Eastern Europe

Croatia has largely recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, with the boost in summer tourism supporting sales growth in non-grocery retailing. Tourism is an important part of the local economy, but the pandemic restrictions had stifled visitor numbers…

In 2022, though there was healthy growth in current value sales, constant value sales fell. The war in Ukraine had a negative impact, with the resultant energy crisis leading to soaring inflation and dampening volume sales. With such economic…

E-commerce continued to gain significant value share in 2022 as part of the ongoing development of this category. Many consumers sought out cheaper prices online as the cost of living crisis hit many Croatian households. On balance, Croatia is seeing…

E-commerce registered double-digit current value growth in 2022, as well as healthy constant value growth, in spite of high inflation. The high inflation was due to the war in Ukraine, which led to soaring energy prices, which in turn led to higher…

Croatians were impacted by rising inflation in 2022 and faced a cost of living crisis similar to many shoppers across Europe. As the economy started to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and rising costs of energy and raw materials…

The war in Ukraine had a negative impact, with the resultant energy crisis leading to high inflation and dampening volume sales somewhat. As a result, while overall retail registered a healthy increase in current value sales in 2022, constant value…

As COVID-19 fears subsided in 2022 there was a strong desire among many Serbian consumers to start socialising again with this helping to stimulate on-trade volume growth with sales fully recovering after the significant decline seen during 2020.…

Serbians returned to the on-trade in greater numbers in 2022 as COVID-19 fears subsided and restrictions were lifted with this continuing to drive volume sales of beer. Lager remains by far the most popular beer in Serbia, although smaller beer…

Cider/perry in Serbia continued to see strong and stable volume growth in total volume terms in 2022, although growth continued to come from a small consumer base. The on-trade channel witnessed stronger volume and value growth although this was…

As seen across alcoholic drinks in Serbia, the growth of RTDs was driven by a further recovery in on-trade volume sales in 2022. With COVID-19 fears subsiding and restrictions lifted consumers spent more time outside the home socialising and going to…

Spirits registered strong growth in total volume terms in 2022 with this being driven by the continued recovery of the on-trade channel after the negative impact of the pandemic. On-trade sales of spirits continued to recover in 2022 as Serbians…

Wine saw healthy growth in total volume terms in 2022 with sales boosted by a further recovery in sales through the on-trade. With COVID-19 fears subsiding and restrictions lifted consumers started to return to their old pre-pandemic lifestyles which…

An unbiased judiciary weakens the rule of law and corruption is more prevalent, but the business environment continues to thrive. Although the economy is expected to slow markedly in the short term owing to high inflation, medium-term prospects are…

Corruption continues to hamper economic freedom and fiscal health could be improved, but Romania has entered a period of political stability. Economic development is set to slow, as high inflation erodes purchasing power and has led to greater…

Despite the business landscape enjoying relative economic freedom, political instability has been a common feature of Slovakia. Although joblessness is relatively low, wages are increasing, also adding to very high inflation, whilst the war in…

Chocolate confectionery is expected to be the best performing snack in 2023, with healthy constant value and volume growth. Per capita consumption is on the rise, largely fuelled by a growing appetite for dark chocolate, which is seen as healthier.…

Chocolate confectionery continued to face inflationary pressures in 2023, following an increase of between 10-15% in unit prices in 2022. The war in Ukraine and subsequent changes in logistics impacted the supply chain and drove up variable costs. In…

There was an increase in retail volume sales of chocolate confectionery in 2023 due to two contributing factors. First, the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions has seen much of the local workforce return to the office after working from home,…

While gum is expected to register an increase in current value sales, constant value sales are expected to fall, due to high inflation. Volume growth is also expected to be marginal. Gum is gradually losing popularity and it increasingly gets bad…

In the past few years, gum has experienced significant setbacks, with annual volume sales declining from between 5 and 23% during this period. The COVID-19 pandemic had a particularly negative impact on the gum category, but this was followed by a…

Gum is highly dependent on impulse purchases, on-the-go consumption, and as a breath freshener. Because of this, the post-pandemic return to social gatherings and office working post-pandemic led modest retail volume growth in 2023.

