slight deceleration of the volume trend in 2023, though growth remained…

After the 2021 rebound, volume sales of footwear continued to increase in both 2022 and 2023. As Romanians are going out more often than before for work, leisure or travelling, their demand for footwear is also on the rise. This rise in demand is…

With consumers going out more than before, 2023 brought another year of growth for hosiery. In addition, given that the category is comprised of relatively inexpensive products, inflation was not a big factor for hosiery during the year. The category…

In 2023, jeans maintained a significant growth rate in both value and volume terms. With the COVID-19 restrictions left behind, Romanians are going out more than before and want to dress appropriately. Nevertheless, cocooning remains an important…

Romanian men are putting more importance on their personal image and are willing to invest more in good quality apparel. This trend was reflected in a healthy growth rate in menswear in both value and volume terms in 2023. Nonetheless, inflation was…

Inflation and declining purchasing power generally drive down demand for non-essential products. Nevertheless, demand for sportswear continued to increase in both 2022 and 2023, showing that there is still considerable room for growth in a context of…

Inflation has shaped how Romanians make purchases, with impulse shopping now declining. However, demand for womenswear remained high in 2023, as consumers prefer to wait for discounts or sometimes even to buy in instalments rather than giving up…

The obligation to wear a face mask or respirator was completely lifted, even from places like hospitals and retirement homes, in the Czech Republic in early 2022. Since then, the demand for washable face masks has continued to shrink. Despite the new…

A recovery in consumer demand in 2022 enabled the fashion industry to rebound, although high inflation, geopolitical challenges and the energy crisis affected the cost of living and consumer behaviour in Q4. Although overall business results were…

Childrenswear is expected to see a further, and stronger, decline in retail volume sales and a moderate, but much slower, retail current value increase over 2023. There was some fluctuation or downsizing about the performance of the category overall.…

Across footwear, sneakers (trainers) and children’s footwear are projected to see the steepest increases in unit prices over 2023, although the demand for sneakers continued to gain traction. Heeled shoes and boots have seen significant increases in…

A healthy lifestyle, increased levels of exercise (gym and outdoor) and participation in sports and more time spent outdoors boosted sales of functional and technical hosiery in the Czech Republic in 2023. Functional sheer hosiery that is designed to…

There is a significant level of maturity in jeans in the Czech Republic, with most people owning more than one pair, often a pair for leisure and a smarter pair for socialising or even at work. Premium and super premium brands have been challenged…

The cost of living crisis towards the end of the review period, following on from the economic impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, had a significant effect on retail volume and current value sales of menswear in the Czech Republic. High…

A reported 85% of Zalando e-shop customers engage in sports activities at least once a week. In addition, the Czechs Republic exceeds the European average in the category of sportswear. The most sought-after brands include Nike, adidas, Under Armour,…

Retail current value sales of womenswear are projected to fall slightly over 2023. However, retail current value sales are set to remain above the 2019 pre-pandemic level, following strong rebounds in 2021 and 2022 from the Coronavirus…

Only commercial charge cards are available in Hungary in 2023, with personal charge cards no longer available. Moreover, commercial charge cards are only offered to top corporate executives and senior managers and there are no indications that this…

The post-pandemic return to normal lifestyles is helping to revive the charge card category, with transactions rising alongside the recovery in travel. Nevertheless, charge cards issued by banks continue to be infrequently utilised and the number in…

Charge cards experience sluggish growth due to rising inflation and a low economic performance, leading companies to optimise expenditures by reducing spending limits. However, charge cards lack digital options that are flourishing in other card…

The most common type of charge card in the Czech Republic is commercial fleet cards which are offered to top corporate managers. Charge card transactions continued to rise by double-digits in 2023, due to the bounce back in corporate spending, as…