Eastern Europe

Processed fruit and vegetables are recording further growth in 2023. The main factor underpinning this positive performance is the rising demand for products that offer convenience as many consumers have less time to go shopping for fresh food on…

Chilled processed meat remains the largest category in both volume and value terms in 2023. Convenience continues to drive category sales as consumers with hectic lifestyles are increasingly looking for ready-to-eat options. However, meat and seafood…

Instant noodles is the fastest growing category in 2023 due to its convenience and the rising popularity of international cuisine. With increasingly busy lifestyles, consumers are looking for products that are quick and easy to prepare. They are also…

Post-COVID-19, as travel and work activities resumed, there was a rebound in off-trade impulse consumption and demand for RTD coffee, leading to strong retail volume growth in 2022, albeit from a relatively low base. Such positive growth continues in…

Despite its low base and strong initial development, RTD coffee experienced a slowdown in growth, even a slight decline in 2023, due to price hikes implemented in 2022 and 2023. Financial instability prompted consumers to reduce expenses on…

In 2023, RTD coffee leads as the fastest growing category in soft drinks, in volume terms. Despite the unfavourable economic conditions, RTD coffee continues to attract new consumers. The product category is widely available in the modern trade, with…

RTD tea in Bulgaria faces a significant challenge due to its seasonality, with consumption predominantly occurring during the summer months. To address this, producers are introducing new flavour ranges not typically associated with summer, such as…

RTD tea sales in Hungary faced significant challenges in 2023 due to rising prices and the non-essential nature of these products. Despite the potential for growth, RTD tea remained highly reliant on player support, constant innovation, and seasonal…

In 2023, RTD tea declined in volume terms. Demand fell as consumers became more budget-conscious due to the cost of living crisis and higher average prices. RTD tea is also highly seasonal drink, with high dependency on promotional activities from…

The soft drinks market in Bulgaria in 2023 is experiencing transformative changes in response to economic factors and evolving consumer preferences. Inflationary pressures are notably impacting price growth and disposable incomes, leading consumers…

High inflation exerted significant pressure on consumer spending, negatively impacting soft drinks in 2023. Many consumers were forced to curtail their spending on non-essential items, leading to a decline in soft drink consumption. Strong product…

Soft drinks in Poland witnessed a decline in volume sales in 2023, following a second year of double-digit inflation. The steep growth in unit prices led to weaker demand for soft drinks, with some categories suffering more than the previous year.…

Sports drinks in Bulgaria is recording strong and stable growth in 2023, propelled by an increasing interest in outdoor sports and physical exercise, and a growing number of gyms. Alongside physical activity trends, there is a heightened awareness of…

The growing adoption of healthier lifestyles, including regular exercise routines, has positively impacted sports drinks sales in Hungary. Despite facing substantial price increases, consumers continue to participate in various sporting activities…

Despite being an emerging product in Poland, sports drinks saw volume sales growth slow in 2023, due to ongoing inflation and diminishing purchasing power. Nevertheless, it was still one of the top performing categories in soft drinks. The importance…

Retail volume growth is being seen across the board in staple foods in Slovenia in 2023 as demand continues to increase steadily in the year. Processed meat, seafood and alternatives to meat is the fastest growing category in volume terms, with sales…

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…

Bottled water continues to be the most popular soft drink in Bosnia-Herzegovina and is expected to achieve moderate volume growth in 2023. A certain cohort of consumers are switching to bottled water from carbonates, as they look to be healthier, and…

Overall, volume sales are expected to stagnate in 2023, with the most popular cola carbonates expected to see volume sales fall slightly. Carbonates are a mature product area, with little room for further growth, and added to this, the population…

While concentrates are a sizeable product area in Bosnia-Herzegovina, they have been on a downward trajectory in recent years and this expected to continue in 2023, with a further fall in volume sales. Consumers prefer the convenience of RTD options…

Energy drinks is expected to register healthy volume growth in 2023. Energy drinks have a loyal fan base. Consumers lead increasingly busy lives and in particular younger people appreciate the boost from energy drinks, both for physical activities…

Juice is expected to register moderate volume growth in 2023. Many consumers are switching from carbonates to juices, as they consider juice to be healthier. In addition, within juice, consumers are opting for healthier, more natural versions as much…

RTD coffee is expected to register the highest volume growth among soft drinks in 2023. However, RTD coffee is still an emerging product area and value sales are small and it is partly its novelty factor that has boosted volume sales. That being…

RTD tea is expected to register moderate volume growth in 2023, despite continuing population decline. In particular, there has been some shift from carbonates and juice and this is expected to support volume growth. RTD tea is made up of still RTD…

Overall, soft drinks is expected to register a minimal increase in retail volume sales. Continuing population decline dampens volume sales, as well as inflation, though price growth has eased. Growth is also muted through foodservice channels.

Sports drinks is expected to register the highest volume growth among all sports drinks in 2023. That being said, this growth is from a very low base. With consumers increasingly looking to be healthier and more active, this is driving volume growth…

Over 60% of consumers in Poland reduce food waste and recycle items, while the majority aim to positively impact the planet, shaping their sustainable purchasing decisions. These habits have led over 40% of consumers to identify as Zero Wasters,…

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…

Bottled water is expected to register positive volume growth in 2023. Though tap water is of good quality in Croatia, bottled water is often purchased on-the-go, as well as by tourists. In addition, a certain cohort of consumers are switching to…

In 2023, the main drivers of growth for the bottled water landscape were consumers' reluctancy to drink tap water and the tradition of mineral water in the country. Nevertheless, the declining purchasing power in 2023 was reflected in a slowdown of…

The demand for bottled water continued to suffer during 2023, as unfavourable weather conditions and weak purchasing power negatively impacted volume consumption. This was mostly visible in retail, as foodservice saw a late and slow recovery from the…

Carbonates is expected to register only marginal volume growth in 2023. Carbonates are a mature product area, with little room for further growth, and added to this, the population continues to decline. Some consumers are also switching to other…

Carrying the stigma of being unhealthy, off-trade sales of carbonates continued to decline in 2023. However, the on-trade channel has continued to record a positive performance, recovering from the impact of COVID-19, with consumers enjoying their…

The demand for carbonates was negatively impacted by a cool early summer and cold weather in spring 2023. A further decrease in off-trade volume sales can partly be attributed from the recovery of the on-trade channel, which caused a shift in 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.…

Concentrates account for significant volume sales in Croatia, though it is a mature product area which has seen limited growth over the review period. In 2023, concentrates is expected to register muted volume growth, with the product area…

Concentrates saw low levels of volume growth in 2023, being a mature landscape with little room for growth. In addition, due to sugar content, concentrates are not always perceived as healthy products, and the rising interest in health and wellness…

Liquid concentrates maintained a larger market size than powder concentrates, underpinned by a stronger retail presence and heavier marketing support. Highlighting the advantages of liquid concentrates, such as ease-of-use and flavour variety, has…

Energy drinks is expected to be the best performing soft drink in terms of volume growth in 2023. Energy drinks are particularly popular among the under 25 age group and are widely consumed at festivals and parties. It is also popular as a cocktail…

As interest in more active lifestyle grows, and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions has increased movement, energy drinks has seen a positive performance in 2023. Aggressive promotion, both offline and online, is also contributing positively to the…

Unfavourable weather in spring and summer 2023 restricted the growth potential of energy drinks in both the retail and foodservice channels. In addition, weak purchasing power continued to limit local consumers’ ability to spend on relatively…