Ice cream is expected to register moderate volume growth, though constant value sales are expected to be unchanged, as continuing high inflation cuts into profitability. With inflation still being high, consumers look for value for money and Unilever…

Ice cream retail volume growth is decelerating in 2023, after a period of dynamic growth in 2022. The rebound in tourism and return to foodservice channels were the main drivers of this strong performance in 2022. Players have continued to offer…

Demand for vegan ice cream has increased in the Czech Republic, and local consumers are increasingly interested in high-quality ingredients and healthier options. Plant-based ice cream is the fastest-growing product area within the category, with…

While savoury snacks is expected to register an increase in current value sales, constant value sales are expected to fall, due to high inflation. Volume growth is also expected to be muted. Savoury snacks with a healthier positioning are expected to…

Retail volume growth of savoury snacks is improving in 2023, following a rather lacklustre performance in 2022. The category confronted significant challenges in 2022, not least because of the war in Ukraine, which led to a slowdown in retail volume…

Although sales of savoury snacks increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, a return to pre-pandemic levels of social activity has also benefited the category. Indeed, the decline in home consumption, for example while watching television…

Snacks is expected to register healthy volume and more moderate constant value growth in 2023, despite continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the meteoric rise in inflation and tightening monetary policy. In…

Snacks in Georgia is facing ongoing challenges in 2023 caused by external influences, including the war in Ukraine, higher production costs and rising inflation. Multiple categories have seen rising unit prices, with manufacturers leveraging…

After the Russian invasion in 2022, some snacks companies, including Mondelez International, had to close some Ukrainian factories that had been supplying the Czech Republic. At the start of 2023, production had been restored, either by reopening…

While sugar confectionery is expected to register an increase in current value sales, constant value sales are expected to fall, due to high inflation. Volume growth is also expected to be muted. In terms of value growth, mints are expected to be the…

Despite the challenging economic circumstances, sugar confectionery has remained a popular and affordable indulgence option for consumers in Georgia, with solid retail volume and current value growth seen in 2023. However, the pace of grow is slowing…

Retail volume consumption of sugar confectionery is expected to continue to recover in 2023. However, post-pandemic, the category will be affected to some extent by a general trend away from sugar confectionery, particularly in the case of boiled…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks are expected to register muted constant value growth, as inflation still remains high, as well as muted volume growth. This sector was particularly affected by the rising price of wheat, with Ukraine…

In 2023, sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks has continued to experience positive growth in both retail volume and current value sales, driven by several factors. Firstly, the snackification trend is driving consumers towards more convenient…

With steep price increases caused by high inflation, Czech consumers are increasingly price-conscious and purchasing sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks through promotions or discounts. Despite this, volume sales have increased as office…

Recent checks by media and consumer organisations have shown certain types of chocolate confectionery – such as luxury boxed assortments and tablets – cost considerably more in Bulgaria than in other European countries where living standards are much…

Chocolate confectionery is expected to register further current value and volume growth in 2023, with value growth higher than volume growth as inflation pushes prices up. Countlines, particularly for on-the-go formats.

Retail volume sales of sales of chocolate confectionery saw a flat performance in 2023. With food prices rocketing, consumers were forced to reduce their expenditure on non-essential items. However, while, price hikes were inevitable, there was some…

While chocolate confectionery is expected to register a double digit increase in current value sales, volume sales are expected to fall slightly. Continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the meteoric rise in…

Retail volume sales of chocolate confectionery continued to see positive growth in 2023, supported by the return of Serbians to their busy, pre-pandemic lifestyles, including increased opportunities for on-the-go and impulse consumption. Despite…

Growth in retail volume sales of gum in Bulgaria in 2023 looks set to surpass that recorded in 2022, with chewing gum and bubble gum both projected to register improved results in this respect. This is mainly explained by the fact that consumption is…

Given the strong inflation and growth in unit prices, gum had a moderately successful year in current retail value terms. The number of tourists continues to rise, and the entertainment trend, which was strong in 2022, continues in 2023.…

Chewing gum saw a second year of decline in retail volume terms in 2023, albeit to a lesser extent than the previous year. Sales of chewing gum remain largely impulse-driven and with more Hungarians working from home, at least on a hybrid basis, they…

Gum is expected to register modest volume growth in 2023, as consumers lead busy lives and often use gum as a breath freshener. In addition, gum is particularly popular among smokers, to remove any bad breath.

Retail volume sales of gum saw relatively modest growth in 2023, when compared to the performance of the previous year. Chewing gum continued to account for the lion’s share of the category, as well as recording the stronger performance. Sugar-free…

With high inflation still driving up production costs and unit prices, ice cream in Bulgaria is set to register faster growth in retail current value sales than retail volume sales in 2023. Demand has remained fairly robust despite falling purchasing…

Ice cream is expected to record double-digit current value growth and healthy volume growth in Croatia in 2023. With society opening up fully after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, impulse ice cream will likely perform particularly well as local…

Retail sales of ice cream saw modest growth in volume terms in 2023, following the stagnant performance of the previous year. This was largely due to an increase in demand for take-home dairy ice cream, particularly bulk varieties, which represent…

Ice cream is expected to be an outlier in terms of snacks in 2023, with healthy constant value and volume growth expected. A hot summer is also expected to boost volume sales. However, with consumers continuing to be price sensitive, as inflation…