Eastern Europe

Home insecticides is managing to achieve marginal positive volume growth overall, while value is supported by price hikes which are affecting home care as a whole. The best-performing subcategories are electric insecticides (in both value and volume…

The category of home insecticides witnessed overall growth in Slovenia, attributed in part to the aftermath of major floods that struck the country in August. This natural disaster led to a surge in mosquito populations, driving up demand for…

In 2023, insecticide coils posted the fastest volume growth within home insecticides overall driven by increased demand for efficient mosquito repellents. Ukrainian consumers prioritise these coils for their effectiveness, long-lasting effects and…

While retail value growth was positive in 2023, this was driven by ongoing inflation, with price rises encouraging Serbians to adapt their budgets in line with reduced disposable incomes. Many have begun to focus on essentials while consuming less…

Value growth in laundry care is being supported by inflationary price hikes, whilst volume sales remain in a decline. This is due to price-sensitive consumers budgeting in laundry care by using lower volumes of product per use, in addition to doing…

Laundry care emerges as one of the fastest-growing categories in home care, propelled by the increasingly busy and active lifestyles of consumers, leading to more soiled clothing. Fabric softeners witness significant growth within laundry care,…

After 2022’s deep decline, liquid tablet detergents posted positive growth in terms of volume sales in 2023, with this attributed to its products’ efficient formulas and user-friendly attributes. Though growth was low, it was the fastest in the…

While retail value sales were positively impacted by price increases, leading to double-digit growth, retail volume sales of polishes in Serbia were challenged. Price growth and the decline in disposable incomes led consumers to forgo the purchases…

Polishes is seeing a negative volume slump, while value sales are supported by price hikes affecting categories across home care as a whole. Indeed, polishes represents a category which consumers can easily substitute – especially with the growing…

Inflationary pressures are propelling the growth of polishes sales in Slovenia, primarily driven by increased unit prices. With consumers becoming more cautious about their spending, they are opting for cheaper alternatives, such as ordinary cleaning…

Shoe polish recorded the slowest decline in volume sales within polishes overall in 2023. Despite changing consumer preferences and a trend towards sport and casual footwear that may require less frequent polishing, certain market segments still…

With price hikes resulting in strong retail value growth, volume sales were challenged in 2023, leading to a retail volume decline in surface. Serbians focused on affordability and necessities, leading many to switch to cheaper brands or migrate to…

Sales in surface care are managing to see small positive volume sales, as well as value sales which are supported by the price hikes which are affecting home care overall. Overall, consumers are seeking affordable products which offer good…

Surface care is witnessing increased value, notably in the window/glass cleaners product area. Post-pandemic health and hygiene awareness are significant drivers, with consumers prioritising cleanliness. The convenience trend further propels…

Bathroom cleaners saw the slowest decline in terms of volume sales in 2023, with all members of surface care on a downward slope. Bathroom cleaners fared slightly better than the rest thanks to heightened hygiene emphasis, with local consumers…

In 2023, growing unit prices and strengthening economising trend led consumers to reduce their purchases while focusing on essentials. As a result, toilet care saw a decline in retail volume sales in all areas while overall retail value grew. Many…

Toilet care is seeing flat volume sales, while value growth is supported by the price hikes which have affected categories across home care. While Bref (Henkel Slovensko spol sro) holds just under half of all brand shares in toilet care, followed by…

Toilet care is experiencing growth in value terms in Slovenia, spurred by factors such as inflation and heightened health and hygiene concerns among consumers. The emphasis on cleanliness and hygiene, particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic,…

In a category with all members in decline, rim blocks and rim liquids posted the smallest drop in volume sales terms in 2023. Products found within these segments are often considered essential for maintaining toilet hygiene, and Ukrainian consumers…

Specialist coffee and tea shops and cafés were the strongest performers within cafés/bars in Poland in current value growth terms in 2023. While both saw trade slow sharply as the cost-of-living crisis made consumers inclined to rein in discretionary…

Within cafés/bars, bars/pubs experienced a rebound in activity levels in 2023 due in part to the shortening of curfews in most of Ukraine’s regions. Curfews were enforced all around Ukraine in response to Russia’s invasion, but their duration was…

Consumer foodservice through retail was by far the most dynamic performer in terms of growth in outlet numbers in Poland in 2023. This was mainly due to the rapid development of counters offering hot and cold food and beverages in grocery stores…

Consumer foodservice through all locations suffered heavy losses in 2022 following Russia’s invasion. More specifically, consumer foodservice through lodging and leisure locations witnessed heavy losses in 2022 due to several factors including the…

Consumer foodservice in Poland saw growth in total transactions and current value sales slow dramatically in 2023. This was partly due to the normalisation of consumption habits following the market’s rapid rebound from the negative impact of the…

Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine continued to be a major factor influencing consumer foodservice in 2023. Nonetheless, Ukrainian businesses showed unprecedented resilience while operating in challenging wartime conditions, including constant air raids…

While full-service restaurants in Poland continued to post growth in current value sales in 2023, this was primarily due to price hikes imposed to offset rising costs amidst stubbornly high inflation. Transactions declined slightly as falling…

Full-service restaurants saw a partial recovery in 2023 but sales remained well below 2021 levels as many operators continued to struggle due the difficult conditions in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion. Their higher menu prices compared to…

Limited-service restaurants in Poland saw growth in transactions and current value sales slow in 2023 as stubbornly high inflation continued to drive up menu prices and make consumers more cautious in their spending habits. However, the downturn was…

Russia’s war in Ukraine has created challenging economic conditions and a difficult operating environment which has presented significant obstacles for players operating within limited-service restaurants. Sales plummeted in value and volume terms in…

Self-service cafeterias was one of the strongest performers among the main foodservice categories in Poland in terms of growth in transactions and current value sales in 2023. Like limited-service restaurants, it weathered the cost-of-living crisis…

Self-service cafeterias in Ukraine continues to be a highly fragmented category, mostly consisting of no-frills establishments serving lunchtime offerings. Most of these establishments are fairly traditional with less reliance on technology than…

Street stalls/kiosks was among the better performing areas of Poland’s foodservice market in 2023, in part because comparatively low prices ensured it was somewhat less exposed to the cost-of-living crisis. Given the importance of on-the-go…

Street stalls/kiosks has historically been a particularly strong consumer foodservice channel in Ukraine, with it being the largest channel in terms of number of transactions prior to the pandemic. Since 2020 the channel has been under significant…

With inflation still being an issue, though apparel and footwear specialists in Bulgaria registered an increase in current value sales, constant value sales fell, as continuing rising costs cut into profit margins. There was also a slight decline in…

Apparel and footwear in the Czech Republic witnessed steady volume and current value growth in 2023 as shopping patterns started returning to normality post-pandemic. Price increases were also a factor underpinning current value growth, with this…

Performance was muted in 2023 for appliances and electronic specialists in Bulgaria, with minimal current value growth, and constant value sales falling. Continuing rising prices cut into profit margins and reduced consumers’ purchasing power. As…

HP Tronic Zlin spol sro has consolidated its lead among appliance and electronics specialists in the Czech Republic, after Datart acquired Euronics in 2023. Some Euronics locations have been closed, whilst some have been transferred to Datart, thus…

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…

2023 was not a good year for convenience retailers in Bulgaria. With inflation still being high, consumers cut back on spending in convenience retailers, as prices tend to be higher than in other grocery retailers. In addition, there is a degree of…

Convenience retailers in the Czech Republic are suffering amid retail price increases as locals are searching for the best value and price when shopping. When it comes to price, convenience retailers are unable to compete with larger retailers and so…

Direct selling registered a fall in current value sales in Bulgaria in 2023. Both high inflation and a shift away from direct selling to e-commerce led to a drop in sales, as e-commerce also provides the convenience of direct delivery. In fact,…

Direct selling in the Czech Republic experienced a surge in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic when physical outlets were closed. With online retailers still underdeveloped, direct sellers were able to absorb some of the retail needs of Czechs.…

Discounters in Bulgaria were the best performing grocery retailers in 2023. With inflation still being high, consumers were price sensitive and prioritised value for money. As such, discounters registered a moderate increase in constant value sales.…

High inflation has led to a much weaker economy in 2023, with the increased costs of living benefiting discounters in the Czech Republic. As household spending tightened, price became the overriding factor when purchasing most household goods. Czechs…

Muted performance for general merchandise in 2023

General merchandise stores in the Czech Republic, which comprises department stores and variety stores, experienced weaker value growth in 2023. Department stores in Czech Republic continue to lose appeal among locals. As it stands, there are…

Despite continuing high inflation, performance for health and beauty specialists in Bulgaria was stable, with constant value sales rising slightly. There was also further opening of outlets. Value sales through pharmacies continued to account for…

In 2023, health and beauty specialists in the Czech Republic experienced a decline in retail volume sales as price hikes dampened consumption. The largest contributor to category growth were beauty specialists, which continued to see a recovery from…

Home products specialists in Bulgaria registered current value growth in 2023, though constant value sales fell. Inflation was still an issue and impacted profitability. That being said, it was homewares and home furnishing stores that dragged down…

After a spike in current value growth in 2022, home products specialists in the Czech Republic saw a noticeable drop in demand for homewares and furniture in 2023. Demand weakened organically following the significant increases seen in 2022, when the…